An orthopedic surgeon in Alaska and another in Montana are among the candidates seeking election to the U.S. Congress in November.
Al Olszewski, MD, is running as a Republican for the Western Montana congressional district. Dr. Olszewski has spent six years serving in the Montana State Legislature, where he sponsored bills to improve medical liability reform, increase reimbursement for Medicaid services, prevent unexpected out-of-network medical bills for patients and reform loan forgiveness programs for physicians in rural communities. He served Montana at the state and federal levels as a healthcare adviser since 2009, and in 2014 was elected to the Montana House of Representatives. He served in the state Senate from 2016-20.
Al Gross, MD, is running as an independent for Alaska's U.S. House of Representatives seat. Dr. Gross will run as a candidate to finish the remaining term of Republican Rep. Don Young, who died earlier this month. The surgeon was unsuccessful in his attempt to unseat Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in the 2020 U.S. Senate race, during which his campaign centered on addressing high healthcare costs in Alaska, balancing Medicare by negotiating directly with the pharmaceutical industry to redirect funds from drug companies to providers, and defending abortion rights.