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A Fight to Fix a Broken Healthcare System

Transforming America's Healthcare: A Vision for Accessible, Affordable, and Compassionate Care

Dr. Krista Cothron
Dr. Krista Cothron
Senior Healthcare Operations Strategy Leader
Optum
A Fight to Fix a Broken Healthcare System

The Problem We Cannot Ignore

America’s healthcare system is one of the most advanced in the world, yet it remains deeply broken. Families face impossible choices between medications and basic needs. Patients wait weeks or months for appointments, only to be rushed through visits. Providers are burdened with administrative tasks that take time away from delivering care. Despite spending more per capita on healthcare than any other nation, we continue to see inequities in access, affordability, and outcomes. This is not just a policy issue, it’s a human one.

Why This Fight Matters

Behind every statistic is a person. A parent skipping insulin doses because of cost. A child waiting too long for specialist care. A senior struggling to navigate a maze of disconnected providers and payers. These are not isolated stories; they are the true reality for millions of Americans. Healthcare should be a system that heals, but too often it becomes a system that harms. Fixing it is not optional, it is a moral imperative.

Leading with Innovation and Advocacy

Real change requires more than small adjustments. It demands bold, systemic solutions. We must streamline operations to reduce administrative burden, redesign payment models to reward value instead of volume, and embrace technology to improve access without sacrificing humanity. But innovation alone is not enough, we must also advocate. Leaders at every level must use their influence to push for policies that expand access, protect patients, and support providers. It is not enough to manage the system as it is. We must transform it into what it should be.

A Call to Action

The fight to fix healthcare cannot rest on the shoulders of a few. It requires collaboration between policymakers, healthcare leaders, providers, and communities. It requires courage to disrupt the status quo and persistence to keep pushing forward even when progress feels slow. Most of all, it requires remembering why this work matters: because every person deserves care that is accessible, affordable, and compassionate.

The system may be broken, but it is not beyond repair. By combining innovation, advocacy, and leadership, we can rebuild healthcare into something worthy of the people it serves. I am committed to this fight, for my family, for future generations, and for every individual who has ever felt left behind by a system meant to heal them.

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