John Ingle’s reaction:

Every election, I think of all the things I’d like to say to or ask a presidential candidate if I had the chance. But as I sat in the car on the hour-long drive from my house to Santa Fe, I could only think of one thing to ask Gov. Richardson about—health care. 

As a surgical intern at University of New Mexico Hospital, I’m the frontline provider of care for the patients on my rotation each day. This intimacy gives me and the nearly 500 other residents and interns at UNM a unique insight into our health care crisis and how we can fix it.

Elizabeth Burpee, another resident physician at UNM, and I talked for nearly an hour with Gov. Richardson about the issues most important to us this election.

I asked the Governor how he plans to ensure quality and affordable health care for all if he gets elected. I told him about the problems I see everyday including sicker patients because of a lack of primary care, crowded emergency rooms, and more and more people waiting longer to get the treatment they need because they don’t have coverage.

My concerns about health care don’t stop at my patients. I told him how last year, the hospital administration threatened to reduce our own health benefits. That’s when we decided to join together for a stronger voice in patient care and our jobs by forming a union.

As interns and residents, we often feel we have no say in the larger issues that impact patient care. We know what our patients need, but our suggestions often go unanswered by the hospital administration.

I told the Governor that because we joined together, we were able to keep our health coverage and now we have a seat at the table when it comes to decisions about patient care.

I’m certain the next president can fix our health care crisis, but only if he or she sits down and listens to the nurses, doctors, and other health care workers who are on the frontlines of care each day.

John Ingle, MD is a Resident Physician in Otolaryngology at the University of New Mexico.