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]

Doctors for America
Formation2008
FounderAlice Chen
Vivek Murthy
Mandy Cohen
Type501c(3)
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Location
  • United States
Membership
30,000 physicians
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.[3]

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 an July 30, 2009 open letter to all members of Congress publicly announcing their support for health reform legislation.[4]

Beyond healthcare, Doctors for America has advocated for gun control, including an assault weapons ban.[5] The group called gun violence a “public health epidemic.”[6] Doctors for America has endorsed defunding the police to reallocate the money toward social workers through the People’s Response Act.[7] The group also co-authored a report advising jails to release inmates during the pandemic.[8]

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;[9] later AMA statements supported health reform in principle.[10][11]

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,[12] and organized house meetings of physicians across the country to talk about health reform,[13] and interactive web talks with figures such as Jacob Hacker and Howard Dean,[14] and participated in White House meetings on health reform.[15]

Leadership

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.[16] 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.[17] In October 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Murthy to be the U.S. representative on the World Health Organization's executive board. [18] Other senior advisors to Doctors for Obama, including Irwin Redelener and David Blumenthal, also simultaneously served as advisors to candidate Obama’s campaign.[19]

In 2019, the National Physicians Alliance merged with Doctors for America.[20] Doctors for America has also maintained financial partnerships with other major organizations, including the Center for American Progress[21] and Planned Parenthood.[22]

References
  1. McGolone, Tim. "Obama leads cash battle in Virginia and region". Virginian Pilot. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  2. "'Doctors for America' launches". Politico.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  3. "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 23 April 2017.
  4. "Press Center -- News Releases & Statements". Aafp.com. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  5. 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 13 July 2022.
  6. Dennis, Brady. "Hours before San Bernardino shooting, doctors urged Congress to lift funding ban on gun violence research". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  7. "Letter to Congress" (PDF). Physicians for Social Responsibility. Physicians for Social Responsibility. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  8. "County Criminal Justice Stakeholder Toolkit" (PDF). Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  9. "NOW! Blog » the AMA Doesn't Represent Doctors". Archived from the original on 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  10. "AMA - AMA Affirms Support for Health Reform This Year". Archived from the original on 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  11. "AMA - AMA Reaction to President Obama's Address on Health System R". Archived from the original on 2009-09-13. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  12. "Voices of Physicians". Voicesofphysicians.org. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  13. "Calendar of Events - Doctors for America". Archived from the original on 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  14. "Learn More - Doctors for America". Archived from the original on 2009-10-08. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  15. "Streamed and Interactive at 2:30: Health Reform Stakeholder Meeting with Physicians". whitehouse.gov. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2017 – via National Archives.
  16. Gil, Gideon (14 November 2013). "Obama nominating Dr. Vivek Murthy of Harvard and Brigham and Women's as surgeon general". Boston Globe. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  17. "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. 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 13 July 2022.
  18. Mason, Jeff. "Exclusive: Biden to nominate U.S. surgeon general to join WHO executive board, official says". Reuters. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  19. McGolone, Tim. "Obama leads cash battle in Virginia and region". Virginian Pilot. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  20. "What's in the funding deal for health care". Politico. February 14, 2019.
  21. McElhatten, Jim. "Obama's surgeon general nominee connected to left-leaning think tank". Washington Times. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  22. "DOCTORS FOR AMERICA STATEMENT ON WOMEN'S HEALTH & REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS". Doctors for America. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
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