ACEP Now caught up with Dr. Plaster to talk about taking on the challenge of running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland’s 3rd district.

LAC: What were the biggest motivators for you to run for the House?

MP: In all honesty, I had been thinking about getting involved in politics ever since I graduated from law school in 1989. While I was in law school and then practicing law, I was always interested in how much politics affected the practice of both emergency medicine and law. Although I was interested in politics and potentially running for office, the realities of being a Republican living in a heavily Democratic congressional district kept me from taking the next step. I figured that, as a practicing emergency physician and a contributor to both EM Law and EP Monthly, I was doing my part to help the specialty and patients. Things all changed for me in 2003 when I was deployed to Iraq for the first time at the same time as my son who had graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. As part of a shock trauma team, I witnessed the personal sacrifice of the Marines with whom I served, and my perspective on many things changed. I developed a much deeper and more passionate sense of patriotism. The women and men with whom I served stepped out of their comfort zone and took on the tough challenges. After I returned from my second deployment to Iraq, people started encouraging me to run for office. However, it wasn’t until 2014, when Republican Larry Hogan won the governor’s race—only the second Republican to hold that seat in nearly 50 years—that I realized it was my turn to take my knowledge, experience, and passion and make a run for the U.S. House.

LAC: What are the key legislative issues that you are focusing on in your campaign?

MP: I believe that we, as a nation, need to rebuild a broad-based economy. As emergency physicians, we really haven’t felt the effects of the economic downturn in this country. Patients keep coming to the ED, and our incomes have been pretty stable. But as a small business owner, I have seen how the “baked in” regulation and tax structures in this country have really hindered the growth of small businesses. Because of the unfriendly regulatory environment, new small business start-ups are at the lowest levels since the President Carter years. I also believe that our national security is directly tied to our economic security, which makes it even more critical to fix our economy. The national health care system is also critical to the overall health of the nation and will continue to go through significant transition. Physicians need to develop a better understanding of what patients need and then get involved early on in the process of laws being written rather than reacting to laws passed by Congress and rules promulgated by government agencies.