As the United States grapples with rising maternal health challenges and growing gaps in patient access, an obstetrician is illuminating the realities pregnant women face. From insurance hurdles and maternity care deserts to emergency deliveries and patient autonomy, Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari examines how healthcare systems shape birth outcomes. She also shares the inspiration behind her self-funded mobile women's health clinic, which delivers reproductive and prenatal care to underserved communities across Oregon.
Guest: Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari, OB-GYN and author of Labor: One Woman’s Work
Delivery delayed
Amid rising healthcare costs and progressively complex insurance requirements, many patients are discovering that a physician’s prescription is only the first step toward receiving treatment. Healthcare policy advocate Dr. David Charles explores the growing effect of prior authorization, step therapy and insurance denials on patient care. He breaks down how these policies can delay access to medications, explains patients' rights to appeal coverage decisions made by insurers and shares why he thinks healthcare access remains one of the most pressing policy issues affecting Americans today.
Guest: Dr. David Charles, neurologist and chief medical officer, Alliance for Patient Access