Health Care

Commentary

Health Savings Accounts in Canada – Ground Zero of Single Payer?!

Born and raised in Canada, by the time I got to adulthood I was pretty fed up with my contemporaries’ claim that Canada’s uniqueness, relative to the U.S., was so-called “universal” health care. (I was born in 1962, so my contemporaries and I had no conscious experience of Canadian health ...
Business & Economics

Tort reform can help states’ fiscal crises

The Wall Street meltdown, with the Dow hovering near its lowest level in years, has obscured a troubling reality. Economic growth in the northeast region has been stunted for a long time, for a simple reason. Four states in particular — New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island — ...
California

California Republican Legislators Find Some Health Dollars

As California continues to teeter on insolvency, Republican legislators have proposed a budget amendment that transfers some funds from two health-care programs that are in surplus! Surplus? How the heck did that happen? The funds in question are for mental health and early childhood development (health and education). They are ...
Business & Economics

“I’d like to buy the world a Coke, and keep its taxes high”

When I was a kid, the jingle went: “I’d like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company; I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony…” Apparently, the composers were motivated by a group of stranded travellers at the airport in Shannon Airport, Ireland, hanging ...
Commentary

Medicaid’s Poverty Trap: Learning the Right Lesson

The Annals of Internal Medicine has an original article demonstrating that patients who had interrupted access to Medicaid in California (Medi-Cal) were more likely to be hospitalized than those who were constantly enrolled during a five year period. The New York Times concludes that the culprit is California’s requirement that ...
Commentary

Six Fixes For Healthcare Costs

The financial crisis will most likely leave Congress unable to pursue the wholesale healthcare reforms that many desire. Fortunately, there are several ways to lower healthcare costs and improve care without massive government outlays. Here are six fixes that lawmakers should consider: Build on the success of laser eye surgery ...
California

Families of 80% of Uninsured California Kids Reject State Coverage

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has published its annual update on health insurance in the Golden State. I’m a big consumer of the Center’s research. It conducts the outstanding California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), which was a source for much of my criticism of last year’s Schwarzenegger-Nuñez Health ...
Commentary

Politics & Health Care in Illinois: “Even Crooks are Appalled”

I feel a little lazy going after such low-hanging blog-fruit as Gov. Blagojevich, but as long as he refuses to give up command of the good ship Illinois, I suppose he’s fair game. Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal ran a guest column by Chicagoan and NPR radio-man, Scott Simon, noting that ...
Commentary

The big, fat myth of government prevention programs

‘Tis the season to over-indulge and gain a few pounds. According to government statistics, the nation is fatter than ever. Dieting — or perhaps a forgiving tailor — may help us squeeze into that little black dress by New Year’s Eve, but the government has its own plan to help ...
Commentary

Hold the Fries, Avoid Dessert, and Skip the Counterfeit Xenical

Millions of Americans will look to weight-loss drugs to help them keep their New Year’s resolution to slim down. And if they can’t get a prescription from a doctor, many will go online to purchase the pills. But beware: Most of these websites are glossed-up fakes selling dangerous counterfeits. The ...
Commentary

Health Savings Accounts in Canada – Ground Zero of Single Payer?!

Born and raised in Canada, by the time I got to adulthood I was pretty fed up with my contemporaries’ claim that Canada’s uniqueness, relative to the U.S., was so-called “universal” health care. (I was born in 1962, so my contemporaries and I had no conscious experience of Canadian health ...
Business & Economics

Tort reform can help states’ fiscal crises

The Wall Street meltdown, with the Dow hovering near its lowest level in years, has obscured a troubling reality. Economic growth in the northeast region has been stunted for a long time, for a simple reason. Four states in particular — New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island — ...
California

California Republican Legislators Find Some Health Dollars

As California continues to teeter on insolvency, Republican legislators have proposed a budget amendment that transfers some funds from two health-care programs that are in surplus! Surplus? How the heck did that happen? The funds in question are for mental health and early childhood development (health and education). They are ...
Business & Economics

“I’d like to buy the world a Coke, and keep its taxes high”

When I was a kid, the jingle went: “I’d like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company; I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony…” Apparently, the composers were motivated by a group of stranded travellers at the airport in Shannon Airport, Ireland, hanging ...
Commentary

Medicaid’s Poverty Trap: Learning the Right Lesson

The Annals of Internal Medicine has an original article demonstrating that patients who had interrupted access to Medicaid in California (Medi-Cal) were more likely to be hospitalized than those who were constantly enrolled during a five year period. The New York Times concludes that the culprit is California’s requirement that ...
Commentary

Six Fixes For Healthcare Costs

The financial crisis will most likely leave Congress unable to pursue the wholesale healthcare reforms that many desire. Fortunately, there are several ways to lower healthcare costs and improve care without massive government outlays. Here are six fixes that lawmakers should consider: Build on the success of laser eye surgery ...
California

Families of 80% of Uninsured California Kids Reject State Coverage

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has published its annual update on health insurance in the Golden State. I’m a big consumer of the Center’s research. It conducts the outstanding California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), which was a source for much of my criticism of last year’s Schwarzenegger-Nuñez Health ...
Commentary

Politics & Health Care in Illinois: “Even Crooks are Appalled”

I feel a little lazy going after such low-hanging blog-fruit as Gov. Blagojevich, but as long as he refuses to give up command of the good ship Illinois, I suppose he’s fair game. Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal ran a guest column by Chicagoan and NPR radio-man, Scott Simon, noting that ...
Commentary

The big, fat myth of government prevention programs

‘Tis the season to over-indulge and gain a few pounds. According to government statistics, the nation is fatter than ever. Dieting — or perhaps a forgiving tailor — may help us squeeze into that little black dress by New Year’s Eve, but the government has its own plan to help ...
Commentary

Hold the Fries, Avoid Dessert, and Skip the Counterfeit Xenical

Millions of Americans will look to weight-loss drugs to help them keep their New Year’s resolution to slim down. And if they can’t get a prescription from a doctor, many will go online to purchase the pills. But beware: Most of these websites are glossed-up fakes selling dangerous counterfeits. The ...
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