by Abraham Verghese, MD The unfortunate politicians who have braved town hall meetings to talk about health reform seem to have been taken by surprise by the vitriol and volume of the push back. Yes, I know the audiences were…
by Abraham Verghese, MD
The unfortunate politicians who have braved town hall meetings to talk about health reform seem to have been taken by surprise by the vitriol and volume of the push back. Yes, I know the audiences were marshaled and recruited to shout down the speakers but still the passion on display was genuine and not in the least surprising to me. What the President and our politicians should …
Recently I was on a canoe trip in Ontario, Canada with a close friend. As he and I were portaging our gear and canoe between two lakes I was thinking that the uphill path was difficult and wondered how many…
Recently I was on a canoe trip in Ontario, Canada with a close friend. As he and I were portaging our gear and canoe between two lakes I was thinking that the uphill path was difficult and wondered how many more steps it would take. The sooner it was done the better.
I often find myself counting steps during my daily activities as I know that the fewer physical steps it …
by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today The White House today announced details of a $25 million grant program to test alternatives to the tort system for medical liability cases. In his Sept. 9 speech before Congress, the president…
by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
The White House today announced details of a $25 million grant program to test alternatives to the tort system for medical liability cases.
In his Sept. 9 speech before Congress, the president announced he would direct Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services secretary, to launch pilot programs meant to cut down on physicians …
by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today A solid majority of physicians favor creating a new public insurance option that would operate alongside existing private plans, according to a survey published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.…
by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
A solid majority of physicians favor creating a new public insurance option that would operate alongside existing private plans, according to a survey published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.
About 63% of doctors, across a smattering of specialties and in various geographic regions, support a public insurance option. That …
by Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today In an important step toward moving healthcare reform legislation through Congress, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced his much-awaited bill today after months of working to gain bipartisan support. The chairman of the powerful…
In an important step toward moving healthcare reform legislation through Congress, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced his much-awaited bill today after months of working to gain bipartisan support.
The chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee released a summary of legislation that would not create a public insurance option and would cost $856 …
by Gary R. Gibson, MD, FACP We can deliver better health care to every U.S. citizen at less than one-half of 2.1 trillion dollars per year with constructive reform, a system wherein people receiving and providing care would feel greater…
by Gary R. Gibson, MD, FACP
We can deliver better health care to every U.S. citizen at less than one-half of 2.1 trillion dollars per year with constructive reform, a system wherein people receiving and providing care would feel greater satisfaction and dignity. Through courage and perseverance, we must identify and minimize waste, eliminate corruption and modernize our system. In a competitive world economy, we must reform health care …
by Mark Coyne The core of the health care debate revolves around the perceived spiraling cost of health care in America. There are many quotes in the media, and from politicians, that health care costs are increasing by more than…
by Mark Coyne
The core of the health care debate revolves around the perceived spiraling cost of health care in America. There are many quotes in the media, and from politicians, that health care costs are increasing by more than 10 percent a year, and consistently increasing by more than wage growth – which is unsustainable in the long term. The basic point being made is correct, the overall …
by Kumud B. Jindal, MD, MPH Many patients and self-appointed health care experts view medical services as commodities, and openly express frustration with seemingly opaque pricing for a visit to the doctor’s office. “Doctors should publish their fees so we…
by Kumud B. Jindal, MD, MPH
Many patients and self-appointed health care experts view medical services as commodities, and openly express frustration with seemingly opaque pricing for a visit to the doctor’s office. “Doctors should publish their fees so we know what we’re paying!” The idea that this matters significantly with regard to health care costs is a terrible myth, one that deserves much closer scrutiny.
It looks like The Huffington Post's honorary Medical Editor, Dr. Dean Ornish, walked into the same trap that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey did. Mackey got a lot of flack when he wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal…
It looks like The Huffington Post’s honorary Medical Editor, Dr. Dean Ornish, walked into the same trap that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey did.
Mackey got a lot of flack when he wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on health care reform, one in which he emphasized the need for personal responsibility for our health.
Ornish, in an effort to inject himself into the current debate, blogged, Don’t Tread on …
The following op-ed was published on August 20th, 2009 in CNN.com. When President Obama recently cited the number of Americans without health insurance, he declared that, "We are not a nation that accepts nearly 46 million uninsured men, women, and…
The following op-ed was published on August 20th, 2009 in CNN.com.
When President Obama recently cited the number of Americans without health insurance, he declared that, “We are not a nation that accepts nearly 46 million uninsured men, women, and children.”
