Category: United States healthcare system

Women Physicians Have Changed the Face of Medicine

As of September 2026, 55% of U.S. medical school graduates are women, predicting a future of at least half female physicians. The post highlights Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from a U.S. medical school in 1849, and other pioneering women like Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler and Dr. Virginia Apgar, who significantly contributed to medicine.

Updated September 4, 2026

By the most recent statistics published by KFF, 55% of United States medical school graduates are women. If that trend continues, eventually at least half of all practicing physicians in the United States will be women.

class reunion
My medical school graduating class at our 30th reunion; the original class was larger, 150 students, but the percentage of women was the same as in this photo. (I’m in the pink dress)

(This post contains commission earning affiliate links to help fund this blog)

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell-Trailblazer and Reformer

The first woman graduate of a United States medical school was born in Bristol, England in 1821. (Thank you, UK readers). Elizabeth Blackwell came to this country as a child and originally had no interest in medicine. But when a dying friend told her, “I would have been spared suffering if a woman had been my doctor”, she found her calling.

She was denied admission to multiple medical schools. The Geneva Medical College of New York submitted her application to the student body for a vote, and, as a joke, they voted to admit her. Well, the joke was on them as she enrolled, completed medical school and graduated in 1849.

Read more detail about How Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman doctor in the United States

The First Woman Doctor
The First Woman Doctor

With her sister, Emily Blackwell , who also graduated from medical school, and a German physician, Marie Zakrzewska, they opened and ran the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857.

Dr. Emily Blackwell  managed the Infirmary for 40 years. Dr. Marie Zakrzewska moved to Boston when she founded the New England Hospital for Women and Children, which trained women physicians and cared for the poor.

Due to failing health, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell retired from practice in the 1870s.

The Physicians Mom Group (PMG) declared Dr. Blackwell’s birthday February 3 as National Women Physicians Day. This day celebrates all the significant contributions that women physicians make daily, none of which would have been possible without Elizabeth Blackwell.

Dr. Blackwell embodied the ABC characteristics of extraordinary women physicians-

Attentive, Brave, Compassionate

doctors in surgery
Women physicians providing free medical care in a mission hospital

Women physician members of CMDA providing medical care in Ecuador

Dr.Rebecca Lee Crumpler-Challenging Prejudice

Prior to founding her hospital, Dr.Zakrzewska served as professor at the New England Female Medical College. That school produced another notable women physician, Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler.

Dr. Crumpler graduated in 1864, becoming the first African-American woman to earn the M.D. in the United States.  After practicing in Boston, she moved to Virginia where she and other black physicians cared for freed slaves, who otherwise would have had no access to medical care.

In 1883 Dr. Crumpler wrote a book of medical advice for women and children, titled Book of Medical Discourses, one of the earliest medical publications by an African American.

Dr. Virginia Apgar-Teacher and Innovator

More recently, a woman physician’s work has impacted the lives of countless babies and their families. If you have had a baby, or been born within the past 60 years, you benefited from the work of Virginia Apgar, M.D.

She was neither an obstetrician or a pediatrician, but an anesthesiologist. As she observed deliveries of infants she proposed a scale to rate how well a newborn was adapting to life outside the mother.

crying baby
courtesy Pixabay

She considered 5 factors:

  1. heart rate
  2. respiratory (breathing) rate,
  3. muscle tone,
  4. reflexes, and
  5. color-pink (warm) or blue(cold)

And assigned each a score- 0, 1, or 2, at 1 minute of age, and again at 5 minutes.

So a newborn had a potential score as low as 0 and as high as 10.

The higher the score, referred to as the Apgar score, the more likely the baby was healthy and would do well. The lower the score meant the baby was in trouble and needed intensive medical attention.

After testing the rating scale over several years, doctors started using it routinely; so for the past 50-60 years, almost all babies have been “graded” with an Apgar score at birth. The Apgar score is used widely throughout the world.

Dr. Apgar, who played violin and cello in her college orchestra, was appointed the first full professor of medicine at Columbia University and was a director for the March of Dimes.

The National Library of Medicine profiles
these and many other women physicians at

 Changing the Face of Medicine –

celebrating America’s women physicians.

Exploring the HEART of health

Thank you for reading this post. I strive to make them worth your time.

I share information and inspiration that sparks transformation in your body, mind, and spirit.

You can follow this blog in two easy ways. One is to put your email address into the box below.

Another way is to follow me on Facebook, where I share new posts, timely topics, photos, and an occasional cartoon.

