Healthcare is a great leveler.
As we approach another crescendo in this endless political season defined by those who would divide us, let's take a moment to acknowledge the uniters we see at work every day in the halls of healthcare.
There’s little political conflict in the ER or in the nursery, after all. Partisan criteria aren’t considered for admission. These places are small patches of sacred space where humans who need care come, and others are there to provide it.
At its best, healthcare creates a common ground for common good. Try to hold that ideal close this week when unity may seem hard to find.
You’ve heard plenty about cultural and policy issues that sharply divide voters.
You’ve heard too little of this: There are deep and fundamental core values that Americans of all stripes share. Strong ones.
Healthcare is one of those.
A common core
“Despite the country’s deep political polarization, most Americans share many core beliefs about what it means to be an American,” says the Associated Press, reporting on surveys from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs.
In their research, 90% of adults say the right to vote, to speak, equal protection under the law and a right to privacy are extremely or very important to them and to the United States’ identity as a nation; 84% feel the same way about the freedom of religion. There’s little variation in answers by political affiliation.
“If you get a bunch of normal people at random and put them in a room together and chat about issues, there’s a lot more convergence than you might imagine,” agrees Michel Albertus, a poly sci professor at the University of Chicago.
Let’s give a cheer to the very many (but rarely highlighted) normal people. We need them all.
While these calming results may not sneak into our self-affirming echo chambers, the findings are not news.
A headline from the American Communities Project last year? “Surprise: American voters actually largely agree on many issues, including topics like abortion, immigration and wealth inequality.”
And going back even further to 2018, More in Common wrote, “We [Americans] hold dissimilar views on many issues. But most Americans are tired of this “us-versus-them” mindset and are eager to find common ground.”
The delivery of healthcare rests on this common ground, too.
In our national and statewide surveys, U.S. adults consistently tell us they hold physicians, nurses and hospitals in high regard, with little variation by political affiliation.
In fact, Americans of every political persuasion tell us:
