Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress Standing Tall || EP. 184

[00:00:00] This is Laurie McGraw with a special episode of Inspiring Women. I'm recording this on Martin Luther King Day and also Inauguration Day. And I'm talking to you today about Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress.

[00:00:14] In the fall of 2024, during what was a heated presidential election cycle, no issue unified women more than the ability to manage our own bodies and while we watched health and freedom for that continuing to be stripped away.

[00:00:35] I, along with five other women executives in healthcare, banded together to form the Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress. We had an open letter and well over 500 other women leader executives in healthcare signed it with their names.

[00:00:55] And there were many others who felt they could not. Why were we so outspoken? Because we felt that the issues of reproductive freedom, the ability to have affordable healthcare insurance, the ability to protect Medicare and Medicaid were absolutely critical and worth standing up and standing loud and standing tall for.

[00:01:20] We didn't get the result in the 2024 election that we wanted. But these issues remain important and something to continue to stand for and to strive for. On this Martin Luther King Day, I thought it would be important to pull together the voices of the Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress. I want you to hear about these issues. I'll be speaking with Missy Krasner and Audrey Mancronin.

[00:01:48] You'll also hear from Miriam and Lori and other Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress about why these issues remain important. Our hearts may be broken, but our resolve is not. And now this Inspiring Women episode with Lori McGraw and the Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress.

[00:02:17] This is Inspiring Women. I'm Lori McGraw. We're doing a special episode of Inspiring Women. And normally I speak with one inspiring woman at a time. Today, I'm going to take the liberty of owning the mic to talk about Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress. I'm speaking with two other founders of this incredible movement where we have over 600 women who are now signed up to with an open letter to support.

[00:02:44] Hello, Lori. So happy to be here and talk about this critical issue and the path that we're on. Missy? Yeah, I'm very excited to be here. Missy Krasner. It's great that we have listeners and I'm very excited to talk about this electric time here at Health where we're seeing a lot of people talk about the election and how it's impacting healthcare. We are at the Health in Las Vegas, which is one of the largest healthcare conferences and we've had the opportunity to own the mic.

[00:03:09] Audrey, as we kick off, could you just tell us a little bit about Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress? Sure, sure. Well, back in August when we saw a bunch of identity groups forming, white dudes for Kamala, cat ladies for Kamala, we got together and said, well, what about Women Healthcare Leaders? You know, we're a group that really has all the experience and expertise in healthcare. There's all these policy issues that are potentially going to be upended and have been upended.

[00:03:39] And what can we do to bring this forward? So we wrote an open letter. We have been out canvassing. And we are, as you said, over 600 women in healthcare that are going on record for Harris Walls because as one of our leaders, Molly Coy said, no pussyfooting around. We have just two weeks, I think, until the election. And we want to make sure that we are not going to go back but keep moving forward for the equity, really, and rights of women.

[00:04:08] Well, you know, I've been in healthcare for 30 years as an executive leader and I have always been a voter. I've always cared about issues that are coming out of government. But this is really unusual for me to step forward and put my name on something and be so strong in my support for Kamala Harris White House. Missy, tell us a little bit about your background and why you are part of this founding group of six women, now 600. Yeah, and I had a very similar story.

[00:04:36] I mean, I have been an operator in lots of digital health companies, turned investor. I did some time at Canvas Ventures. We funded Doximity, Practice Fusion, Vita Health, lots of others. Did tours at Google, Amazon and all their healthcare initiatives, Box even. And I also did a tour in government. I was in the inaugural office of the national coordinator with the very first ONC coordinator, David Braylor. And I worked in a Republican administration.

