The Three Biggest Barriers to Healthcare Today

Welcome back, and thanks for tuning in to another episode of Immune Edit. Today’s topic is something I’ve been thinking about a lot—because it’s affecting every patient and every doctor in the U.S. healthcare system right now. Between recent CDC conversations, statements from the HHS Director, political commentary, and what I see daily in my practice, we need to confront something head-on:

There are three major barriers preventing doctors from giving patients the care they deserve:

1. Insurance companies
2. Government misinformation and regulation
3. Influencers spreading pseudoscience

Two of the three share the same issue—misinformation—and all three make it harder for doctors to practice real medicine.

Let’s break this down.

The Reality Doctors Face Every Day

I’m a practicing board-certified allergist and immunologist. I work in a busy outpatient clinic where my job is largely to keep people out of the hospital. Even with complex neuro-immune patients, the medical conditions themselves are not the biggest challenge.

The biggest barriers are the systems wrapped around medicine.

1. Insurance Companies (The #1 Barrier)

Insurance dictates nearly everything:

• What tests we can order
• What medications are “allowed”
• What treatments they will or will not pay for
• How much time doctors are forced to spend on administration instead of patients

Doctors spend countless hours every week—unpaid—trying to secure prior authorizations, fighting denials, submitting appeals, and documenting “medical necessity” to justify even the simplest treatment.

It has gotten so extreme that many physicians can no longer cover their overhead. The system incentivizes speed, volume, and intervention—not thoughtful, high-quality, preventive care.

What’s worse?

Insurers have no accountability.

Doctors must prove everything, but insurers don’t have to prove anything when denying care.

The Government’s Role in Increasing Misinformation

Next barrier: government-driven pseudoscience.

With the president publicly promoting ideas like Tylenol causing autism—while mispronouncing the word “acetaminophen”—and endorsing splitting up the MMR vaccine (despite overwhelming evidence against it), we’re watching science be replaced with ideology.

At the center of this misinformation storm is RFK Jr., who now leads HHS and has pushed debunked vaccine conspiracy theories for over 20 years.

Doctors now spend part of every patient visit undoing what the government and influencers promote. It steals time from actual healthcare.

Influencers: The Rise of Unregulated “Experts”

The third barrier—and one that’s exploding—is the influencer economy.

These “coaches”:

• Sell unvalidated tests
• Sell unregulated supplements
• Sell miracle detoxes
• Sell “the one thing” that promises to fix you

They use marketing playbooks:

Hook → Story → Close

All emotion, minimal science, and a tactical use of fear.

They scale fast because:

• They collect cash directly
• They have zero liability (unlike doctors)
• They do not need FDA oversight
• They hide behind disclaimers: “This isn’t medical advice—ask your doctor.”

Then the doctor gets stuck untangling the damage.

Meanwhile, real physicians must:

• Provide evidence-based care
• Prove medical necessity
• Follow regulatory oversight
• Spend hours fighting insurance companies

It’s not a level playing field—and patients get caught in the middle.

Why Is Pseudoscience Winning?

Because the real system is broken.

Doctors trained for years in complex, nuanced science no longer have time to practice that science due to:

• Administrative overload
• Insurance pressure
• Government interference
• Burnout
• Limited appointment times

When people feel unheard or when answers aren’t quick, influencers swoop in with simple, emotional explanations. They’re wrong—but they’re appealing.

What Medical Societies

Should

Do

Some medical groups, like the American Academy of Pediatrics and ACOG, have started pushing back hard against pseudoscience. But many societies—including my own (AAAAI and ACAAI)—remain timid.

If medical leadership can unite against misinformation, why can’t they unite against insurance abuse?

Imagine if medical societies:

• Fought to eliminate prior authorization
• Demanded insurers justify denials
• Protected doctors’ time
• Restored physician autonomy

Patients would get better care. Doctors could practice real medicine again.

The System Is Upside Down

Here’s the truth:

Health is a right—not a privilege.

Every patient deserves access to thoughtful, evidence-based, safe care—not rushed visits, denials, or influencer-driven misinformation.

Doctors want to help. Most are doing an incredible job under extreme pressure. But unless the system changes—from insurance restructuring to public health leadership to online regulation—America will continue to get sicker.

The Immune Edit for Today

• Be aware of the three major barriers: insurance, government misinformation, and influencers.
• Question bold claims—especially when a “solution” is being sold to you.
• Protect your health by seeking out qualified, evidence-driven physicians.
• Advocate for a healthcare system that prioritizes prevention, quality, and time—not speed and profit.

Thanks for sticking with this longer episode. These issues matter, and they affect every one of us.

Until next time.