For Dr. Harpreet Tsui, the belief that healthcare is a human right is not just a slogan; it’s a conviction shaped by years of caring for patients whose access to treatment is limited by policy decisions, insurance loopholes, and financial strain. As the founder of Coronado Health Direct Primary Care in Las Vegas, she sees firsthand how health policies affect the most vulnerable in the community.
“I just feel like healthcare is a basic right,” she says. “If you live somewhere, you should get healthcare. What I don’t like is that in most places, healthcare is tied to employment. People stay in jobs they hate just because they need the insurance. I understand the burden and what it does to your mental health. Eventually, that stress will impact your physical health.”
Her words cut to the core of today’s healthcare debate: in a nation with immense wealth, millions remain locked out of reliable care, forced into choices that compromise their health and quality of life. Dr. Tsui herself admits she once stayed in a job longer than she wanted to because of the insurance benefits. “I have done it too,” she explains. “It keeps people trapped.”
In the Las Vegas Valley, where she practices, the issue is particularly pressing. Henderson and its surrounding areas attract retirees from across the country because of lower housing costs, but many arrive relying on complicated medical plans.
Dr. Tsui warns of the cascading effects: fewer primary care visits, unaffordable medications, and ultimately, more hospitalizations. “If we cut Medicare or Medicaid, people skip their blood pressure meds, their insulin, their inhalers. Then they end up in the ER, their quality of life drops, their mortality rate rises, and it becomes a burden on the entire system. We are punishing people who already worked their whole lives and deserve better,” she says.
For Dr. Tsui, the issue is not only medical, it’s moral. “Our older population deserves to live their best life too,” she insists. “These are our parents and grandparents. They built this country, and they should be able to age with dignity, not in agony because of cuts designed to save money.”
Her advocacy extends beyond her clinic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she joined the Committee to Protect Healthcare, working to combat misinformation and championing policies that safeguard patient access. She has also been active in the reproductive rights space, pushing for healthcare policies that recognize women’s autonomy and needs. For her, healthcare cannot be separated from politics.
This philosophy shapes her vision for the future. She sees telemedicine as part of the solution, expanding access in rural areas and breaking down barriers for patients who might otherwise go without care. Yet even with innovative tools, she stresses that systemic reform is essential. “Technology helps, but if insurance cuts keep people from affording medications or getting into a primary care office, then we are failing them. We need to fix the system at its foundation,” she states.
Dr. Tsui acknowledges the uphill battle, especially for women physicians advocating in a field where their voices are often dismissed. But her determination remains unshaken. She says, “It’s harder for women to be heard in medicine, but that just means we have to be louder. I see what happens to my patients when healthcare is taken away, and I refuse to be silent.”
Her call to action is clear: healthcare must be untangled from employment, protected from political bargaining, and treated as a fundamental right. Until then, she will continue to fight for her patients, whether through her direct care practice, her policy advocacy, or her presence in the community.
“Everyone should have access to healthcare,” she says. “It’s not just about treating illness; it’s about giving people the chance to live fully, with dignity, at every stage of their life.”
The post Healthcare as a Human Right: Dr. Harpreet Tsui Advocates for Seniors, Retirees, and Vulnerable Communities appeared first on International Business Times.