[00:05:07] So I've been on both sides of the issues. I've voted Republican and I've also voted Democrat throughout my life. And then I went into venture. And in venture, you're really supposed to sort of stay very neutral. That's right. You're not putting your name on the line. You're not putting your name on the line. Absolutely. You're just trying to build your company. But this was too important of an election. Many of my founders that are out fundraising right now, particularly many of them that are in femtech,

[00:05:34] that will be materially impacted by this election depending on who's in the White House. I was like, hey, it's time to take a stand. It's way too risky. We have to come out. We have to organize. And I just wasn't seeing anybody reaching across the aisle to our payer friends, our provider friends, our medtech friends, and startup founders who were really, really wanting to come forward and say, you know, I absolutely need to support this side of the ticket. And we wanted to elevate the issues.

[00:06:02] So that's why we formed this group. And it's a perfect combination of lots of us that have been in government, been in VC, been in delivery, been on the payer side, on the buyer side. So it's been a very interesting group that has come together. And with a big voice. Hey there, listeners. Let's just take a second to listen to one of the founders, Audrey Mancronin. And let's just hear from her as to why these issues remain important. While we can't change the election's devastating results,

[00:06:33] I believe we can find a way forward that strengthens us. Healthcare policies that improve people's lives should not be partisan. The work continues. I want to send a huge thank you to all who bravely went on record and signed our open letter and activated in so many ways to stand up for women's rights in healthcare. Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress was an unprecedented effort. And we thank all of you for your tireless work.

[00:07:01] Together, we stood on the right side of history. We may have lost this round, but we're playing a much bigger game. Fighting for equality means fighting for everyone, even those that may not yet see how it lifts them up too. Believing in and having the courage to work toward a better future is something to be proud of. And I am so grateful to have all of you by my side. So, Audrey, if you think about just like, you know, I mean, it was just a couple of weeks ago that we brought this group together. So who were the founding members?

[00:07:31] Right. So the original OG, original gangster, was Miriam Paramore. Missy next to me. Lori Evans Bernstein, who did some work in government, both local and with you, right, for Dr. Brewer. And Molly Coy, who Missy can talk more about, but she has been in healthcare. Another OG. Another OG. Serious OG. Yeah. Yep. And then myself and you, Lori.

[00:07:56] And really, we felt like no issue has unified women more this election than healthcare. And, you know, we didn't want to go back. We want freedom and our rights were at stake and we wanted to speak out. I think that, you know, that's how I felt about it. Just compelled to do something more. And, you know, I'm a voter. I will canvas. I will do on the things. But there's something important about going on record and speaking loudly.

[00:08:23] Missy, just tell us about some of the key issues that were so compelling that we needed to put like name and voice behind them. Yeah, I think like, look, there's a lot of different folks that are working on different sides of healthcare and there's a lot of policies that I think people are really excited about and want to see move forward. I think the three main areas that we thought really sort of traversed the whole ecosystem, clearly reproductive rights is number one, right? I mean, right now we're looking at 41 states that have some kind of abortion ban in effect.

[00:08:52] Only nine states don't. You know, contraception, access to care, maternal, high maternal risk, and outcomes. These are all things that I think are a public health issue. It really shouldn't be turned into a partisan issue about pro-choice or pro-life. This is access to care and this is medical access, right? So particularly medical abortion. So reproductive rights is our very first issue that we're really sort of diving into. Second is the preservation of Medicaid and Medicare.

[00:09:21] There's lots going on with the Medicare waivers versus blocks. There's lots that we can talk about, about the solvency of Medicare. And it's like 2036 is when we're sort of out of money. There's lots of people that have different policies on the table as to whether or not we're bringing down the age, we're privatizing, where Medicare Advantage is going. Lots of interesting things happening there. We really, really feel as leaders in this space, those are two really important areas. Last but not least is affordable health care insurance. Affordable health insurance is huge.

[00:09:49] And we've seen what Trump has tried to do. Hey there, I'm interjecting again. I wanted you to hear from Lori Evans Bernstein, another one of our founders, as to why these issues remain so very important. The fight for women's rights and health in the U.S. has a long history. So what now? We don't give up, we get better, and we keep going.

