Written by Jenna Currier, MSMS Policy Fellow
My experience as a Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) Health Policy Fellow provided me with a new perspective of medicine that extends beyond the clinical environment. Prior to this fellowship, most of my medical education had focused on patient care within the hospital and clinic setting, with little exposure to the policy decisions that shape how care is ultimately delivered and accessed. Early in the fellowship, I was immersed in discussions surrounding insurance reimbursement, physician advocacy, and legislative reform through meetings with stakeholders, physicians, and legislators including Representative Matt Longjohn and Representative Curtis VanderWall. Attending committee hearings and legislative meetings allowed me to see firsthand how healthcare bills are introduced, debated, and advanced.
At the same time, I had the opportunity to contribute to ongoing policy efforts through research and advocacy work, including drafting testimony related to House Bill 5522, examining mandatory child abuse reporting legislation across other states for House Bill 5220, and helping develop physician surveys aimed at better understanding insurance claim handling and reimbursement challenges. Participating in conversations surrounding health insurer policies and efforts to increase investment in primary care further demonstrated how policy decisions directly affect both physicians and patients across the healthcare system.
More than anything, this experience highlighted the importance of physician involvement in health policy and advocacy. Throughout medical school, I have cared for patients affected by medication costs, insurance barriers, and limitations in healthcare access, but this fellowship allowed me to better understand the systems operating behind those challenges. Seeing how insurance structures, reimbursement policies, and legislative decisions influence patient care gave me a much broader understanding of medicine as a whole.
The fellowship not only expanded my understanding of healthcare policy but also motivated me to remain involved in advocacy throughout my future career as a physician. I hope to carry forward both the clinical perspective gained through medical training and the policy insight developed during this experience to help advocate for more effective and equitable healthcare systems.
MSMS deeply appreciates Jenna’s contributions to health policy during her fellowship. We wish her continued success as she completes her medical training.