Builders ‘Citizen Solutions’ Session Exposes Common Ground on Texas Healthcare

On December 5, we brought together 14 strangers from across Texas to discuss an issue that weighs heavily on people: healthcare. Some participants were motivated by their faith and a deep commitment to caring for their neighbors. Others brought their personal or professional experiences with the healthcare system into the room. There were also Zoomers and Boomers, patients and providers, Republicans and Democrats. They hailed from Austin to Alpine and Longview to Lubbock. Together, they broadly represented the state’s population.

We’ve run this kind of Citizen Solutions session before—first in Tennessee on gun rights and safety and later in Wisconsin on abortion and family well-being. This time, the common ground was impossible to miss—and still caught everyone off guard. Spoiler alert: there were tears. 

Informed by Ima—our AI agent currently collecting healthcare stories from Texans statewide—the participants discussed the issues that citizens care about most and politicians often overlook. Everything from mounting medical debt to difficulty finding a primary care doctor was covered. 

They left with a renewed belief in their own agency. In the words of one participant: “We all have the power to be policymakers.”

How Did It Go? 

A week after the session, participants are still processing their experiences. The resounding takeaway was not their political differences, but what they were able to create despite them. 

Jay Shoesmith, a Libertarian salesperson from Longview, Texas, reflected: 

“At first, I was a little hesitant about going. Typically, I disagree with most Democrats or Republicans because I seek less governmental influence in our lives, and taxes seem to be a way of control. Even though we live in different areas with different political views, we have the same concerns of affordable and accessible healthcare.   

One of the attendees mentioned his insurance went from $750 a month for his family to around $1950 a month. That one statement made me think about the situation and pushed me outside my comfort zone. I decided to agree with most of the initiatives and even some that go against my Libertarian beliefs. I justify this because we can’t just leave a good portion of Texans without affordable and accessible healthcare. As a 4-year-old, I lost my dad to complications in a heart valve transplant. As an adult I spent 3 weeks in the hospital with Covid not being able to breathe and then being sued by the hospital. It taught me that many can be in a debtor’s prison without affordable protection. In my heart and with these experiences, I cannot justify continuing with the current situation.”

Jennifer Kranzman, a Republican retired nurse, said: 

“When I got the call: ‘Are you interested in sitting with strangers talking about healthcare?’ she saw my smile through the phone. 

“I have come to realize America is far from perfect in delivering healthcare. Texas has 35 counties considered medical deserts, barren of any medical services, leaving our citizens to fend for themselves. This high-priority issue should have been addressed decades ago. It is time for a paradigm shift.  We can learn from other countries, other states, what best practice looks like, what preventative and outcome-driven care should encompass. Our younger attendees, Davrien and John, their insight and passion to be Builders, to lead the next generation to value dialogue, and their voice to find solutions, leave me very hopeful.” 

Dr. Adrian Billings from Alpine, Texas, said: 

“As a rural community physician for my entire career, I viewed this session as yet another chance to share my rural patient and colleague stories. Over the 3-day session, the anxiety that had challenged me as I prepared rapidly faded away as our group of Builders thoughtfully and respectfully shared our concerns with the current U.S. healthcare system. I was overcome with emotion at how the 14 of us all agreed that something had to be done to improve our healthcare system. This mutual agreement was in spite of our different zip codes that we hailed from, whether we were healthcare professionals or patients. And our agreement on policy solutions crossed all of the political associations and beliefs that each of us brought to the table.”

What’s Next?

Now that these citizens have landed on some priority policies, it’s time to give the floor to their fellow citizens. We’ll keep our Ima chatbot open for another few weeks to ensure that Texans who weren’t able to attend the solution session have a chance to express their ideas. Then, in tandem with policy experts, we’ll fine-tune a set of policy proposals that these Builders can meaningfully mobilize behind. Stay tuned!