Beyond Cadavers: Med Students Learn to Dissect Health Policy

Medical schools are making headway in meeting the demands of students who want a greater understanding of how health-care policy will affect their patients and practices.

Medical students are preparing to enter an industry where they need to understand the complexities of health policy to provide better care. They are encountering an ever-evolving industry where the Affordable Care Act added 20 million people to the rolls of the insured, efforts to expand state Medicaid programs continue apace, and “Medicare for All” is a line in the sand for Democratic presidential candidates.

The goal of educating medical students in health policy ...