Watercress Words by Dr. Aletha

Dr. Aletha

Celebrate Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health Care

Every July 4th, Americans celebrate Independence Day, marking the founding of a nation with complex systems, including healthcare. The U.S. healthcare system combines public and private efforts, with significant government funding. Essential programs like Medicare and Medicaid serve millions, underscoring the commitment of healthcare professionals. Celebrating this system’s evolution reflects the nation’s founding principles.

updated June 30, 2026

Every year on July 4th we celebrate Independence Day- the day the original 13 American colonies established an independent country.

They established a government, military, educational system, highway system, public works, and healthcare system.

We Americans may pride ourselves on not having “socialized” medicine or “national healthcare”, but we do have a health care system that is a combination of public and private funding and administration. And even private healthcare must comply with a myriad of local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

Celebrate Healthcare Professionals

I believe we have one of the best healthcare systems in the world because of the people who work in healthcare- the people who devote years to education and training and who work tirelessly 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to make and keep us well.  Their commitment, compassion, dedication, and competence benefit all of us and deserve our gratitude.

Statue of Liberty
Lady Liberty lifting her torch in New York harbor-photo by Dr. Aletha

Government Healthcare Programs

The federal government pays for roughly 31% of all healthcare spending in the United States. According to the latest National Health Expenditures data, the federal government represents the single largest “sponsor” of healthcare in the nation, funding approximately $1.7 trillion of the country’s total $5.3 trillion annual medical tab. [1, 2]

The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare

The  United States Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 to guarantee basic health insurance to all citizens.  During the last presidential campaign, President Trump vowed to “repeal and replace” this law but although it has been modified, it is still active

Healthcare for Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families

During the American Revolution the fledgling government extended health care benefits to the soldiers and veterans of that war; that system evolved into the current military health care system which covers service members and the Veterans’ Administration system for veterans.

a Veterans Administration clinic
a Veterans Administration clinic (photo by Dr. Aletha)
American soldiers serving in Afghanistan
American soldiers serving in Afghanistan

Medicare and Medicaid

Two other government healthcare programs- Medicare and Medicaid are over 50 years old. 

Medicaid provides insurance coverage for adults and children who are unemployed or low income.  

Medicare covers disabled children and adults  and persons 65 years and older.

You may not be eligible for either of these programs now, but chances are eventually you or someone close to you will.

  • Anyone can become disabled from a serious illness or freak accident.
  • You or your spouse may lose your job and your employer sponsored health insurance.
  • Your child may have a disability that will prevent them from working when they grow up.
  • We may all live long enough to qualify for Medicare on the basis of age alone.  Your parents or grandparents are near or already at Medicare age.
ELDERLY COUPLE -189282_1280
Senior adults age 65 and older use Medicare.

It’s important to understand how Medicare works, since it’s not automatic; even if you qualify, you need to sign up to be covered (with a few exceptions). The rules are summarized here. Or consider an easy to understand book here. 

Federal Healthcare Agencies

  • Food and Drug Administration- FDA
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- CDC
  • National Institutes of Health- NIH
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Drug Enforcement Agency-DEA
medication capsules
The FDA regulates the development and sale of medications and medical devices and the DEA regulates dangerous and controlled drugs.

Federal Healthcare Laws

  • The Affordable Care Act- ACA
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-HIPPA
  • Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act- EMTALA
  • Americans with Disabilities Act-ADA
Liberty Bell -replica
I took this photo of a replica of the Liberty Bell at Walt Disney World, Florida

Let Freedom Ring

In the Declaration of Independence, the founders of the United States created a nation based on the “self-evident truths”  of  “Life ,Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” and to promote “Safety and Happiness” . 

In the Constitution they vowed to “promote the general Welfare” .

I wonder if they envisioned their new government would spend so much time and money providing and regulating health care -most of which was not available or even imagined at that time? 

Let’s celebrate!

woman holding a sprakler
Let’s celebrate! This photo and featured image from stock photo site- Lightstock.com (affiliate)

Exploring the HEART of Health

Thank you for reading this post. I strive to make them worth your time.

I share information and inspiration that sparks transformation in your body, mind, and spirit.

You can follow this blog in two easy ways. One is to put your email address into the box below.

Another way is to follow me on Facebook, where I share new posts, timely topics, photos, and an occasional cartoon.

Watercress Words by Dr. Aletha

a woman in a red, white, and blue shirt

Me, years ago, showing my patriotic spirit by posing in red, white, and blue

Dr. Aletha