By Dr. Zuri Murrell
As a colorectal surgeon in Los Angeles, I see every day what happens when disease is not treated early enough. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and my experience treating patients has reinforced a simple reality: the best treatment is prevention.
By the time many patients reach me, their condition is already advanced. Treatment becomes more invasive, more complicated, and more life-altering. While surgery can save lives, the better outcome is helping patients avoid getting to that point in the first place.
This is why prevention is not abstract to physicians like me. It is part of the job. We work to identify risk earlier, manage chronic disease sooner, and help patients stay healthier long before they require hospitalization or surgery.
Right now, California is moving in the wrong direction.
In January, Medi-Cal cut coverage for GLP-1 medications prescribed to treat obesity. As a physician, I recognize obesity for what it is: a chronic disease with its own metabolic dysfunction, not simply a matter of willpower or personal responsibility. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and multiple forms of cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is linked to 13 different cancers, including colorectal cancer.
We now have medications that can help treat disease earlier and improve long-term health outcomes. GLP-1 medications have been shown to help patients lose weight, lower blood pressure and A1c levels, and reduce other serious health risks linked to obesity. These are not cosmetic drugs. They are preventive treatments that can help patients avoid more serious and costly health complications later in life.
When patients lose access to these treatments, they do not simply disappear from the healthcare system. They come back later – sicker, with more advanced disease, and requiring more intensive care.
That reality hits Black communities across California especially hard, where access to preventive healthcare is still too limited. Many families face barriers to healthy food, safe places to exercise, reliable transportation, and consistent healthcare. For many patients, managing chronic disease takes a back seat to the everyday demands of work, caregiving, and simply getting by.
The result is predictable. More than 37% of Black Californians are obese, putting them at higher risk for serious chronic illnesses that too often go untreated until they become severe. Cutting off access to effective treatment only deepens those disparities.
Many Californians simply cannot afford GLP-1 medications without Medi-Cal coverage. Restricting access means preventive care becomes available only to those who can pay out of pocket, while working families are left waiting until their health gets worse before they can get help.
This is not sound healthcare policy. It is reactive medicine. And it is ultimately more expensive.
Preventing chronic disease is far more responsible than paying for more emergency room visits, hospital stays, advanced procedures, disability, and long-term health complications that could have been reduced or delayed with earlier treatment. Waiting until patients become sicker before coverage begins is a short-sighted approach that will leave California less healthy and put greater pressure on the healthcare system over time.
We should not force patients to get sicker before they can get help. Prevention works best when disease is caught and treated early. As physicians, we should use every effective tool available to help patients stay healthier longer and reduce the risk of serious complications later.
As I continue my work treating colorectal cancer, I urge Governor Newsom and state leaders to restore Medi-Cal coverage for GLP-1 medications so physicians can treat chronic disease earlier, improve long-term health outcomes, and give more Californians the opportunity to live healthier lives.
Dr. Zuri Murrell is a colorectal surgeon and specialist practicing in Los Angeles, California.