Posts All of our commentary in one spot. You can also browse by topics or search. 414 posts in this category Posts pagination Newer 1 … 22 23 24 25 26 … 42 Older Time to End Health Savings Accounts: Regressive & Ineffective June 21, 2022 Summary: Health savings accounts (HSAs) paired with deductibles are regressive: they yield financial gains mostly for healthy individuals with high income. They are justified as reducing health care costs, but these benefits are minimal. Now that large deductibles are widespread, any pretense of HSA cost-control is gone. When will we end this tax break for […] A Framework to Understand Systemic Racism in Health June 19, 2022 Summary: Juneteenth commemorates an 1865 US army order to end slavery in Texas. Emancipation was the first essential step to offer Black Americans the opportunity to live a free and healthy life. But even today, 157 years later, the well-being of people of color is compromised by numerous post-emancipation policies that disadvantage them. We offer […] Medical Debt in the US: Pervasive, Harmful, Unnecessary June 17, 2022 Summary: A new survey on health care debt quantifies its very high prevalence (41%) and the dire consequences for individuals and families: financial insecurity, reduced access to health care, and being unable to “provide a good life”. Health Care Debt In The U.S.: The Broad Consequences Of Medical And Dental BillsKFF (Kaiser Family Foundation)June 16, […] COVID + 41 M uninsured = 339,000 Excess Deaths June 14, 2022 Summary: Stellar health system modeling and empirical analysis together quantify what many of us suspected all along – the huge uninsured problem in the U.S. increased the COVID death toll by reducing access to care. Fully one quarter of all COVID deaths are due to the absence of universal insurance. Universal healthcare as pandemic preparedness: […] House of Representatives Public Hearings Done Right June 11, 2022 Summary: This week the US Congress televised an extremely compelling hearing on the January 2021 Capitol riot and coup attempt. It may nudge our country toward re-asserting democracy. We need something similarly powerful for single payer. January 6 hearings: Watch first public House committee hearing on Capitol attackStreamed live on Jun 9, 2022USA TODAY Stephen’s […] Private Equity Targets Gastroenterology & Lots More in Medicine June 9, 2022 Summary: Private equity inroads to clinical practices are both targeted (to especially lucrative activities) and far-reaching (with so many profitable deals to make). However, ethical standards for clinical care and private equity sharply diverge, and this poses serious moral dilemmas for American medicine. We need health care reform in two realms: financing and ownership. Betting […] Repeat: Medicare Advantage & Other Private Investment Hurt Medicare June 7, 2022 Summary: A September 2021 Health Affairs blog revealed how Medicare Advantage insurers use aggressive and fraudulent diagnostic coding practices to artificially boost revenues, with similar risks looming from Direct Contracting Entities. That blog was criticized as inaccurate by two corporate leaders in healthcare. The original blog authors responded this week, buttressing their case against Medicare […] What is Single Payer? June 4, 2022 Summary: Today we take a step back to review a fundamental issue – the definition of single payer. Also its typical features and options. Why? Because sometimes we get lost in technical details, and forget the big picture. And too often experts get confused, and thus confuse others. Comment by: Jim Kahn It drives me […] Private Equity Takes Aim at Primary Care June 1, 2022 Summary: If private equity firms have their way, traditional primary care will disappear, replaced by corporate skeletons stripped of financial assets and the most skilled practitioners, with investors sitting on billions in extracted profits. That’s the private equity model, now targeting front-line providers. We must stop them before they destroy our health system. Ethically ChallengedPrivate […] Honor Those Who Died for Our Country by Honoring Truth on Civilian Guns May 30, 2022 Summary: On Memorial Day we mourn and thank the legions who fell in battle for the US. This Memorial Day we also mourn civilians who fell in recent mass killings, perpetrated with military-style assault rifles obtained by mentally unstable individuals. Sensible gun sale regulation would slow this bloodshed, say studies. Yet opponents once again are […] Posts pagination Newer 1 … 22 23 24 25 26 … 42 Older
