Long before I ever walked the halls of the Michigan Capitol, I walked the halls of hospitals. I spent years as a nurse caring for people who were fighting for their lives. I’ve seen firsthand how the line between hope and heartbreak can be painfully thin when someone you love is sick. You don’t forget the sound of quiet rooms, the eyes that search yours for an answer you can’t give, or the families holding on to the possibility of just one more day with a loved one.

As a healthcare worker, that’s what I wanted most to give: hope, a sense that recovery was still possible against all odds. Yet for too many patients, especially those facing some of the world’s most deadly illnesses, the greatest obstacle isn’t their illness, but the regulatory system standing in their way.

Too often, the go

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