Decades spent practicing medicine have given me a view of healthcare that you simply cannot get from a political platform. I don’t look at this issue as a theoretical battle between capitalism and socialism — I look at it through the eyes of a patient who has to weigh the necessity of a medical procedure against the financial ruin of their household.

The astronomical cost of insurance premiums, prescription drugs, and hospital stays has transformed what should be a straightforward relationship between a patient and a doctor into a source of constant financial dread.