How did we get here?

I’ve been asked a lot about how we got here with insurance and medicine. For too long, the medical community has told ourselves, “We’re good people in a bad system.” But when insurance denies care the first time, you’re shocked. The 100th time? It’s on us to stand up. I recently spoke with a doctor who was told to read 25% more mammograms this year. She raised concerns about patient safety. Leadership’s response? “But you’re hitting the numbers!” We can’t just sit by and say the system sucks. That’s not medicine. It’s not enough to be good people. Our patients need us to be good doctors. I believe that my superpower is that I have chosen medicine as a full-body commitment to doing what’s right for my patients. That can’t stop when the system gets hard. I don’t believe that’s where our power ends. When things get hard, we have to rise up, organize, and demand better care for our patients.