In the lead essay, Oberlander argues that partisan divisions between Democrats and Republicans are reshaping U.S. health politics.
Jonathan Oberlander, Chair and Professor of Social Medicine and Professor of Health Policy & Management, is editor of a new special issue in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law on Polarization, Partisanship, and Health in the United States. The issue brings together political scientists and public health scholars who explore the impacts of hyperpartisanship on Americans’ health behaviors, attitudes about public health, and U.S. health care policy. In the lead essay, Oberlander argues that partisan divisions between Democrats and Republicans are reshaping U.S. health politics, and summarizes the evidence on how partisan polarization has affected a wide range of issues and policies, from the Affordable Care Act and state health policies to public attitudes about vaccination and public health agencies. Ultimately, he argues, a polarized America is neither a healthy polity or country.