Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP

Family Physician, community preceptor, chronic disease management research. I advocate to eliminate health care disparities & expand primary care. My views.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

Rest In Peace John Morphet. A beautiful soul died last week. He was depressed and sick and the place he turned to for help did not treat him as it was an out of network hospital for his insurance. He committed suicide 2 days later. #SinglePayer might have saved him

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@mcuban These are the very reasons the Corporate Practice of Medicine was adopted over 100 years ago.

[Shawn Martin @rshawnm]

5,182 measles cases. More than 500 hospitalizations. Multiple deaths.

These are not statistics from a generation gone by. They represent the resurgence of measles in the United States in 2026. As this chart illustrates, measles cases in the U.S. have reached their highest annual level in 35 years. Equally concerning, 96% of reported cases involve individuals who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.

I want to be clear: Measles is preventable.

For decades, vaccines have been among the most effective tools we have to protect patients, families, and communities. The science has not changed. Family physicians understand that trust is fundamental to effective health care. Every day, they help patients and families navigate difficult questions, evaluate evidence, and make informed decisions about their health. Those relationships have never been more important.

But trust must also be supported by clear, consistent, evidence-based public health leadership and communication. Conflicting messages from national and state health leaders undermine public confidence and can put lives at risk.

The path forward requires a renewed commitment to science, vaccination, public health, and the trusted relationships between patients and their physicians. Our patients and communities deserve nothing less.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@DrDiGiorgio

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@DrDiGiorgio @CindysMomtwitch We cannot compare cars with human medicine. Different mindset and much different calculus. No one can predict the health of themselves or those that depend on them.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@DrDiGiorgio Private insurance writes their own coverage overhead and profits. If the 3rd party payer is “not for profit” and has to cover all essential services without prior authorization shenanigans then fine.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@CooperMallock @drdanchoi Most OECD nations have a blended payment system with free delivery of care. They simply regulate the payers, negotiate drugs, and remove profiteering.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@dcperi @drdanchoi In general, why do other nations with universal plans have more docs per capita?

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

Don’t forget the benefits! There are huge cost savings of a #SinglePayer national plan. Less money going to billing and receivable. More time with patients and less with prior authorization. Small and solo private practices will thrive once again. Impatient care stabilized by operating costs and need, and not chasing payers. Cash opt out for physicians and those who can offers them.

[AAFP @aafp]

CMS must ensure eligible patients do not lose coverage and avoid shifting new paperwork and eligibility duties onto physician practices. Family physicians’ time should be spent caring for patients, not navigating unnecessary administrative burdens: https://t.co/BKXtIdKG7o

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@aafp Means testing is both expensive and unnecessary.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@aafp @RussellKohl Hooray and congratulations 🎊

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@aafp We are in good hands! Congratulations 🎉 all around!

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@SBakerMD Hello, Corporate Run Health Care? Physicians calling and we want our profession back.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

That is exactly what the two Medicare for all bills in the house and Senate would call for. Allow people to pay cash and fund a direct primary care contract with all other healthcare needs (catastrophic, for the disabled and poor, veterans, etc) from a single streamlined and simplified payment structure that removes corporate profiteering.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

Depending on the state, Medicaid please below Medicare and certainly private insurance reimbursement rates. Clinicians are not forced to take it and so many Medicaid patients face problems with access and quality. A single payer system results in 90% of the population utilizing it and therefore most doctors will take it. Access and quality go up and overall cost goes down.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@DrDiGiorgio I’m all for DPC! Lower costs with better quality and outcomes. That said, it’s hard for people to pay for things they don’t think they’re going to need. Patients usually underestimate their risk and future costs, even when they have been diagnosed with a serious condition.

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@DrDiGiorgio 💯%! We need a streamlined simplified system for all medically necessary costs… for everyone

[Andrea DeSantis DO, FAAFP @adesantisb]

@DrDiGiorgio That would need to be negotiated between Physicians and the government. The Medicare for all Bill actually allows Physicians to unionize which, as you will know is currently illegal. The cash opt out option for Physicians will also help keep reimbursement high.