Sarah Palin on Health Care--A Free Market Republican

Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has very little on her health care policy resume from her short time in office as Alaska's Governor but what she does have fits right in with Senator McCain's strategy to use the market more effectively in bringing down America's health care costs and improving access to the system.Her health care efforts have focused on two things in

"US Healthcare on the Edge: A Prescription for Cure"

Jonathan Lorch and Victor Pollak, two physicians with plenty of experience and accomplishments in America's health care system, have suggested the steps they think will go a long way toward making our system work.I am pleased to post a brief description of their plan and a link to the full proposal.US Healthcare on the Edge:A Prescription for Cureby Jonathan Lorch and Victor PollakThe US

McCain-Palin

Who?Well the self-described maverick surprised everyone this morning.While many kept saying it would be Romney, I never believed it. First, they don't like each other. Second, a Romney pick would have flown in the face of the McCain health care strategy ( If McCain Picks Romney He Will Never Again Be Able to Criticize Obama's Health Plan).Governor Palin would seem to be a conservative Republican

Health Wonk Review is Up

Julie Ferguson hosts the latest edition of Health Wonk Review over at the "Workers' Comp Insider."She has a great list of recent posts from the world of health blogs suitable for beach reading. Just turn up the brightness on that screen!

What Happened to the Health Care Issue?

An interesting article in today's Chicago Tribune.Readers of this blog know we've been having a spirited debate recently on the question of just how likely health reform will be in 2009. Brian Klepper and Maggie Mahar have added to this discussion with some interesting posts and comments.The Trib headline:Health care no longer primary ailmentEconomy, price of gas, war in Iraq have surpassed

"Chastened and More Sober, Harry and Louise Return"

Brian Klepper joins us again today on the subject of just how realistic health care reform will be in the coming year.Chastened and More Sober, Harry and Louise Returnby Brian KlepperYesterday Ron Pollack of Families USA led a call with bloggers - unfortunately, I couldn't be on it - to discuss a new health care reform campaign sponsored by 5 prominent organizations: the American Cancer Society's

This is What a Real Cost/Quality Decision Looks Like

The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has decided in a preliminary ruling that four drugs used for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer are not effective enough and they won't be paid for by the National Health Service.Now before someone just claims this is what single-payer health care plans do all the time, let me be clear that NICE is an organization that has

The Voters Aren't Upset Enough About Health Care--And Why Should They Be?

The health care issue has a history of being named by voters as one of the biggest problems we face--until the problem de jour comes along and pushes it off the list. In 2008, that seems to be happening again with the economic downturn, the mortgage mess, and $4 gas surpassing health care as the big issues.When asked to name the most important financial problem facing families today by the Gallup

Health Wonk Review

It's my turn to host Health Wonk Review--a synopsis of some of the best recent posts from the world of health blogs.HWR founder Joe Paduda starts things off with a post critical of investment analysts handling of a recent Coventry Health earnings conference call with his assertion that "the analysts blew it." First the analysts helped HMO stocks hit historic lows this year and now seem to be

Health Care Reform, the Federal Deficit, and the Bush Tax Cuts--A Very Counter Productive Combination

Readers of this blog have been very fortunate this week to hear from Brian Klepper and Maggie Mahar on the subject of just how realistic is it to expect any kind of meaningful heath care reform in the next year or two.They have both made excellent points--and both hope real health care reform will happen.But there is a big bucket of cold water we all have to factor into such a discussion.While