by Madeline Canal
As future doctors, we enter medical school eager to learn how to heal. But too often, we find ourselves asking a different question: How do we help patients who can’t afford or access care in the first place?
Across Florida, medical students are no longer willing to accept the cruel reality of our fragmented, for-profit healthcare system that does not serve us nor our patients. Instead of waiting for change, we are fighting for it.
We are members of Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP), a growing movement of medical students pushing for a universal, comprehensive single-payer healthcare system. We have seen too many patients forced to choose between food and lifesaving medications, rent and crippling medical bills. We believe healthcare should be a right—not a privilege reserved for those who can afford it. SNaHP chapters across Florida have popped up rapidly over the past few years, growing from a small subset of medical students to a statewide initiative led by more than 100 active members.
In Florida, over two million people remain uninsured. Even those with coverage face high deductibles, outrageous co-pays, and delays in care due to bureaucratic hurdles from private insurance companies. As students and soon-to-be physicians, we see the consequences of this every day. From Gainesville to Miami, student-run and community clinics provide healthcare to the uninsured—but it’s not a viable solution. Patients rely on charity care and safety net hospitals absorbing unsustainable costs because our system leaves them with nowhere else to turn.
The problem is especially stark for those trapped in the Medicaid gap—people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford ACA marketplace insurance. They are left with no options, falling through the cracks of a system that values profits over patients.
Organizations like the American Medical Association (AMA) have historically blocked universal health care efforts, choosing to protect the financial interests of private insurers over the well-being of patients. In contrast, Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), our parent organization, has spent decades advocating for Medicare for All, publishing research on the cost savings and efficiency of a single-payer system, and fighting against corporate influence in healthcare.
In the 1960s and 1970s, medical students and young doctors played a role in advocating for the passage and expansion of Medicare and Medicaid, as well as forming groups like the Student Health Organizations (SHO) to address racial health disparities and provide care to underserved communities. Now, decades after these initial efforts, the healthcare landscape isn’t for the better.
However, we should not have to fight this battle. As medical students, we should be focusing on our training—not begging lawmakers to do what’s morally right. But until our leaders recognize healthcare as a human right, we will continue to use our privilege and voices to advocate for our patients.
And we’re taking that fight straight to Tallahassee.
On March 13th, medical students from across Florida, along with other grassroots organizations like Medicare for All Florida and PNHP will march to the state Capitol to demand real healthcare reform. We are pushing for policies that will make healthcare affordable, accessible, and patient-centered.
Among the key bills we support:
The Insulin Cap Bill for Florida: Over two million Floridians have diabetes, yet 14% of insulin users nationwide face catastrophic costs. This bill would cap insulin co-pays at $35/month for all state-regulated plans—not just Medicare.
The Task Force on Universal Health Care Bill: More than two million Floridians are uninsured, and countless others struggle with out-of-pocket costs. This bill would establish a task force to explore a statewide universal healthcare system—one that guarantees access to care without financial barriers.
The Healthy Florida Act: Private insurance companies waste nearly 30% of healthcare spending on administrative costs, while Medicare operates at just 2% overhead. This bill would reduce waste and expand coverage to include mental health, dental, vision, long-term care, and prescription drugs—without copays or deductibles.
SNaHP members have already met with local Representatives Maxwell Frost and Cherfilus-McCormick to discuss key issues like the privatization of Medicare and Medicare for All. SNaHP also hosted a virtual town hall on Feb. 18 with local representatives to speak to the community about these issues and provide a forum for public discussion. This movement is growing, but it can’t be limited to medical students. We need patients, doctors, families, and communities to join us. If you’ve ever delayed care because of cost, struggled to navigate insurance bureaucracy, or watched a loved one suffer due to a lack of access, this fight is your fight too.
Universal healthcare isn’t radical—it’s common sense. Countries around the world have proven that a single-payer system saves money and saves lives. It’s time for Florida—and the U.S.—to catch up.
The system is broken. We refuse to accept it. Do you?
Madeline Canal is a UF College of Medicine student and an EMT. SNaHP is the student arm of Physicians for a National Health Program. See more at pnhp.org.