Helping the most people

“I want to help people.”

Many pre-med students usually say or write some variation of that when asked why they want to go to medical school. Indeed, the most popular university major across the United States, I am told, is pre-med biology.

For those of you American pre-meds, if you want to help people, go into health and insurance policy.

I'm a reasonably healthy guy (I’ve never cancelled a class due to illness). I’ve got full-time employment that is more stable than most jobs. And the thought of an extended encounter with the American medical system scares the hell out of me. I am constantly aware of how charges start to rack up, even if insurance is picking up most of the tab. And there’s always the prospect that insurance won’t pick up the tab.

We have plenty of prospective physicians and health care providers. Real help will come from changing policies so more people can get to the health care providers.

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Trying to catch his breath with a hole-ridden safety net