Not Hard to Reach, Just Easy to Ignore

We are living through a golden period for healthcare innovation with breakthrough treatments and new technologies developing at an unprecedented rate, yet these advances are only reaching the privileged few. As technological capabilities and knowledge grow, so do existing disparities in access to care. The rural health gap exemplifies this harsh reality. While urban cancer centers offer precision medicine and immunotherapy trials, rural patients face hours-long drives to access basic oncology care, if they can afford the gas money to get there and time off work at all. Medicaid patients are discovering that having insurance doesn’t guarantee access to the most effective treatments, creating a two-tiered system where your zip code and economic status determine if you receive world class care or get left behind. Organizations and leaders are working tirelessly to create a new reality where care gaps close through effective partnership models, utilizing virtual care, and tackling perverse incentives that plague our system. How can we reexamine our approach to innovation to ensure it serves everyone, not just those who can afford it? The uncomfortable truth is that we haven't failed to reach these patients, we've failed to prioritize them.