A Physician’s Prescription for Iowa

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I am running for the Iowa State Senate because Iowa needs a stronger voice for patients, families, public schools and small businesses.

For too long, some of the most important decisions affecting Iowans have been made without enough people at the table who understand these challenges firsthand. Today, there is no healthcare worker in the Iowa State Senate. If elected, I would be the only physician serving in that legislative body.

That matters.

As a physician, I see the consequences of public policy not in theory, but in the lives of patients and families. Healthcare is one of the top issues I hear about on the campaign trail. Republicans, Democrats and Independents may disagree on many things, but there is one thing they increasingly share: frustration with the healthcare system.

Iowa faces a particularly urgent challenge. Our state ranks among the highest in the nation for cancer rates and is one of only a small number of states where those rates continue to rise. The statistics are especially troubling among younger Iowans.

We do not yet have all the answers. But we cannot afford to stop asking questions.

Environmental exposure must be part of the conversation. Iowa is an agriculture-heavy state, and concerns about water quality, pesticides, fertilizers and agricultural runoff deserve serious scientific attention. We need better information, stronger monitoring and policies based on evidence. When the health of our communities is at stake, Iowa should be expanding our ability to understand potential risks—not limiting it.

Cancer is not a partisan issue. Clean water is not a partisan issue. The health of our children is not a partisan issue.

They are Iowa issues.

I am also deeply concerned about the growing shortage of healthcare professionals in our state. Iowa has among the lowest per-capita availability of OB/GYN physicians in the country. In some communities, women must travel hours to receive maternity care.

These maternity deserts have real consequences for families.

We also have to recognize that healthcare policy affects whether physicians choose to practice and remain in Iowa. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are making decisions every day about where they can provide care and practice medicine. If Iowa wants to recruit and retain the best medical professionals, we must listen to them.

Healthcare decisions should fundamentally be made by a physician and a patient—in consultation with the patient’s family and faith.

Period.

Instead, we increasingly have politicians, bureaucrats and insurance companies making decisions that belong in the examination room.

Prior authorizations, insurance denials and administrative requirements have become overwhelming. Healthcare workers spend an extraordinary amount of time navigating paperwork and bureaucracy rather than caring for patients. Now, we are seeing insurance companies increasingly turn to artificial intelligence and automated systems to influence decisions about patient care.

Technology can be useful. Artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool.

But a computer algorithm should not replace sound medical judgment.

Patients are not numbers. They are human beings. Their circumstances are different, their medical histories are different and their needs are different. Healthcare cannot become an assembly line where a distant insurance company—or an algorithm—decides what care a patient deserves.

We need to start holding insurance companies accountable and reduce the barriers that stand between patients and their doctors.

My experience extends beyond medicine.

For the past 13 years, I have served as a School Board member, including five years as president. Education is another reason I am running.

Iowa’s public schools were once regarded among the best in the nation. Today, we have fallen dramatically in national rankings. That should concern every parent, every teacher, every employer and every taxpayer.

Strong public schools are essential to the future of our state. They prepare our children for college, careers and citizenship. They also help determine whether young families choose to stay in Iowa.

We must invest in public education and work to restore Iowa’s position as a national leader.

I am also a small-business owner. As the owner of my medical practice, I understand the challenges facing businesses—from rising costs and regulations to workforce shortages and economic uncertainty.

Iowa’s economic performance should be a wake-up call. We cannot simply accept stagnation while other states move ahead. We need policies that encourage innovation, support entrepreneurs, attract workers and create opportunities for young people who otherwise may leave Iowa to build their futures elsewhere.

Healthcare, education and economic growth are not separate issues.

They are connected.

A healthy population supports a strong economy. Strong schools produce a skilled workforce. A growing economy allows communities to thrive and families to remain in the places they call home.

That is why I am running for the Iowa State Senate.

I am not running simply to add another politician to the legislature. I am running to bring the perspective of a physician, an educator, a School Board leader and a small-business owner to the decisions that will shape Iowa’s future.

There is currently no physician or healthcare worker in the Iowa State Senate. At a time when healthcare is one of the biggest concerns facing our state, that absence matters.

I believe Iowa needs someone who understands what patients are experiencing, what physicians and healthcare workers are facing, and how policy decisions made at the Capitol affect real people.

We need to keep politicians, bureaucrats and insurance companies from interfering in the relationship between patients and their physicians.

We need to strengthen public schools.

We need to confront Iowa’s growing cancer crisis with science, transparency and urgency.

And we need to get our economy moving again.

Iowa has enormous potential. But potential alone will not solve our problems.

We need leadership willing to ask difficult questions, challenge the status quo and put people ahead of politics.

That is the perspective I hope to bring to the Iowa State Senate.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article/column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of South Asian Herald.