Doctors  are advocates by nature. Every day, we fight for our patients — with insurance companies over denials and prior authorizations, with systems that make it harder to access care, and with schools stretched beyond capacity as we work to help children get the support they need. But as the problems facing families have grown bigger, as insurance has become more costly, and as patients continue to be denied necessary services, I realized I needed to get louder.

 

My advocacy journey began with the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA), inspired by one of my dear patients and her family, whom I have known since shortly after she was born. A. was born with a rare condition called craniofrontonasal dysplasia. Over the course of her young life, she has needed multiple major surgeries involving neurosurgery and plastic surgery, along with physical therapy, occupational therapy, and custom-made glasses. The medical needs are significant, and the financial burden placed on families like hers can be overwhelming.

 

ELSA is a bill aimed at ensuring that commercial insurance plans cover medically necessary care for individuals with congenital craniofacial differences, rather than dismissing these treatments as “cosmetic” or otherwise non-covered expenses.

 

Traveling to Washington, D.C. with A.’s family, meeting members of our California delegation, and spending time with people on Capitol Hill who are in a position to help create change was transformative for me. It showed me how much more powerful our voices can be when we come together — patients, families, and physicians — to tell the truth about what people are facing and what needs to change.

 

That experience expanded my sense of what advocacy can be. It reminded me that caring for patients does not end in the exam room. Sometimes it means speaking up in much bigger spaces, challenging broken systems, and helping push for policies that allow children and families to get the care they deserve.