By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Key Tips For Buying Safe And Effective CBD Products
    February 16, 2021
    Medical Data & Patient Privacy: An Update
    July 30, 2018
    Benefits Of The Internet Of Things For Hospitals And Healthcare
    September 28, 2020
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Is the Medical Profession a ‘Special Interest’?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > Is the Medical Profession a ‘Special Interest’?
Health ReformPublic Health

Is the Medical Profession a ‘Special Interest’?

Michael Kirsch
Michael Kirsch
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE
Don’t expect this humble blogger to explain Donald Trump’s broad and sustained GOP support, if our most seasoned political pundits are flummoxed.   Why is this man with no prior political or governmental experience trumping all of his competitors?
 
Is he ahead because he is right on, or is he leading because the competitors are way off?
Don’t expect this humble blogger to explain Donald Trump’s broad and sustained GOP support, if our most seasoned political pundits are flummoxed.   Why is this man with no prior political or governmental experience trumping all of his competitors?
 
Is he ahead because he is right on, or is he leading because the competitors are way off?
Like most folks, the conventional politicians are by and large an uninspiring lot who offer scripted screeds that are canned and calculated.  Indeed, most political junkees like me can almost orate their stump speeches, since they vary little from speech to speech.
 
Trump Appears to have no ‘Special Interests’
 
The conventional candidates often rail against ‘special interests’, a pejorative term that conjures up an evil group that is possessed by greed that tramples over the public good to serve themselves.  I challenge you to identify a candidate who has not spewed vitriol against these nefarious ‘special interests’.   When they do so, the audience reliably responds with loud applause.
 
 
Of course, this is pure political pandering.  Here’s why.  Special interests are not a dark and ominous cloud hovering over us ready to thrust a bolt of lightning impaling us.  We all are ‘special interests’. Every one of us either belongs to or supports one of them.  
 
 
  • My beloved first grade teacher Mrs. White belonged to a teacher’s union.  Is she a ‘special interest’?
  • Is the letter carrier who delivers mail to my house a ‘special interest’?
  • My accountant prepares my taxes.  I pay him for this service.   Does he have a ‘special interest’ to resist tax reform?
  • Are NRA members and gun control advocates ‘special interests’ who are trying to further their agendas?
  • Is Emily’s List a ‘special interest’?
  • Is the Sierra Club a ‘special interest’?
  • Are trial attorneys who donate millions of dollars to politicians to pursue good government or are they a ‘special interest’?
  • Aren’t corporations allowed to advocate for their ‘special interests’ like the rest of us?
If you carve out all of the ‘special interests’, who’s left?
 

When politicians speak of ‘special interests’, they identify them specifically.  If they were to name them, they would alienate many voters who support them.  Politicians want voters to believe that the special interests being targeted are other voters’ interests, not theirs.

 
 
Is the medical profession a special interest?  You’d better believe it.  We are gluttons feeding at the ‘special interest’ trough.  Physicians, pharmacists, pharmaceutical companies, hospital administrators, medical device companies, nursing home owners, home care companies and medical insurance companies all have their own interests which may collide against the public interest.  For example, there may be many reasons why a particular artificial hip is used in a hospital.  Why are only certain heartburn medicines available on hospital formularies?  Similar questions can be asked of every medical specialty or hospital.  Get my point?
 
Who’s looking out for the patients?  What ‘special interest’ is advocating for them?

 

 
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Should Popular Doctors Be Paid More?

January 18, 2012
mobile health app
eHealthMedical EducationMobile HealthPublic HealthSocial MediaTechnology

Health Tap New Resource for Health Information

May 7, 2013

Depression and Diabetes Linked

June 23, 2011

The Continuing Explosion in Healthcare Costs

March 8, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?