By Daniel Pham
The Oklahoman, June 14, 2020
At my white coat ceremony almost a year ago, I pledged to “do no harm” in the pursuit of a medical career. However, one does not need to graduate from medical school to see that our fragmented health care coverage in Oklahoma harms patients and communities, yielding poorer health outcomes than the national average.
Patients share stories of being denied care because of inadequate coverage or paying unbelievably expensive out-of-pocket costs. Even as a first-year medical student, I hear these stories and even learn how to “manage” a patient who cannot afford their care.
In the United States, life expectancy increases linearly by income level, and Oklahoma is no different. Almost 200,000 Oklahomans do not have health care coverage and many more are underinsured. Often, they rely on free or low-cost clinics, where medical students volunteer and practice the clinical skills we learn. However, this system has become overwhelmed due to increasing demand and limited resources.
Expanding Medicaid would strengthen the financial situation of rural hospitals, which have struggled to keep their doors open. Additionally, studies have shown that states that expanded Medicaid produce net savings because of the reduction of spending on uncompensated care.
However, the economic arguments mean little to me because as a future health care professional, I do not want to practice in a system that fails to meet the health needs of our most vulnerable. The COVID-19 pandemic magnified the fact that individual health is connected to the health of an entire community. We are only as strong as our weakest link. For those with adequate and comprehensive health coverage, it is imperative that we collectively ensure everyone around us has access to the care they need.
In medical school, I learn to examine the social determinants of health and believe that one of the biggest developments the state could make would be to give every Oklahoman access to high-quality health care and guarantee it as a human right. There is work to be done toward providing everyone the care they deserve, and voting for State Question 802, Medicaid expansion, is the first step in that direction.
Daniel Pham, an Oklahoma City native, attends medical school at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. SQ 802 is on the ballot June 30.