Doctors hanging out their shingles as members of Congress

Congress convened last month with 16 medical doctors, including three newly elected members of the House of Representatives as well as a freshman senator, according to the latest tally by the Chicago-based American Medical Association. "The number of physicians in Congress continues to grow, with 16 physicians in the 111th Congress, demonstrating intense physician interest in making a difference in people's health and their lives," said Nancy Nielsen, MD, president of the AMA. Often, doctors are known to push an agenda that would increase access to medical care by boosting payments to programs that pay doctors and other medical-care providers.