With no papers, no insurance, Maria relies on ‘angels’ in cancer fight | Chicago Sun-Times

Maria thought she had no good options. She could see only two paths left to her, each ending in death. Nearly a year after she felt severe pain in her lower back and was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, Maria needed a bone-marrow transplant to survive. But she had no money. No health-insurance coverage. And no papers. Source: With no papers, no insurance, Maria relies on 'angels' in cancer fight | Chicago Sun-Times

Continue Reading

After Hours with Rick Kogan: Dr. David Ansell on ‘How Inequality Kills’ & Chicago Brewseum’s Liz Garibay

Rick starts the show out in studio with Dr. David Ansell to talk about his new book, “The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills.” David details his journey to researching the fascinating and sobering subject, and tells Rick about the staggering changes in lifespans from neighborhood to neighborhood in Chicago. Listen to the show >

Continue Reading

October 2017 Local Authors

As senior vice president for Community Health at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center, Dr. Ansell has witnessed the widening income disparity between rich and poor in America and its impact on mortality rates. Here, Ansell analyzes factors that have given rise to the national health crisis and outlines a vision that can provide a foundation for a healthier nation — for all. See more >

Continue Reading

American Healthcare

by Ed Raymond | Contact | GADFLY | September 27th, 2017 A mixture of despair, extortion, life-saving treatments, and inequality Fifty-four-year-old Antony Marino of Wise, Virginia keeps a pair of needle-nosed pliers handy so he can pull out a rotting tooth that’s bothering him. He has never been to a dentist. Forty-nine-year-old Joyce Bays tenderizes the meat she eats with a hammer, and cuts it into small pieces because she has no teeth.   Read the full article >

Continue Reading

The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen, September 26, 2017

Part One: Bryce Covert talks to us about her new piece in the New Republic, “Deadbeat Democrats,” on how Bill Clinton’s policies set the stage for the GOP war on the poor. Part Two: Dr. David Ansell is a Chicago based physician and author of the recent book, “The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills.” He joins us to discuss his recent WA/PO piece about 40 years of watching patients die of poverty, and why it is time for single payer. He describes himself as “sober, but optimistic” ...

Continue Reading

Dr. David Ansell: “Four more stops on the blue line and life expectancy plummets”

The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills author Dr. David Ansell explains to John why a patient in Garfield Park would fare much worse than one on Michigan Avenue. Dr. Ansell is also the senior vice president for Community Health Equity at Rush University Medical Center. He tells John what specific sicknesses are prevalent, depending on geographic location. Listen now >

Continue Reading

The John Williams Show Full Podcast 10.04.17: Las Vegas shooting, Chicago Cubs, “The Death Gap,” Logan Center for the Arts

John continues research on the man who killed 59 people, and injured 527, Sunday night in Las Vegas. Then, he finds out how you and I can get tickets to the Cubs playoffs games with Chicago Cubs Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs Julian Green. Dr. David Ansell tells John about the life expectancy gap based on geographic location. Then, John asks you for your interpretation of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s response to a report that he called President Trump a ...

Continue Reading

I watched my patients die of poverty for 40 years. It’s time for single-payer.

By David A. Ansell, M.D. Sarai was 25 years old when she died of Wilson’s disease, an inherited disorder that causes liver failure. A liver transplant could have cured her, but she was uninsured and was denied an appointment at two prominent Chicago transplant hospitals, including my own. Sarai’s plight was brought to my attention when a local religious group held a hunger strike advocating transplant access for Sarai and other uninsured patients. When she died, her congregation ...

Continue Reading

Local leaders say people must leave comfort zones to build peace

By Michelle Martin | Chicago Catholic The key to building peaceful communities, speakers at a Catholic Charities event suggested, is to actually live as though everyone in the Chicago area is part of one community. Dr. David Ansell, senior vice president for community health equity at Rush University Medical Center, spoke of the disparities in health care in Chicago. Ansell previously practiced at Cook County (now Stroger) Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital. Read the full article >

Continue Reading

Commentary: I watched my patients die of poverty for 40 years. It’s time for single-payer health care.

By David A. Ansell Sarai was 25 when she died of Wilson's disease, an inherited disorder that causes liver failure. A liver transplant could have cured her, but she was uninsured and was denied an appointment at two prominent Chicago transplant hospitals, including my own. Sarai's plight was brought to my attention when a local religious group held a hunger strike advocating transplant access for Sarai and other uninsured patients. When she died, her congregation marched seven miles, ...

Continue Reading