At Town Hall, Lawmakers Signal Tough Road Ahead for Healthcare Reform

On Wednesday, April 15, the democratic healthcare PAC (Political Action Committee), Healthcare for Action, hosted a virtual town hall discussing healthcare policy in the U.S.

Dr. Anahita Dua, active surgeon and founder/chair of Healthcare for Action, facilitated the discussion with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, R.N. (D-IL), Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (D-OR), as well as a patient and a healthcare executive.

Tim Rafferty used a patient story to illustrate that navigating healthcare requires not just medical care but also intense administrative effort. He described how his mother had to “do whatever she could” to secure doctor signatures and meet deadlines, emphasizing that access to top rehabilitation care depends as much on paperwork and persistence as on clinical need.

Dr. Dua framed the discussion around systemic failure, arguing that even successful medical treatment can lead to poor outcomes if the system fails the patient. She stressed that healthcare workers are being pushed into advocacy because policy—not medicine—is often the limiting factor, and outlined three themes: vision for healthcare, messaging, and actionable steps.

Representative Maxine Dexter explained she entered Congress because the healthcare system “continued to fail people” despite clinicians doing their best. She highlighted patients being forced into “impossible choices” between care and basic needs, arguing the system is not designed around patients. Her priorities include:

• Affordability for both patients and providers
• Expanding the healthcare workforce and enabling professionals to practice fully
• Eliminating perverse financial incentives and corporate consolidation
  She emphasized that reform will be difficult and require public engagement, noting the system is “imploding” and must first “stop the bleeding” before long-term transformation.

Representative Lauren Underwood shared that she ran for Congress to protect the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after witnessing political dishonesty around its repeal. She emphasized that healthcare remains a central political issue and warned that current policies are pushing care “out of reach for hundreds of millions of Americans.” Her key points:

• Immediate need to reverse Medicaid cuts and restore ACA supports, then build further
• Focus on cost as the entry point to broader healthcare reform conversations
• Investment in maternal health, workforce development, and research
  
  

On strategy, Underwood stressed that policymaking in Congress is not purely evidence-driven and suggested that advocates provide clear, pre-vetted policy options (“a menu”) rather than broad proposals. She also warned that misinformation campaigns and political resistance will make reform “hand-to-hand combat.”

Dexter agreed, adding that durable reform likely requires bipartisan alignment and clear, tangible improvements in people’s lives to maintain public trust. She cautioned against overcommitting to a single model, such as Medicare for All, advocating instead for flexible solutions that ensure affordability, access, and simplicity.

On immediate challenges like hospital closures, Underwood pointed to targeted legislation (e.g., rural hospital support) but emphasized the need for federal investment to maintain infrastructure. Dexter compared the situation to past bailouts, arguing that healthcare is “too important to fail” and requires urgent financial intervention and reduced administrative burden.

The speakers agreed that the U.S. healthcare system is structurally failing patients due to cost, complexity, and misaligned incentives. While clinicians can deliver care, systemic reform depends on political action, funding, and public engagement—and will be difficult and incremental.