How the government shutdown affects patients

As a new resident physician, I have spent thousands of hours learning to provide the best patient care possible. As a primary care physician at a federally qualified health center, I have the privilege of taking care of many uninsured and vulnerable populations. However, with the ongoing government shutdown, there is much uncertainty surrounding my ability to provide the best care possible for my patients. Although a textbook can teach me how to treat various diseases, it unfortunately cannot make our health care more affordable for patients. This puts health care providers in difficult positions where we are unable to provide necessary medical treatment for our patients. With rising health care costs, we are in a health care affordability crisis.

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