Current:Home > MyNew American Medical Association president says "we have a health care system in crisis" -WealthSphere Pro
New American Medical Association president says "we have a health care system in crisis"
View
Date:2025-04-18 07:27:49
Washington — Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld — an anesthesiologist, Navy veteran and father — made history this week when he was inaugurated as the new president of the American Medical Association, becoming the first openly gay leader of the nation's largest group of physicians and medical students.
"So after three years of experiencing so much stress, with COVID, you know, we've had a 'twindemic:' a pandemic of the disease, plus a pandemic of misinformation, and bad information," Ehrenfeld told CBS News of some of the top issues facing physicians today.
Facing doctor burnout, soaring medical costs and an influx of legislation targeting the LGBTQ community, Ehrenfeld is taking over at a difficult time.
"We have a health care system in crisis, I hear that from my physician colleagues," Ehrenfeld said.
"Today, there are so many backseat drivers telling us what to do...You know, we've got regulators that are discarding science and telling physicians how to practice medicine, putting barriers in care," he explains.
He says those barriers include what he considers the criminalization of health care.
"Well, in at least six states, now, if I practice evidence-based care, I can go to jail," Ehrenfeld said. "It's frightening. When a patient shows up in my office, if I do the right thing from a scientific, from an ethical perspective, to know that that care is no longer legal, criminalized and could wind me in prison."
He says that criminalization has occurred in areas including gender-affirming care and abortion services.
"Health care has been a target as of late in a way that has been deeply damaging, not just to the health of patients who are seeking specific services, but to every American," Ehrenfeld said. "So we see patients who no longer can find an OB-GYN because OB-GYNs are leaving a state where they have criminalized certain aspects of care. That affects all women in the state."
Ehrenfeld hopes to improve health equity for all underserved groups and be a role model for any young doctors, as well as for his own sons.
"I hope that they learn that they shouldn't let anything get in their way of following their dreams," Ehrenfeld said. "And for anybody who's different out there, I hope that they see themselves, my children, the example that I've set, that they shouldn't let anybody tell them that they can't just because of who they are."
- In:
- Transgender
- Abortion
- LGBTQ+
- Health Care
Norah O'Donnell is the anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News." She also contributes to "60 Minutes."
TwitterveryGood! (51)
Related
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- The Masked Singer: Gilmore Girls Alum Revealed as Tiki During Double Elimination
- Stock market today: Asian shares slide after retreat on Wall Street as crude oil prices skid
- A pregnant Texas woman is asking a court to let her have an abortion under exceptions to state’s ban
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Wyoming may auction off huge piece of pristine land inside Grand Teton
- Not just the Supreme Court: Ethics troubles plague state high courts, too
- British poet and political activist Benjamin Zephaniah dies at age 65
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Arizona man connected to 2022 Australian terrorist attack indicted on threat counts
Ranking
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- It's one of the biggest experiments in fighting global poverty. Now the results are in
- National security advisers of US, South Korea and Japan will meet to discuss North Korean threat
- Adele Hilariously Reveals Why She's Thriving as Classroom Mom
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Nevada grand jury indicts six Republicans who falsely certified that Trump won the state in 2020
- United Nations bemoans struggles to fund peacekeeping as nations demand withdrawal of missions
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: Historical photos show the Dec. 7, 1941 attack in Hawaii
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
The White House is threatening the patents of high-priced drugs developed with taxpayer dollars
Three North Carolina Marines were found dead in a car with unconnected exhaust pipes, autopsies show
What does 'delulu' mean? Whether on Tiktok or text, here's how to use the slang term.
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
Three North Carolina Marines were found dead in a car with unconnected exhaust pipes, autopsies show
Why Matt Bomer Stands by His Decision to Pass on Barbie Role
Get the Holiday Party Started with Anthropologie’s Up to 40% Off Sale on Party Favorites