By last year, those numbers had essentially flipped, with nearly two-thirds of physician campaign contributions going to Democrats while one-third went to Republicans. A 2016 Gallup poll found that 35% of doctors considered themselves Democrats while 27% were Republicans and 36% identified as independents. Prof. Bonica’s and other research shows that lower-paid doctors such as pediatricians and internists favor Democrats while higher-paid ones like surgeons and anesthesiologists favor Republicans. They found that Republican doctors were more likely to discuss the health risks of marijuana and urge patients to cut down. Prof. Bonica predicts the geographic maldistribution of physicians likely will get worse, potentially resulting in poorer health outcomes for rural residents.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 06, 2019 17:37 UTC