Georgia family physician brings conservative values to Congress

Washington -- Faith and family define the newest physician member of Congress, Rep. Paul C. Broun, MD (R, Ga.). He still flies home every weekend to attend Sunday services at Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Athens.

The family physician chose medicine out of love and respect for his grandfather, a surgeon who founded the Southeastern Surgical Congress. After winning a July 17 special election to represent Georgia's 10th Congressional District, Dr. Broun follows his father, Paul C. Broun Sr., who served in the Georgia State Senate for 38 years.

The younger Broun defeated a much better funded and endorsed opponent, Republican state Sen. Jim Whitehead, by just 394 votes out of more than 46,500 cast. He will serve the remaining 17 months of the term of Rep. Charles Norwood, DDS (R, Ga.), who died on Feb. 13 of cancer.

The race was the classic triumph of the little man, Dr. Broun said.

He said he won because his message was representing people's interest for positive change versus "the status quo."

It was his fourth run for office after defeats in 1990 and 1992 for the U.S. House and in 1994 for the U.S. Senate. His background in politics began at age 16, when his father won a seat in the state Senate in 1963.

Spirituality plays an important role in his life. "I believe God gave us instructions to run our lives in the Holy Bible, and that is the direction of my life," says Dr. Broun, who prays for and with his patients.

His own man

But don't expect him to automatically side with religious conservatives, he said. As a candidate, Dr. Broun promised to submit every vote to his own four-part test: Is it constitutional? Is it morally correct? Is it something that we really need? Is it something we can afford?

In one of his first congressional acts, he was one of only 15 Republicans voting for an amendment that would have stopped the Dept. of Justice from blocking implementation of state medical marijuana laws. The measure failed 165-262.

The physician lawmaker opposes illicit drug use but believes that states have a constitutional right to regulate medical practice. "[The voters] did not send me to be a knee-jerk reactionary," he explained.

Dr. Broun decided to run in the special election because he is concerned about the state of the nation.

"Health care is something we must do something about -- making insurance affordable for the elderly, poor and underprivileged," he said. "We can do that without universal health care. I am an ardent capitalist -- the private sector is the best way to find solutions."

The physician is an advocate for small government. The federal government places too many regulations on the medical system, he complains. "We need to get the shackles off providers."

You can expect Dr. Broun to oppose the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program when conferees finalize a bill this fall. He views the legislation passed in the House and Senate as a "push toward universal health care coverage" paid for by a "huge tax increase." He and other Republicans support renewing the program, he emphasized.

House calls only

Before running, Dr. Broun was perhaps the only physician in Georgia whose practice consisted solely of house calls.

"I was a one-man practice -- me, my BlackBerry and my GMC Yukon," he jokes. "It's an extremely pleasurable way to practice medicine. I could give [patients] better care because I knew them not just as someone sitting on an office table, but as a person -- what their lifestyle was like and what their concerns were."

Dr. Broun discovered that he could charge less per visit (about $100 for a half-hour) if he declined to accept Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. It keeps overhead low, he explained.

In his spare time, Dr. Broun is an avid hunter who pursues wild game in Africa, Argentina and British Columbia.

Dr. Broun took office on July 25 and already serves on the Homeland Security and Science and Technology committees. They're a good fit for a doctor, says Broun, especially homeland security, where he hopes to work on medical security issues.

"Paul is going to be a great member of the House," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R, Ga.) in a House speech welcoming Dr. Broun to Congress. "He will work for both sides of the aisle, [and] what is best for the United States of America."

Medical Assn. of Georgia President William Clark III, MD, congratulated Dr. Broun on his election.

"As a congressman and physician, he will bring much-needed attention to what is most important in the health care arena -- the patient," said Dr. Clark.

Despite his new position, Dr. Broun will continue seeing patients back home. It's the best inoculation against "Potomac fever," he laughingly explains.