[00:10:16] For women's reproductive health, the political results of the election don't mirror the abortion results. Seven out of 10 states pass amendments establishing abortion rights in the Constitution. That's a 70% victory rate. This is the biggest victory for women's health and abortion rights since the overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago. Let's build on that. And again, you know, why the energy needed to sort of like band together and speak with

[00:10:43] one voice, loud voice in health and care is all about the we, I still feel shell-shocked, quite frankly, with the overturn of Roe v. Wade, where we've got the majority, the overwhelming majority of the country. It's not a partisan issue. There was tremendous and continues to be tremendous support. And now that this could be shaken and we're seeing just the ramifications of that when it's handled by the states.

[00:11:08] The statistics that you put forward, Missy, there's plenty of smart people around this table, around our letter, and many others who could not put their names on this open letter. Artie, you've been out there talking to everyone. What are they saying when they want to be supportive but they can't necessarily put their name forward? Yeah, you know, it's ironic. I was at eating breakfast this morning at a table with a full table, maybe 10 women. And they were, we were all talking about it.

[00:11:38] I was handing out our buttons. By the way, this conference theme is Be Bold. So we're right in line with the conference. And one of them said, none of my family's going to vote. So I'm going to have a party to vote and we're all going to go out together and I'm going to bring them out there. A lot of women have said, you know, I just was talking to somebody said, I can't put my name on this, but I will share it. So I think you said this for every woman that did sign, there's probably maybe 5, 10 that didn't but want to.

[00:12:06] And so we want them to, if they're not even able to sign, at least to talk about it. And that notion of and so on and so on, you know, get, get these issues out. One in three women now live in states where abortion is not accessible. I mean, there's just so many stats around reproductive rights. And Chelsea Clinton here was... Oh, she was, she was bold. She was bold on stage. She was bold and she was never a smile across that woman's face.

[00:12:31] She was desperate for us to hear her and understand how desperate the situation is. And I appreciated that a lot because I think a lot of us are trying to be, you know, to try to pussyfoot around. And I don't think we can. We have two weeks to go. We really need to explain what's at stake. Yeah. Molly Coy, thanks for the really clear line. No pussyfooting around. And Chelsea Clinton was clear. I mean, she talked about these aren't just policy issues. These are 13 year olds dying. And these are very, very severe.

[00:13:00] You think they can happen, but yes, they are happening. So as we think about just like, you know, we do have 10 days, you know, just like people are talking about, there is a lot of energy in this big, bold conference. I think the big thing, and I think Molly Coy did say it right. And, you know, Molly is someone who's been an Aetna board director. You know, she's the former chief innovation officer at UCLA Health. She's been both in state and federal policy roles. She's seen many things.

[00:13:30] But I think one of the things that is really difficult when you're thinking about policy in general is if it's not just reproductive rights. If you start taking the federal lens away and the federal emphasis and you leave it to the states, you essentially have, and it's really hard for VCs and actually startup founders because you have this patchwork regulatory environment that does not allow you to geographically grow or service. Imagine like what you're, how people are getting care in California is going to be entirely

[00:14:00] different than how people are getting care in Texas. It's really different. It's difficult from a standards and outcomes level to be able to measure that because you have, you have a, you have a totally different patchwork system. So I think when we're looking at reproductive care and reproductive rights and we're seeing how it's all puddling down to the states, it's very, very scary to think about a lot of other big issues that could actually take the same kind of patchwork framework. And reproductive rights is just one of those issues. And if we talk about, again, we'll go back to the repeal of our place.

[00:14:29] So, you know, there were hundreds of attempts to do that and there have been thousands, literally thousands of cases to chip away. But yet, as it turns out, people actually like having access to affordable care. Like that actually is important to them. And we know that when people have access to care, they have better quality of life, they have better outcomes and we need, I don't even know.

[00:14:52] I mean, this sounds so obvious and so basic and yet to take that away or to peel it back, I don't, I wish I could articulate like how large that issue is in terms of what's, it's really ironic because just in 2024, a record of 21.3 million new enrollees in ACA plans took place in red states. So people need insurance. They want insurance.

