Doctors for America

Doctors for America is a 501(c)(3) national, multi-specialty organization of physicians and medical students in the United States with a stated goal of improving affordable health care access. The movement, which was created by the Obama campaign,[1] was started in 2008 as "Doctors for Obama" and rapidly grew to 10,000 members within a few months.[2] It was founded by Alice Chen, Vivek Murthy, and Mandy Cohen.[3]

Doctors for America
Formation2008
FounderAlice Chen
Vivek Murthy
Mandy Cohen
Type501c(3)
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Location
  • United States
Membership
27,000+ advocates
Executive Director
Angie Bakke
Websitedrsforamerica.org

The group stated that it had a membership of 15,000 and a presence in all 50 states in October 2009.[4]

Advocacy

The "four policy pillars" of the organization are expanding health insurance to all Americans; ensuring high-quality 21st-century care; expanding access to care; and improving practice environments for physicians in order to help them focus on improving patient care. The organization partnered with the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Student Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association, and other organizations to promote health reform legislation in Congress to issue a July 30, 2009 open letter to all members of Congress publicly announcing their support for health reform legislation.[5]

Beyond healthcare, Doctors for America has advocated for gun control, including an assault weapons ban.[6] The group called gun violence a “public health epidemic.”[7] Doctors for America has endorsed defunding the police to reallocate the money toward social workers through the People’s Response Act.[8] The group also co-authored a report advising jails to release inmates during the pandemic.[9]

Some commentators stated that this large coalition of doctors (the organizations collectively represented nearly 450,000) provided an important counterweight to the American Medical Association's organization's initial opposition to health reform in 2009;[10] later AMA statements supported health reform in principle.[11][12]

Doctors for America also organized a website, Voices of Physicians (www.voicesofphysicians.org), which allowed physicians to publicize their frustrations with the current health system and their recommendations for improvement,[13] and organized house meetings of physicians across the country to talk about health reform,[14] and interactive web talks with figures such as Jacob Hacker and Howard Dean,[15] and participated in White House meetings on health reform.[16]

Leadership
Mandy Cohen

The organization was founded by Alice Chen, Vivek Murthy, and Mandy Cohen.[3] In 2008 Cohen was National Outreach Director for the organization.[17] She served as the organization's policy director and later as Executive Director.[18][17][19] On October 5, 2009, 50 of the organization's members met with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, followed by a reception at the White House Rose Garden, for the White Coat Rally.[17]

On 14 November 2013, the co-founder and president of Doctors for America, Dr. Vivek Murthy, was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama to be the Surgeon General of the United States.[20] He served as the 19th Surgeon General, and was in office from December 18, 2014 – April 21, 2017. Murthy worked on then-candidate Obama’s New England steering committee shortly before founding Doctors for Obama.[21] In October 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Murthy to be the U.S. representative on the World Health Organization's executive board. [22] Other senior advisors to Doctors for Obama, including Irwin Redelener and David Blumenthal, also simultaneously served as advisors to candidate Obama’s campaign.[1]

In 2019, the National Physicians Alliance merged with Doctors for America.[23] Doctors for America has also maintained financial partnerships with other major organizations, including the Center for American Progress[24] and Planned Parenthood.[25]

References
  1. McGolone, Tim (October 20, 2008). "Obama leads cash battle in Virginia and region". Virginian Pilot. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  2. "'Doctors for America' launches". Politico.com. May 4, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  3. "Who is Alice Chen, wife of Biden's surgeon general Vivek Murthy?". HITC. March 24, 2021.
  4. "Doctors for America Takes Message to the White House; Doctors from every state make the case for health reform now - Doctors for America". Drsforamerica.org. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  5. "Press Center -- News Releases & Statements". Aafp.com. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  6. Costello, Carol. "Feinstein to Introduce New Gun Control Bill; Press Conference with Senator Dianne Feinstein; Frigid Temperatures Plague the Nation; Panetta to Announce Removing Ban on Women in Combat". CNN. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  7. Dennis, Brady. "Hours before San Bernardino shooting, doctors urged Congress to lift funding ban on gun violence research". Washington Post. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  8. "Letter to Congress" (PDF). Physicians for Social Responsibility. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  9. "County Criminal Justice Stakeholder Toolkit" (PDF). Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  10. "NOW! Blog » the AMA Doesn't Represent Doctors". Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  11. "AMA - AMA Affirms Support for Health Reform This Year". Archived from the original on October 7, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  12. "AMA - AMA Reaction to President Obama's Address on Health System R". Archived from the original on September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  13. "Voices of Physicians". Voicesofphysicians.org. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  14. "Calendar of Events - Doctors for America". Archived from the original on August 29, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  15. "Learn More - Doctors for America". Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  16. "Streamed and Interactive at 2:30: Health Reform Stakeholder Meeting with Physicians". whitehouse.gov. June 18, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2017 – via National Archives.
  17. "My Kind of Medicine: Real Lives of Practicing Internists: Mandy Krauthamer Cohen, MD". ACP. January 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  18. "Media Kits". American Academy of Family Physicians.
  19. "Mandy Krauthamer Cohen, M.D. '05, M.P.H." Yale School of Medicine. Winter 2010.
  20. Gil, Gideon (November 14, 2013). "Obama nominating Dr. Vivek Murthy of Harvard and Brigham and Women's as surgeon general". Boston Globe. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  21. "As a Yale student, surgeon general nominee's energy and compassion were apparent". Murthy worked on then-candidate Obama’s New England steering committee shortly before founding Doctors for Obama. Other senior advisors to Doctors for Obama, including Irwin Redelener and David Blumenthal, also simultaneously served as advisors to candidate Obama’s campaign. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  22. Mason, Jeff. "Exclusive: Biden to nominate U.S. surgeon general to join WHO executive board, official says". Reuters. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  23. "What's in the funding deal for health care". Politico. February 14, 2019.
  24. McElhatten, Jim. "Obama's surgeon general nominee connected to left-leaning think tank". Washington Times. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  25. "DOCTORS FOR AMERICA STATEMENT ON WOMEN'S HEALTH & REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS". Doctors for America. September 14, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
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