Three Reasons to Celebrate the Supreme Court’s Decision on Obamacare

Like a good, smart doctor, morally grounded and, perhaps, influenced by compassion (hard to tell), the Chief Justice figured out a legally acceptable way for his court to do the right thing. Bravo!

Posted in from the author, journalism, Policy, Public HealthTagged , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments on Three Reasons to Celebrate the Supreme Court’s Decision on Obamacare

Why I Support Health Care Reform

Profit is not what medical care is about, or should be about. What we need is a simple, national health plan, available to everyone, with minimal paperwork and, yes, limits to care.

Posted in Essential Lessons, Future of Medicine, health care costs, health care delivery, Medical Ethics, PolicyTagged , , , , , , , 2 Comments on Why I Support Health Care Reform

73 Cents: A Film on Regina Holliday’s Work, and Patient Advocacy Through Art

The unreasonable price of the medical records, combined with the delay in receiving them, exemplifies unnecessary harms patients encounter in an outdated, disjointed health care system.

Posted in Communication, Empowered Patient, Exhibits, health care costsTagged , , , , , , Leave a Comment on 73 Cents: A Film on Regina Holliday’s Work, and Patient Advocacy Through Art

Notes on Wendell Potter, and Why Companies Support the Individual Mandate

The current debate about the individual mandate reminded me to post this – About a year ago, I had the opportunity to hear Wendell Potter, author of Deadly Spin – an insider’s sharp critique of the insurance industry, speak at a meeting of the New York Metropolitan Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. Despite […]

Posted in health care costs, Policy, Public HealthTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on Notes on Wendell Potter, and Why Companies Support the Individual Mandate

Quote of the Day: On Death Panels and the Insurance Industry, From Dr. Donald Berwick

Dr. Donald Berwick left his position last week as head of CMS. He said this, as quoted in the WSJ’s Washington Wire, yesterday: “Maybe a real death panel is a group of people who tell health care insurers that is it OK to take insurance away from people because they are sick or are at […]

Posted in health care delivery, Medical Ethics, Medical News, Policy, Quote of the DayTagged , , , , , , , , 1 Comment on Quote of the Day: On Death Panels and the Insurance Industry, From Dr. Donald Berwick

HCR Law Requires Insurers to Cover Routine Care for Patients Participating in Clinical Trials

Something I learned at the MBCN conference is that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA, a.k.a. HCR), will require that private insurance companies cover the routine costs of medical care for patients participating in approved clinical trials. Medicare does so already, said Dr. Tatiana Prowell, an oncologist on the Johns Hopkins […]

Posted in clinical trials, Communication, health care costs, PolicyTagged , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on HCR Law Requires Insurers to Cover Routine Care for Patients Participating in Clinical Trials

Implications of the Oncology Drug Shortage

Today’s New York Times features an op-ed by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, on the oncology drug shortage. It’s a serious problem that’s had too-little attention in the press: Of the 34 generic cancer drugs on the market, as of this month, 14 were in short supply. They include drugs that are the mainstay of treatment regimens […]

Posted in cancer treatment, health care costs, health care delivery, Medical News, Oncology (cancer)Tagged , , , , Leave a Comment on Implications of the Oncology Drug Shortage

Running 2 Lists That Might Lessen the Costs of Oncology Care

Recently the NEJM ran a Sounding Board piece on Bending the Cost Curve in Cancer Care. The authors take on this problem: Annual direct costs for cancer care are projected to rise — from $104 billion in 20061 to over $173 billion in 2020 and beyond.2…Medical oncologists directly or indirectly control or influence the majority […]

Posted in Future of Medicine, health care costs, Oncology (cancer), PolicyTagged , , , , , , , 2 Comments on Running 2 Lists That Might Lessen the Costs of Oncology Care

Opening Up a Dialogue on the R-Word

Today a short article in the NY Times, New Kidney Transplant Policy Would Favor Younger Patients, draws my attention to a very basic problem in medical ethics: rationing. According to the Washington Post coverage, the proposal comes from the United Network for Organ Sharing, a Richmond-based private non-profit group the federal government contracts for allocation […]

Posted in Economics, health care costs, Life, Medical Ethics, PolicyTagged , , , , Leave a Comment on Opening Up a Dialogue on the R-Word

No More Clipboards

“This caught my interest because it doesn’t diminish physicians’ autonomy,” Blumenthal said. It just enables them to make decisions for their patients in the context of additional, current information. “The end goal is not to adopt technology, but to improve care.”

Posted in Communication, Future of Medicine, health care costs, health care delivery, Health IT, Policy, Public HealthTagged , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on No More Clipboards

You’re Sick and I’m Not, Too Bad

“The insurance market as it works today basically slices and dices the population. It says, well you people with medical conditions, over here, and you people without them, over here…
– Jonathan Cohn, Editor of The New Republic, speaking on The Brian Lehrer Show, February 16, 2010*
—–
There’s a popular, partly true, sometimes useful and very dangerous notion that we can control our health. Maybe even fend off cancer.

I like the idea that we can make smart choices, eat sensible amounts of whole foods…

Posted in Essential Lessons, health care costs, Ideas, Medical Ethics, Policy, Public Health, RadioTagged , , , , , , , 1 Comment on You’re Sick and I’m Not, Too Bad
newsletter software