Health care’s most recent billion-dollar deal took the industry by surprise, leaving medical experts and hospital leaders grappling to comprehend its implications. In case you missed it, California-based Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospital…
Category: Policy
Here’s How Lawmakers Can Slash Medicare Spending Without Cutting Benefits
Republicans and Democrats alike have made it clear that they have no interest in cutting Medicare benefits. But the status quo is not fiscally sustainable.
Unveiling the intricate link between housing costs and health care
While housing costs have escalated, health care costs have not been left behind. According to the National Health Expenditure Account (NHEA), health care spending grew 4.6 percent in 2019, reaching $3.8 trillion or $11,582 per person. The correlation b…
Uncovering the truth about racial health inequities in America: a book review
When I started my intern year, that is my first year of training in medical residency, I noticed something peculiar about the epidemiology of disease in our hospital. The Black patients on the medical wards would often present with the morbidity of the…
Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine
Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are among the higher ed institutions involved in a U.S. Supreme Court battle over affirmative action that is expected to be decided this spring or summer. As a former appellate defender in the…
The untold story of Hispanic/Latino health: Why subgroup data matters
In 2000, the question, “Is this person Spanish/Hispanic/Latino?” emerged on the U.S. census, grouping these populations for the first time on a national scale. Prior to this, there was no consistent or comprehensive way to collect data on t…
Unmasking the brutal reality of gun violence in America: a call to action for unity and meaningful change
On the night of April 28, 2023, in a sleepy community 50 miles north of Houston, Texas, bullet-riddled bodies of five human beings, including an eight-year-old boy, lay lifeless, cut down in the most gruesome way. Their only sin was asking for a night …
Family physicians unite at the U.S. Capitol, seeking congressional support for Medicare reform and health care transformation
Picture this: Hundreds of family physicians and future family physicians arriving on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to share the top challenges they face and to ask their leaders to make a purposeful investment in primary care. They’ve earned the …
Breaking down barriers: Illinois bill calls for cultural competency training for physicians to improve health care for LGBTQ+ community
Illinois HB 4654 is a bill requiring physicians to undergo cultural competency training focusing on caring for patients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and two-spirit LGBTQ2S+, or questioning LGBTQ+. This training is critical for …
Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action
May 25th marks the anniversary of the brutal murder of George Floyd. I remember feeling numb when I first heard the news. Then, some days later, the tears filled my eyes, then came my anger. It is frustrating that we still live in a world filled with s…
