Amid the business-suited politicians at home on Capitol Hill, nearly 200 white coat-clad GW medical students served as a visual reminder of the impact of health care reform on doctors and their patients. The students, who were participating in a segment of their Practice of Medicine course, spent the day gaining a better understanding of the legislative process and how to be effective advocates.
“Taking the students to Capitol Hill is an invaluable chance for them not only to learn about health care policy but to also see it in action,” said course director Matthew Mintz. “With health reform taking place in our backyard, it is especially exciting for these future physicians to share what they would value in a reformed health care system.”
Throughout the day, various speakers briefed the students on the state of health reform, explained the legislative process, and outlined the intricacies of lobbying and advocacy. Most importantly, though, the students were encouraged to get involved.
“Too often, there are people representing your interests as physicians on Capitol Hill who don’t necessarily know how you think,” said GW alumnus Atul Grover, chief advocacy officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges. “By getting involved, you can give reason to the dialogue.”
And involvement, the speakers agreed, need not be an overwhelming commitment. By meeting with a representative for just 15 minutes every few months to discuss one issue, for example, an individual can be an effective advocate. “You don’t need to know everything about the system—that’s what your lobbyists need to know,” said Cindy Pellegrini, assistant director of the Department of Federal Affairs, American Academy of Pediatrics. “What you need to know is what you care about.”
The students were given the chance to begin their involvement that very day. Several dozen students were on hand—and on C-SPAN—when GW alumnus Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, J.D. ’64, (D-Nev.), who had just unveiled his health care bill the night before, announced the bill’s upcoming procedural vote.
Other students met in small groups with legislative assistants, asking them a variety of questions about health care reform, including how it will address the cost of medical education and what the government can do to alleviate the shortage of primary care physicians.
Sarah Dash, legislative assistant to Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), reminded students that change is a two-way street. “The real change has to come from you, from the inside,” she urged. “Here on Capitol Hill, we don’t practice medicine day-in and day-out—you do. While we have the tools to make broad changes, you have the tools to make the real changes that will affect your patients.”