As many doctors that have spoken against Obamacare, it’s surprising to learn that a number of medical students are trying to get their medical schools to stand up and support the Affordable Care Act. It’s possible their liberal bias and affinity is due to be educated by the public school system.
In uncertain times, conviction is the currency by which we measure the worth of our institutions. And right now, our medical schools need to prove their worth. They should do so by publicly endorsing efforts to save and augment the Affordable Care Act.
You are likely familiar with the fundamentals of the law and the routes it provides to affordable health insurance. For tens of millions of our patients, this means the difference between sickness and health, and even life and death.
Estimates suggest that increased coverage prevents nearly 44,000 deaths every year. The law also discards the barbaric practice of denying insurance for pre-existing conditions and offers profound advantages for women’s health care. And students might appreciate that they can stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, saving hundreds or thousands of dollars.
To a greater or lesser extent, this is common knowledge. But the perspective held by a growing number of medical students is somewhat foreign to most people outside the profession, and even some people within. To understand it, we should recall how the United States approached medicine until just a few years ago.
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