Posts All of our commentary in one spot. You can also browse by topics or search. 427 posts in this category Posts pagination Newer 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 … 43 Older Health Care Cost Burden for Privately Insured June 3, 2024 Among the privately insured, the average costs of health care – premiums and out-of-pocket – are rising, and for low-income families represent more than a quarter of income not dedicated to food. So much for financial protection. Medicare Advantage Profits Decline, Patients at Risk June 1, 2024 With a post-COVID rebound in medical costs and tighter regulation of payment rates, private MA plans are seeing lower profits and share prices. Who will pick up the slack? Enrollees, If they have their way. MA woes may pave the way for insurance without extractive intermediaries. (See below a webinar on Monday.) Saving Veterans Health Care May 27, 2024 On Memorial Day, when the nation honors those who died in combat, it is especially fitting to contemplate how to preserve and strengthen the system dedicated to – and excellent at – providing comprehensive health care for military veterans. A new report highlights the threats facing that system, and how to mitigate them. Bernie on Medicare for All May 25, 2024 Bernie Sanders is the best-known advocate for Medicare for All. In this video, he eloquently summarizes the case for single payer: myriad serious failings of current insurance, vs. a system that provides health care for all, saving money in the process. Human rights over profits. Surgeon General Misses the Diagnosis: Terminally Ill Insurance Structure May 22, 2024 Saddled with a massive bill for an emergency room visit, a former US Surgeon General (under Trump) calls for tweaks to our market-model skin-in-the-game insurance. Sadly, he misses the diagnosis: our insurance morass is moribund, can’t be saved. Only a complete reboot can achieve universal protection. That’s what a Surgeon General should be fighting for. Insured Percent Up; Care Affordability Plunging May 18, 2024 The Affordable Care Act raised insured rates. But … at the expense (pun intended!) of sharply rising, burdensome, and worrisome out-of-pocket costs: massive deductibles and copays, inflated prices for drugs, and denied services. Our fragmented profit-extracting insurance model is fixable only with a structural makeover – single payer. Reversing Vertical Merger-Mania in Health Care May 15, 2024 Insurer ownership of clinical practices distorts US health care, enabling profit-taking from government funds, patients, and independent providers. A new report outlines policy and regulatory actions to reverse these trends, consistent with progressive Biden administration anti-trust philosophy and with single payer. The Synergy of Clinical and Social Care in the US May 11, 2024 Eric Reinhart, a thoughtful commentator on the need for patient-oriented transformation of our health care system, now broadens his (and our) view to the critical need to also address fundamental social-economic needs. News Flash: Other Wealthy Nations Have Better Health Coverage Than US May 8, 2024 Aaron Carroll, a prominent health policy analyst, blogs that “All other high-income countries have … a system of universal coverage” and discusses how they do it. Excellent start. We note the key shared features that smooth system functioning for patients and providers. Philip R. Lee’s 1986 Call for National Health Insurance May 4, 2024 A UCSF and US titan of health policy, Philip R. Lee, nearly 40 years ago described our health insurance options, and wisely preferred national health insurance. Our country chose differently, relying heavily on private insurers and incremental fixes that missed the opportunity for efficiency and heath justice. We must fight for Dr. Lee’s choice. Posts pagination Newer 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 … 43 Older