[00:15:21] And it's not just people that actually, it's people in between jobs. It's people that are running their own small businesses. I mean, ACA is really interesting and it's providing an alternative. But like it's, it's in these red states. It's like, I think enrollment was up 80% in West Virginia, 75% in Louisiana and 60% in Ohio. And this is all recorded by CMS. And who knew that people actually wanted access to healthcare? I mean, so again, that may not mean to be flipped. These issues are really quite serious. Hey listeners, I wanted you to hear from Miriam Paramore.

[00:15:51] She is the original founder of Women Healthcare Leaders for Progress. And here's what she has to say about why these issues are important and why it was important to stand up and speak loudly about them. Hi everybody. I'm Miriam Paramore and I want to thank each person who supported our grassroots effort to elect Kamala Harris as the first woman president of the United States.

[00:16:16] We're all so disappointed with the outcome, but I'm very glad that we worked together and put up a fight. We took a bold public stand in our open letter and we met weekly to take specific actions. First, we acknowledge that with full control of all three branches of government, the Trump machine will have few checks on its power. We come to terms with that reality.

[00:16:43] Then we step back, assess, and consider our choices. Some may need a break. Some may be ready to lead the resistance. Others may not yet know how they feel, much less what they want to do going forward. It's okay to take a little time. I also just, you know, Audrey, just like your thoughts. Again, all the people that you're talking to, you're such an energy force for us.

[00:17:10] And there have been other groups that have actually started to band together. So who are some of those groups that you're talking to? Yeah, Lori, thank you for that. On the flight here, Molly introduced me to Abner Mason, who this morning put a press release out about Black and Latino healthcare leaders for Kamala, modeling what he's doing after what we did and talk about it together. And, you know, the Black vote and the Latino vote. And he's a well-known telehealth executive.

[00:17:38] I mean, you worked, you've known of him. He was an MD. He was an advisor to the AMA on health equity. He is an entrepreneur. And he is an important voice in the area of health equity. As a Black man, he is the leader of companies. He's the leader of movements. And now he's the leader of getting the vote out, which is really amazing. Right, right. The purpose of this group is to band together as many female healthcare executives as possible

[00:18:05] because other people that are working in healthcare are going to look and say, oh, wow, if Molly Coy is elevating these issues, I should probably take a look. And, you know, maybe I work at Ascension Health. Maybe I work at, you know, a large payer like Blue Shield of California. And I feel like I can't put my name against something. But Molly's doing that. And she was at Aetna. And Molly's stepping out. I think it is influencing other women. And we have lots of women that have signed the letter as individuals.

[00:18:33] They'll say things like, you know, venture capitalist, expert in so-and-so. And we know that they run one of the biggest VC firms and have a huge, huge fund in healthcare, right? I mean, it's the first time that, you know, when you get this kind of swelling, you realize that it is about community organization. It is about talking to people and having those sort of robust dialogues, canvassing. That is what our literally electorate college is built on, right? This idea of retail politics.

[00:19:02] I heard you say that. I like that. Yes. I canvassed in Pennsylvania two weeks ago. And she has been leading weekly calls. And she has been committed to every day doing something. While she, by the way, is launching her own company, Rx Utility. She's a longtime Nashville, like, healthcare executive. Everyone knows Mary. Done tons of startups. Exactly. And she is mobilized. But she is, like, so focused on this as well as the, like, of our lifetime election.

[00:19:30] So as we just think about, like, closing out here again, we've got 14 days to go and every minute matters. We are asking you to read these issues, to be with us in voice, in signing. And please vote. Please vote. Please vote. This has been an episode of Inspiring Women with Lori McGraw. Please subscribe, rate, and review. We are produced at Executive Podcast Solutions. More episodes can be found on inspiringwomen.show.

[00:19:59] I am Lori McGraw. And thank you for listening.