Dr. Susan Rogers – Separate And UNEQUAL

Cultural Segregation and Universal Health Care

Aired Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 2:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM EST

An Interview with Dr. Susan Rogers, Director of Physicians for a National Health Program

“Our health care system needs to be healthier and more caring.” — Swami Beyondananda

America’s health care system is seriously ill. And maybe instead of seeing a doctor, we need to see a paradox. Here are some paradoxical “irony supplements” to munch on. Did you know…

• The U.S. spends more on health care as a share of the economy — nearly twice as much as the average industrial country — yet has the lowest life expectancy and highest suicide rates among the 11 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations.

• The U.S. has the highest chronic disease burden and an obesity rate that is two times higher than the OECD average.

• Americans had fewer physician visits than peers in most countries, which may be related to a low supply of physicians in the U.S.

• Compared to peer nations, the U.S. has among the highest number of hospitalizations from preventable causes and the highest rate of avoidable deaths.

Do the math.

Do the aftermath. The chronic illness of our health care system impacts all segments of society and the economy. And perhaps the greatest negative impact is on people of color. Compared to whites, they are more likely to be uninsured, face discrimination that creates barriers to care, and suffer from preventable health conditions and early death.

Our guest this week is Dr. Susan Rogers, director of Physicians for a National Health Care Program. As an African-American and a medical doctor, she has seen first hand how health care for people of color can be – second-hand. This not only has to do with health care delivery, but also prevention, nutrition and other factors that negatively impact health.



Dr. Rogers is recently retired from Stroger Hospital of Cook County, but continues as a volunteer attending hospitalist and internist there. While at Stroger Hospital, she was co-director of medical student programs for the Department of Medicine and received numerous teaching awards from medical students and residents. She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Rush University, where she continues to be an active member of the Committee of Admissions.

Dr. Rogers received her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and completed her residency at Cook County Hospital, where she served an additional year as Chief Resident. She is a national board member of Physicians for a National Health Program and a past co-president of Health Care for All Illinois. She previously was Medical Director of the Near North Health Service Corp, a FQHC in Chicago, and remained on their board for many years after she left her directorship there. Dr. Rogers is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a member of the National Medical Association.

If you’re interested in how we deal with health care inequities, and INIQUITIES, please join us this Tuesday, January 12th at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET.

To find out more about Dr. Susan Rogers and PNHP, please go here: https://pnhp.org/about/

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