WBUR's online health care blog, "CommonHealth," has a flashy headline article today titled Massachusetts Attorney General Drops Health Reform Bombshell. What's the bombshell? That the state's proposal to control health care costs by … [Read more...]
It’s All. About. Health. Care. Costs.
I'm going to de-shrillify the central argument of a Paul Krugman column, so that we can all try to get the point, minus the extra two-minute-hate adrenaline rush:The budget crisis is due to Medicare and Medicaid cost increases over … [Read more...]
Health Reform Part 2: Cost Control and Accountable Care Organizations
So the task force on Payment Reform issued a report declaring (without actually bother to prove) that our fee-for-service payment system, by which we reimburse physicians per visit or per procedure, was driving up costs by giving them an … [Read more...]
Terry Murray tees it up for Patrick; will Baker whiff again?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESenate Passes Legislation to Bring Immediate Relief to Small Businesses Struggling with Soaring Health Care Costs BOSTON – The Senate on Tuesday approved legislation to help spur economic growth by providing … [Read more...]
State rejects insurance hikes; now what?
Good news ... Making good on Governor Deval Patrick's promise to reject health insurance rate hikes deemed excessive, the state Division of Insurance this morning turned down 235 of 274 increases proposed by Massachusetts health … [Read more...]
Put price tags on Health Care – simple, but great.
Now it just so happens that Kagen - who is also a Doctor - will be in Massachusetts this month and there is an event at The Precinct Bar and Restaurant in Somerville's Union Square for him. It's on Sunday, March 21st from 6 - 8 and … [Read more...]
We must control the cost of health care
I'm new to posting on this site but appreciate the depth of thought here. For now just thought I would share a column I wrote for boston.com about health care costs. Clearly the federal reforms (assuming somehing passes) are not … [Read more...]
Drug makers love ignorance
via Krugman, we see that PhRMA would like to keep us as their pet mushrooms: Kept in the dark, and fed nothing but @#$%. WASHINGTON -- The drug and medical-device industries are mobilizing to gut a provision in the stimulus bill that … [Read more...]
Money changers in the temples of healing
Hope you checked out the Globe's fine work -- an old story, but never too late to tell -- on the historic "gentleman's agreement" to essentially create a health care provider/insurer cartel, between Partners and Blue Cross Blue … [Read more...]
Misunderstanding universal vs. single-payer health care
Yeah, this paragraph on the coming health care debate is a non-sequitur:Harvard economists [they're not economists, they're docs -- how did I miss this?? Another mistake. -- Charley] David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler have … [Read more...]