Students for a National Health Program: Legislature should pass bills that prioritize patients over profits

Letter to the editor

Healthcare is not a privilege—it is a human right. Yet in Alachua County, thousands of residents are left without access to essential medical care due to the flaws of our current healthcare system. Take Medicaid, for example – many individuals earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford marketplace insurance, forcing them to choose between medical care and necessities like food and rent. This is not just a policy failure—it is a moral failure that affects our entire community.

Without proper health insurance, people delay or forgo medical treatment, leading to worsening health conditions and avoidable emergency room visits, which ultimately drive up healthcare costs for everyone. Meanwhile, private insurance companies rake in billions in profits while restricting access to care through high deductibles, copays, and bureaucratic red tape.

The University of Florida’s Equal Access Clinic, staffed by medical students and volunteers, treats many uninsured patients in Gainesville. But charity care is not a sustainable solution. Relying on free clinics to patch the holes in a broken system doesn’t address the root of the problem. Florida lawmakers must step up and implement real reform to ensure that no resident is left behind.

As a medical student in Gainesville, I often ask myself: how do we help patients who can’t afford care in the first place? Across Florida, medical students are no longer willing to accept the cruel reality of our fragmented healthcare system. 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’re tired of seeing patients choose between food and medicine, rent and medical bills. We believe healthcare should be a right—not a privilege reserved for those who can afford it. SNaHP chapters have popped up rapidly over the past few years, growing from a small subset of medical students to a state-wide initiative led by more than 100 active members.

On March 13th, SNaHP medical students from across the state of Florida will march to the state Capitol to demand healthcare policies that prioritize patients over profits. We are advocating for bills that will provide tangible relief to Floridians, including:

• The $35 Insulin Cap: House Bill 1463, introduced by Representative Marie Woodson, and Senate Bill 1676, introduced by Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith. Over two million Floridians have diabetes, yet insulin prices have skyrocketed. 14% of insulin users in America face these catastrophic costs. This bill would cap insulin co-pays at $35/month for all private health plans—not just Medicare. 
• The Healthy Florida Act: Senate Bill 1752, introduced by Senator Kristen Arrington, and House Bill 1603, introduced by Representative Dotie Joseph. Administrative waste in private insurance costs Americans billions every year, accounting for nearly 30% of healthcare costs. This bill would eliminate unnecessary overhead and expand coverage to include mental health, dental, vision, long-term care, and prescription drugs—without copays or deductibles.

The data is clear: states that have expanded Medicaid and counties that have chosen a single payer system have seen improved health outcomes, reduced mortality rates, and economic benefits. Florida lawmakers have ignored these facts for too long, leaving residents to suffer while protecting the interests of private insurers.

Moreover, we strongly oppose the proposed cuts to Medicaid that would strip away essential coverage for low-income Floridians, exacerbating health disparities and placing even greater strain on our community health resources. At the same time, we reject the election of figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose promotion of medical misinformation and alignment with policies that will weaken public health protections and pose a direct threat to our fight for healthcare justice.

This is not just a fight for medical students—it is a fight for every patient, family, and taxpayer in Florida. The question is simple: Will we continue to accept a system that prioritizes corporate profits over human lives, or will we demand a healthcare system that works for all of us?

Contact your legislators. Attend town halls. Speak out. The system is broken, and we refuse to accept it. Will Alachua County stand with us?

Sincerely, 

Madeline Canal, Gainesville

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