I interned for the Center for Medicare Advocacy in its Washington D.C. office the summer after my second year of law school. I believe it was the perfect place and time to further explore my interest in health law, especially due to the recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The health care business involves a constant balancing act that tries to provide beneficiary access and quality, but at an affordable cost; however, it is often the case that the beneficiary may not be fortunate enough to have a fair helping of each. At the Center, I was able to examine this struggle on a daily basis, especially regarding Medicare benefits.
The legal staff available at the Center is made up of extremely knowledgeable individuals who have dedicated tremendous amounts of time and heart in educating, consulting, and assisting all players in the Medicare business to obtain a realistic balance between access, quality and cost interests. My time at the Center involved researching and analyzing new regulations, policies and issues and transforming my research into written work in hopes of educating Medicare beneficiaries and other health care advocates. I was also able to attend hearings and meetings at the House and Senate, as well as meetings with other distinguished health care advocates and foes. This opportunity greatly enhanced my legal education as I was able to learn from experts how to present complex material and how to focus on the key points within a matter of minutes in front a knowledgeable audience. My internship quickly exceeded my expectations in enhancing my own understanding of Medicare and the formidable challenges beneficiaries have with it.
Being an intern at the Center was a great opportunity because I was able to learn from and engage with key players who have the ability to form, shape, and modify Medicare policy in our nation’s capital. I was inspired by the daily talks with my senior attorneys over the different projects and workshops they were involved in the health care community. I was very impressed by how they were able to handle the constant change in health law policies every week and unwaveringly disseminate accurate and valuable policy changes in the form of understandable material for Medicare beneficiaries. I encourage all law students with an earnest interest in health law to intern for the Center.
Christine Fung
Health Policy Intern
Summer 2010