Uninsured patients often delay preventive care, waiting to seek medical attention only when their conditions worsen. This leads to more intensive treatment, often in the emergency department or hospital where …
Prior to President Obama's address to Congress on health reform, I asked myself, "What would I tell the President?" First and foremost: go for it. All of it. Health care in America is too important, both economically and morally, to…
Prior to President Obama’s address to Congress on health reform, I asked myself, “What would I tell the President?”
First and foremost: go for it. All of it. Health care in America is too important, both economically and morally, to be left adrift in its current state. Its focus is wrong. It costs too much. And not everyone who needs it is able to have it.
by Charles W. Patterson, MD Health care reform has long been one of my main interests and currently, it seems to be everyone else's. The President said he thought a single-payer system would be best, but submitted a proposal he…
by Charles W. Patterson, MD
Health care reform has long been one of my main interests and currently, it seems to be everyone else’s. The President said he thought a single-payer system would be best, but submitted a proposal he thought could be passed. The outcome is in doubt.
Actually, the single-payer system is the second best possible solution. The government would hold the money but would remain vulnerable to political manipulation, …
by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today In Wednesday's address to Congress and the nation, President Barack Obama made a number of statements about healthcare reform, some involving issues that would directly affect medical practice. MedPage Today examined five…
by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
In Wednesday’s address to Congress and the nation, President Barack Obama made a number of statements about healthcare reform, some involving issues that would directly affect medical practice. MedPage Today examined five of Obama’s statements to add context to the sound bytes.
The Statement:
“I don’t believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, …
by Robert Berry, MD In his column, David Brooks of The New York Times effectively compares our rapidly rising health care costs to “a stampede of big ugly rhinos.” What he ignores, however, is the huge elephant in the room…
by Robert Berry, MD
In his column, David Brooks of The New York Times effectively compares our rapidly rising health care costs to “a stampede of big ugly rhinos.” What he ignores, however, is the huge elephant in the room that is largely responsible for this rhino stampede – the tax preference for employer-based health insurance.
This tax preference – enjoyed primarily by employees of large businesses and government at …
by Paula Hartman Cohen My husband and I live in Massachusetts, a state that already has health care reform. On April 12, 2006, our state legislature enacted a law requiring all residents to have health insurance. They could buy it…
by Paula Hartman Cohen
My husband and I live in Massachusetts, a state that already has health care reform.
On April 12, 2006, our state legislature enacted a law requiring all residents to have health insurance.
They could buy it themselves, they could buy it from their employer through a group plan or, if their income was below a certain level, they could buy it from the state at a reduced rate. This …
Much has been made of the superior performance – on both cost and quality – of integrated health care organizations like the Mayo and Geisinger Clinics. But since the defining characteristic of these standout systems is at least 50 years…
Much has been made of the superior performance – on both cost and quality – of integrated health care organizations like the Mayo and Geisinger Clinics. But since the defining characteristic of these standout systems is at least 50 years of integrated history, few believe that the rest of us – namely the docs and hospitals that provide the bulk of American health care – can quickly achieve such seamless …
As an outside observer of the American health reform debate, I cannot help but notice the disparity of views, the fractured arguments, the protectionism and desperation. My country is in a similar struggle for health care reform, with the main…
As an outside observer of the American health reform debate, I cannot help but notice the disparity of views, the fractured arguments, the protectionism and desperation. My country is in a similar struggle for health care reform, with the main difference being America is a rich nation, and we are poor by comparison. In both debates, however, I have looked for the humanitarian argument, and in many cases found it …
The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP The unfettered debate about ideas that characterizes the democratic process in the United States operates best when there…
The unfettered debate about ideas that characterizes the democratic process in the United States operates best when there is a truthful presentation of the issues, and when the process is civil and respectful. Unfortunately, the debate about health care reform has evolved to the point that it …
by Susan H It seems that health insurers are serving as exchange and clearing firm for "health futures" traders. Traders of "health futures" are potential patients, and health care providers. Patients are synthetic buyers of futures on health care provision,…
by Susan H
It seems that health insurers are serving as exchange and clearing firm for “health futures” traders. Traders of “health futures” are potential patients, and health care providers. Patients are synthetic buyers of futures on health care provision, doctors and providers of medical goods and services are short sellers of those futures. The exchange and clearing firm (health insurer) represents that it serves to stand as guarantor in the …
Believe it or not, some element of federal tort reform is not only possible, but likely. Sounds counterintuitive? We all know that Congress has a strong majority with Democrats. We know the President is also a Democrat. We know the…
Believe it or not, some element of federal tort reform is not only possible, but likely.
Sounds counterintuitive? We all know that Congress has a strong majority with Democrats. We know the President is also a Democrat. We know the plaintiff’s bar strongly supports the Democratic Party. We know that Democrats have traditionally shied away from specific reforms, such as caps on pain on suffering. So, this would seem the worst …
