Brooke Garner is a Texas native from Austin and a senior at the University of Arkansas, majoring in political science with minors in legal studies and Spanish. She currently serves as a healthcare policy intern at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, where she focuses on reforming access, affordability, and patient rights.
When I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, organs, and tissues it’s meant to protect. That diagnosis marked the start of a lifelong battle not just against disease, but against a system designed to deny me the treatment I...
“You can’t come in for your steroid injections without scheduling an extra appointment because your insurance isn’t paying us enough.” That’s what I was told at my most recent visit to an orthopedic surgeon I’ve seen for years. I expected relief from my pain, not a surprise medical bill—or as I learned later, “cost-shifting.” My...