David A. Ansell

Who is David A. Ansell?

David A. Ansell is a Chicago-based physician and author whose efforts at both the national and local levels have advanced concerns about health inequities and the structure of the US health care system. His thirty years as a provider to the medically underserved have made him a vocal supporter of single-payer health care. He spent seventeen years at Cook County Hospital currently known as John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County upon which the medical T.V. drama ER was based. Ansell was inspired by his time at Cook County Hospital to write a memoir and social history entitled, County: Life, Death, and Politics in Chicago’s Public Hospital. County was hailed as a “landmark book” by Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune, aiming “to inform and to inspire” readers about the disparities in health care. In the book, Ansell argues that only a single-payer solution that provides access to all US residents regardless of circumstances can provide relief for those closed out of the health care system.