S4 E02: Dr. Paul Song on why medicare-for-all would help both patients and doctors. Also: Natural Killer cells & Alzheimer’s

GUEST BIO

Paul Y. Song is an MD, entrepreneur and health activist. He is currently CEO of NKGen Biotech. Dr. Song served as the very first visiting fellow on healthcare policy in the California Department of Insurance in 2013. His last clinical role was Asst. Professor at the Samuel Oschin Cancer Center at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He currently serves on several boards including: the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago Mercy Corps, The Center for Health and Democracy, Gideon’s Promise, and Progressive Democrats of America. Dr. Song graduated with honors from the University of Chicago and received his M.D. degree from George Washington University. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at the University of Chicago..

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DEFINITIONS

• Single-payer healthcare: A type of universal healthcare in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer"). Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from private organizations (as is the case in Canada) or may own and employ healthcare resources and personnel (as is the case in the United Kingdom).
• Medicare: A government national health insurance program in the United States. It primarily provides health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older, as well as for disabled people.

MENTIONED

• Natural Killer Cells - Alzheimer's Clinical Trials
• Physicians for a National Health Program
• Courage CA

TAKEAWAYS

1. Alliances are powerful. Finding common goals across movements can amplify each of their individual causes more effectively.
2. A single payer system isn't just better for patients, but also for doctors, who won't have to spend resources fighting insurance companies, or worrying about malpractice insurance.
3. In reality, US patients are not really free to choose their providers. Most of the time, the insurance provider is the one dictating who you have access to, and what medication you're allowed to take under their coverage.
4. As long as our politicians remain beholden to the insurance lobby, we will not get universal healthcare.
5. A new therapy using the patient's own natural killer cells may be the key for Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Cancer patients.

CONTACT

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Host: Lazou