Matthew Zachary, a brain cancer survivor and founder of the organization Stupid Cancer, stated Wednesday that patient advocacy efforts should shift toward a unified civic identity rather than organizing around specific diagnoses. Zachary, who is also the CEO of We the Patients, argued that the current fragmented approach to advocacy allows the healthcare industry to maintain a more unified influence over policy than patients themselves.
According to Zachary, most existing patient organizations focus on narrow categories such as specific diseases, Medicaid defense, or Medicare protection. He cited groups like Families USA and Patients Over Profits as effective in their current missions but suggested they are missing a broader organizing principle that connects all individuals who interact with the healthcare system.
Data from the National Cancer Institute indicates that 18.6 million Americans were living with a history of cancer as of January 2025, a figure projected to reach 26 million by 2040. Zachary stated that when these individuals are combined with the chronically ill, caregivers, and those navigating various insurance plans, they form one of the largest untapped constituencies in the United States. He noted a July 2026 Families USA poll found that 94 percent of Americans believe Congress should act on healthcare costs, suggesting that awareness of system issues is already high.
For the individual, this shift in strategy would prioritize the shared experience of navigating administrative hurdles, such as insurance denials and prior authorization wait times, over specific disease-based research goals. If successful, patients might notice a change in how they interact with federal and state policy, as their "political capital" would be used to prevent systemic harm before it occurs rather than responding to individual hardships after they happen. Zachary describes this as a transition from a "cause" that responds to harm to a "constituency" that understands and uses its collective leverage.
The movement aims to create a "connective tissue" between geographically and medically diverse individuals, such as retirees in Florida and caregivers in Pennsylvania. By treating the patient experience as a "civic identity," the proposed strategy could set a precedent for how large numbers of Americans engage with the healthcare market and legislative bodies. While Zachary is currently advocating for this shift in his role at We the Patients, the specific dates for new national organizing campaigns or legislative pushes resulting from this unified identity were not reported.