Causes

As a doctor/ husband/ son/ brother/ citizen/ human, I believe that I ought to continually educate myself and others about issues affecting us, our families and our society, and fight for positive change – locally, nationally and globally. There are many causes I am passionate about – here are a few that I believe are especially noteworthy, with links to information and to organizations that I think do amazing work in these areas:
   

Health
  • Single Payer: The healthcare system in the US is bizarrely complicated and extremely inequitable. 45,000 people die each year because they don't have health insurance. Meanwhile private insurance companies have a perverse role: they deny care so that they can increase their profits. The Affordable Care Act has modestly decreased the number of people without insurance but many folks have high deductible insurance and can't afford costs if they get sick. There is a better way – single payer! Everyone will be covered by an expanded Medicare-for-all without copays or deductibles or premiums, everyone can keep their doctor, and medical decisions will be left between the patient and the doctor, as it should be. Check out Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) to learn more: national site / NY Metro Chapter.
    • Update: The New York Health Act (the single payer bill in New York State) passed in the State Assembly in May 2015 – I am thrilled that my state has taken the first step to passing this impactful legislation.
    • Update #2: In April 2016, I participated in a press conference in Harlem Hospital with Senator Bill Perkins and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (the sponsors of the NY Health Act) to talk about why I support single payer as a family doctor in the community. 

Money, Power and Politics.
  • Special interests & money in politics: Individuals and groups with a lot of money have way too much influence on policymakers. Industries have our elected officials in their pockets. 91% of elections are won by the better-financed candidate. That means the candidate who can raise the most money (and this is done by submitting to the leverage of corporations) is almost guaranteed to win. We have to get money out of politics in order to have an government that listens to the people. Stamp Stampede, founded by Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream fame, is one awesome movement to get support for a constitutional amendment to restore democracy.
  • Income & Wealth Gap: This amazing 6-minute video breaks down the insane wealth inequality we have in our country. It's a growing problem that needs to be addressed, but as John Oliver eloquently points out, it faces such strong opposition. In addition to the moral imperative to decrease poverty, there are the economic benefits of raising the minimum raise. Nick Hanauer, a millionaire venture capitalist, argues that rising levels of inequality are not sustainable and raising the minimum wage will help the working class have more purchasing power.  Check this page out for more information about raising the minimum wage.
  • Mass Incarceration: This might be the most egregious example of racism in the US. Even though drug use is about the same among all races and people of color make up about a quarter of the country's population, two-thirds of those in prison are people of color. Black men have a one-in-three likelihood of ending up in prison in their lifetime. The power structures that keep these trends alive are a New Jim Crow, to use the phrase from the the book by Michelle Alexander. These structures include: the school-to-prison pipeline (student members of the nonprofit group Critical Exposure created a powerful photo-essay on their experiences), the hunger of private prisons for more prisoners (and thusly more profit, which is why privatization of public services is actually wasteful and inefficient, not to mention horridly unethical), and insufficient re-entry services for folks who finished serving a sentence. Many groups are doing something about it, including Ella Baker Center, and Revolution Books.
More causes coming soon! 
Please let me know any thoughts you have about these or other issues.