Posts All of our commentary in one spot. You can also browse by topics or search. 410 posts in this category Posts pagination Newer 1 … 29 30 31 32 33 … 41 Older Failure of Nursing Home Safety Monitoring December 17, 2021 Summary: NY Times research found a huge gap between safety problems found in nursing homes and the public reporting of those problems. Quality star ratings are misleading. Consumers are not being protected. How Nursing Homes’ Worst Offenses Are Hidden From the PublicNew York TimesDec. 9, 2021By Robert Gebeloff, Katie Thomas, & Jessica Silver-Greenberg A New […] COVID Stumble: US Politics, Vaccine Hesitancy, & Mortality December 15, 2021 Summary: On Monday we posted on how well Taiwan dealt with COVID; today, one way the US fell sadly short. NPR reports that COVID mortality is 3 times higher in heavily Trump than heavily Biden counties – due to lower vaccination rates, in turn due to misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. Thus political division and distortion […] Navigating the COVID pandemic: Taiwan’s Example December 13, 2021 Summary: As the US approaches 800,000 COVID deaths, this week we review how pandemic control fared in two countries. Today: Taiwan, where broad public cooperation coupled with technical finesse to minimize health and economic harm. On Wednesday: the US, where pandemic response was hobbled by tense interactions between political partisanship and public health. How has […] Health Insurance Headlines of the Single Payer Future December 10, 2021 Summary: And now for something completely different: We take cost headlines recently reported in KHN (Kaiser Health News) and imagine how they would look under single payer, or how they just wouldn’t make sense. Enjoy the vision. Let’s make it happen. KHN Health Costs: Dec. 2, 2021BILL OF THE MONTH: The ER Charged Him $6,500 […] Privatizing Jail Healthcare Increases Death Rates December 8, 2021 Summary: A Reuters investigation found 7,571 inmate deaths across >500 US jails from 2008-2019, including nearly 5000 among inmates awaiting trial. Death risks were 18-58% higher in jails with healthcare managed by private companies. Dying inside: The hidden crisis in America’s jailsPart 1 and Part 2ReutersOctober 16, 2020By Jason Szep A Reuters data analysis finds […] Health Care Reform’s History of Utter Failure December 6, 2021 Summary: The persistent malfunctioning of our health insurance system is clearer than ever. The futility of periodic piecemeal reforms is undeniable. Yet, we’re on the verge of another set of modest changes that won’t resolve the fundamental problems. Let’s turn to single payer to properly revamp the system. Pain Machine: Why our health care system […] Quantifying Patient Burden Due to Insurance Complexity December 3, 2021 Summary: We know that US health insurance causes huge administrative overhead at providers and private insurers. Now, two studies document the burden for patients. One estimates that administrative hurdles cause delayed or foregone care for 1 in 4 insured individuals. The other reports on worker insurance hassles, quantifying lost time, added stress, and foregone productivity […] High Profit COVID Vaccines December 1, 2021 Summary: A new article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine describes how the price charged by US-based COVID-19 manufacturers exceeds production costs by 10-fold or more. That’s a stunning profit margin, for technology developed with huge government support and a guaranteed market. Comprehensive pharmaceutical price regulation is essential in any comprehensive health […] Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equity in US Health Care November 29, 2021 Summary: The Commonwealth Fund just released an important national and state-by-state review of inequities in health care. The findings are unsurprising and distressing – higher rates of access barriers and mortality from treatable conditions among people of color, and marked variation by state. If only there were a way to pay for health care to […] Thanks Giving November 25, 2021 Summary: In recognition of this week’s US holiday, today’s post offers heartfelt thanks. First, for a terrific documentary film. Second, to all the groups contributing to the pursuit of single payer health care justice. All best wishes for the day. Sex, Drugs, & Bicycles2020Directed by Jonathan Blank Award-winning documentary about the Netherlands that exposes the […] Posts pagination Newer 1 … 29 30 31 32 33 … 41 Older
