Category Archives: Politics
October 13, 2009
October 13, 2009 > The health care reform bills in Congress do not do enough to control costs, and special interest groups are only partially to blame. A deeper and more stubborn problem, the author says, is that most people simply do not understand cost escalation. read more
October 7, 2009
October 7, 2009 > Now that the Senate is poised to debate its health care reform bill, it is reasonable to ask, what are some standards for judging congressional efforts to slow annual cost escalation as serious and likely to be effective? Here are my priority benchmarks. read more
October 2, 2009
October 2, 2009 > A professor of medicine from South Africa despairs at the U.S. debate over health care reform. How can a wealthy, educated nation squabble over sensible reform measures that could improve health and lower costs? read more
September 22, 2009
September 22, 2009 > How high should the bar be set for cost control measures in health care form legislation? Three considerations -- priorities, time frame, and political feasibility -- point to the answer. read more
September 22, 2009
September 22, 2009 > The posts from May to September 8 were written while the debate over health care reform was getting under way and committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate were developing their bills. We have published these posts as a collection called Cost Control and Health Care Reform: Act 1.
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June 1, 2009
June 1, 2009 > Neither the political right nor the left are forthcoming with tough cost control ideas. Two Senate Finance Committee Reports attempt to introduce cost savings into future health care legislation, but their proposals fall short in several areas, including the use of comparative effectiveness research to make recommendations for medical practice. read more
May 20, 2009
May 20, 2009 > Fragmentation of payment, cost insulation, and an excess supply of services without research into their effectiveness has made our current health care financing system as immune as possible to cost discipline. How can talk of controlling health care spending move beyond just talk, and little else? read more
May 18, 2009
May 18, 2009 > It is difficult to have frank conversations about controlling medical costs in the U.S. Currently a gap exists between what is politically acceptable and what must be done. Success depends on tackling these issues directly, honestly, and fearlessly. read more
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Bending the Curve the Wrong Way