Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Education: City College of SF, UC Santa Cruz 2014
Affiliations: BHSA 1L rep, La Raza Tenant & Workers Rights Clinic, La Raza Law Journal
One of the things I’m really passionate about is trying to even the playing field between the pharmaceutical companies and the insurers and the people who need health coverage. The system is so complicated. In my job before law school (as an advocate for people trying to secure Affordable Care Act benefits), I had to call the insurance companies to find out what the hold ups with the claims were, and most of the time I would just get the runaround. ‘You’re being transferred to this department and this department and this department.’ There was no accountability or solution for some of these people. It really angered me because it’s contrary to public policy and to the law about accessibility to health care.
The pharmaceutical and insurance companies are so focused on making a profit. And that’s fine, they’re a business. But they don’t get to put profits over people. That is something that needs to change, and it’s something that could be fixed through law.
Especially with an administration that is not making consumer rights a priority, as lawyers and advocates, we have to be the ones to push the boundaries and demand accessible health care.