Series on Health Justice

Webinars

Health Care Institutions, Hippocratic Duty, and Immigration Enforcement

Description: The Hippocratic ideal of undivided commitment to patients’ welfare has been central to the practice of medicine for a millennium. U.S. and international law demands it. Medical ethics insists upon it. Yet public officials looking to ramp up deportation of unauthorized migrants to the U.S. now expect health care institutions to assist—to the point of permitting enforcement personnel to enter medical facilities to apprehend patients and family members. This event will consider conflict between care providers’ Hippocratic duty and demands that they participate in immigration enforcement.

Speakers:

• Julie Linton, Committee on Federal Government Affairs, American Academy of Pediatrics
• Thomas Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF
• Altaf Saadi, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
• Matt Lopas, Director of State Advocacy, National Immigration Law Center
• Moderated by Gregg Bloche, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, Georgetown Law

View recording of Health Care and Immigration Enforcement event.

Downsizing Medicaid: How Proposed Cuts Could Endanger Health Insurance for Low-Income Americans

Description: House Republican leaders have proposed legislation that would cut federal funding for Medicaid by up to $880 billion over 10 years to pay for tax reductions. Potential cuts include large reductions in the Affordable Care Act’s incentives for extending coverage to all low-income adults, decreased funding for pre-ACA Medicaid, penalties for states that cover immigrants, and more onerous eligibility requirements. Drawing on new data analysis and the intricacies of Medicaid’s legal design, speakers will consider the likely effects of these cuts on Medicaid’s millions of beneficiaries.

Speakers:

• Nathan Chomilo, Medical Director, Minnesota Medicaid and MinnesotaCare
• Genevieve Kenney, Institute Fellow, Urban Institute
• Edwin Park, Research Professor, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
• Sara Rosenbaum, Emeritus Professor of Health Law and Policy, George Washington University School of Public Health
• Brian Smedley, Senior Fellow, Health Policy Division, Urban Institute
• Moderated by Gregg Bloche, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, Georgetown Law

View recording of Downsizing Medicaid event.

Equal Protection and the Future of the Physician Workforce

Description: Medical college acceptances for marginalized racial and ethnic groups are in sudden, steep decline – by double-digit percentages since the US Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in 2023. Intensifying attacks on diversity and inclusion threaten to accelerate this decline. Meanwhile, physician shortages loom, especially in medically underserved areas. And research shows that clinical-caregiver diversity improves patient access, trust, and outcomes. Panelists will report on new evidence of declining diversity in medicine, discuss its health implications, and offer strategies for reversing this trend.

Speakers:

• David Acosta, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, American Association of Medical Colleges
• Demicha Rankin, Associate Dean for Admissions, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
• Brian Smedley, Senior Fellow, Health Policy Division, Urban Institute
• Ruqaiijah Yearby, Kara J. Trott Professor in Health Law, Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University
• Moderated by Gregg Bloche, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, Georgetown Law

View recording of Equal Protection and Physician Workforce event.

Rationing Medicine for America’s Marginalized: How Will States Respond to Looming Health Care Cuts

Description: President Trump insists his “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and associated regulatory changes will cut waste and fraud without taking medical coverage from deserving Americans. But non-partisan evaluators say these changes will strip coverage from 16 million or more. Inefficiency by design explains most of this disconnect: the new policies slash health spending via bureaucratic barriers to eligible Americans’ insurance enrollment. Can states manage their way around these barriers, or is a devastating blow to marginalized Americans’ health inevitable?

Speakers:

• Nathan Chomilo, Medical Director, Minnesota Medicaid and MinnesotaCare
• Crystal Evans, Community Advisory Board, Urban Institute
• Edwin Park, Research Professor, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
• Sara Rosenbaum, Professor Emerita of Health Law and Policy, George Washington University
• Moderated by Gregg Bloche, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, Georgetown Law

View recording of Rationing Medicine for America’s Marginalized event.

Worker Protections, Civil Rights, and Health Equity: Understanding Challenges and Advancing Justice

Description: Research shows that employment conditions, including those shaped by civil rights and labor protections, are critical determinants of health and health equity. People of color and immigrants are disproportionately overrepresented in lowest-paid work and often lack access to workplace protections, which has been associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes. Federal and state policymakers, however, are reconsidering labor and civil rights protections in ways that could weaken worker safety and widen health disparities. Join experts across civil rights and health equity to examine current challenges, highlight emerging strategies and lessons amid a rapidly evolving legal/political landscape, and discuss how interdisciplinary approaches can protect our communities and advance health justice.

Speakers: 

• Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Negro Women
• Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• Thomas Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF
• Ruqaiijah Yearby, Judge Clifford Scott Green Professor of Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law
• Introductory remarks by Brian Smedley, Senior Fellow, Health Policy Division, Urban Institute
• Moderated by Prashasti Bhatnagar, Health Justice Law Fellow, Urban Institute-Georgetown Law Project on Health Equity and the Law

View recording of Worker Protections, Civil Rights, and Health Equity event.

Roundtable Discussions

Juvenile Justice and Health Equity: The Role of Trauma-Informed Courts for Youth with Disabilities

Description: Research shows that youth with disabilities face disproportionate involvement in the juvenile legal system and heightened risk of trauma. Yet trauma-informed courts, which seek to recognize trauma and prevent retraumatization in courtroom proceedings, rarely address their unique needs, leaving critical gaps that can worsen health inequities. Join legal scholars, health professionals, and people with lived experience for a discussion of actionable, trauma-informed strategies to protect and promote the health and well-being of youth with disabilities.

Speakers:

• John Bunn, Exoneree; Founder, A Voice 4 The Unheard
• Kristin Henning, Blume Professor of Law and Director, Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative, Georgetown Law
• Hector Linares, Edward J. Womac Jr. Endowed Clinic Professor, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
• Melody Moore, Parent and Advocate for Youth in the Foster Care System
• Amanda D. Zelechoski, Clinical Professor of Psychology and Director, Clinical Services, Veldman Family Psychology Clinic, University of Notre Dame
• Introductory remarks by Brian Smedley, Senior Fellow, Health Policy Division, Urban Institute

View recording of Juvenile Justice and Health Equity event.