Baltimore Sun Profiles Former Gov. Dean’s Involvement in Health Care Issues

The Baltimore Sun on Monday examined how the medical background of presidential candidate former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D), a physician, "plays a central role in his political life, giving him a certain cachet with voters and fellow politicians, a degree of authority on health-related issues and, as he has conceded, an off-putting attitude of infallibility that at times has collided with the give-and-take of politics." Dean, who had a family practice in Vermont before he became governor in 1991, often cites his medical background in campaign speeches to highlight his expertise on the issues of health care, domestic violence and public health and the environment. In addition, although Dean has received attention for his opposition to the war in Iraq, he "started his campaign intending to make health care his signature issue, believing the 'M.D.' after his name would lend him credibility" on the issue, according to the Sun. His campaign signs read "The Doctor Is In," and other campaign materials cite his "prescription for change." Physicians, nurses and medical students have established groups to raise funds for the Dean campaign, and according to the Center for Responsive Politics, the health care industry has "given more money to Dean than to any other Democratic candidate," the Sun reports. His medical background also helped Dean to obtain endorsements from the Service Employees International Union and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which are "intensely interested in health care issues," according to the Sun. However, some individuals familiar with Dean "believe his stubborn, prickly, at times arrogant manner ... has its roots in his years as a physician" because the opinions of physicians often are not questioned, the Sun reports (Baer, Baltimore Sun, 11/17).