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'Grey's Anatomy' Will Take on Immigration & 'Broken' Medical Care System in Season 16

'Grey's Anatomy' Will Take on Immigration & 'Broken' Medical Care System in Season 16

Grey’s Anatomy will tackle issues like immigration policies and the “broken” medical care system in the upcoming season.

Showrunner Krista Vernoff recently opened up about plans for season 16 of the ABC series.

In the May finale, (SPOILER ALERT) Ellen Pompeo‘s Meredith Grey’s boyfriend Andrew (Giacomo Gianniotti) took the blame for the insurance fraud she committed – and got fired for it.

“At this point in the season, we are having rich character discussions about the consequences of what Meredith did in committing insurance fraud and it’s because of our immigration policies but also because of our broken medical care system,” Krista told THR. “Because that story is very much in play, conversations about our broken medical care system are at play. In order to play that story through, we have to educate ourselves about the realities that doctors face and what works well in our country and what is broken. That is an essential part of our conversation this season but it all starts with character. It all starts with what are we going to do with Meredith now? She just got fired. Her medical license is potentially threatened by her decision and her boyfriend is in jail.”

Krista went on to discuss how the new season of Grey’s Anatomy might address gun control and gun reform.

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She shared, “The writers and I have been talking about guns for a long time now — ever since the ‘this is my lane’ movement happened where the NRA told doctors to stay in their lane, and there was a huge outcry from the medical community of this is my lane: ‘Here is a picture of my blood-soaked OR, ER, elevator; this is my lane, this is where I sit and tell parents that their children are dead, that’s the chair I sit in, this is my lane.’”

“We read all of that and thought, ‘Our show is about doctors and this is what’s happening in the medical community today, how do we illuminate this epidemic and how do we do it where it’s rooted in character and it’s not us wanting to make a political statement?’” she added. “Our episode last season where the kid was shot from somebody shooting his gun off at a parade and there’s this group of bagpipers and his father is saying, ‘Oh my god, how is this possible? How is my child maybe going to die and no laws will change?’ All of that was born of this. And we are continuing to explore ways to illuminate the crises our doctors face every day.”

Grey’s Anatomy returns September 26 on ABC.

READ MORE: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Alum Eyed for Season 16 Return!

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Credit: Mitch Haaseth; Photos: ABC
Posted to: Ellen Pompeo, giacomo gianniotti, Greys Anatomy, Television