Category: Policy

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…

Will Senate Hearing Expose PBMs’ Unscrupulous Drug Pricing Tactics?

PBMs have unscrupulously created an opaque drug pricing system that has yielded riches for them — at the expense of patients and drug companies.

Small-Molecule Price Controls Are A Big Mistake

The Inflation Reduction Act’s drug price controls may be popular. But by discouraging companies from investing in innovative, accessible drugs, they’ll harm current and future patients in need of effective therapies.

The growing threat to transgender health care: implications for patients, providers, and trainees

The ACLU is currently tracking over 400 anti-LGBTQ bills this legislative session, the highest number on record. Over 150 of these pertain to transgender people, including many targeting health care for transgender youth. As of April 2023, thirteen sta…

Here’s how to fix the public health system in the U.S.

Today, the current health care ecosystem is broken and in need of an overhaul. To start, this country’s high cost of health care is not sustainable, preventing millions of Americans from accessing important health care services. The recent ruling…