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Articles of Interest

  • Unitarian Universalists Endorse Single-Payer Health Care - July 2, 2008
    by Larry Stauber
    At their annual General Assembly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Unitarian Universalist (UU) delegates passed a resolution endorsing single payer universal health care.

  • The Doctors' Revolt - July 2, 2008
    Roger Bybee | The American Prospect
    Doctors have historically been the watchdogs of the U.S. medical system, with the American Medical Association scaring New Dealers into dropping national health coverage from the Social Security Act and then the AMA shredding Harry Truman's reform efforts in the late 1940s. But a new poll and other significant indicators suggest that doctors are turning against the health-insurance firms that increasingly dominate American health care.

  • Study: Most Doctors Favor National Insurance - June 30, 2008
    By Parker Duncan | Southern California Physician
    For advocates of true healthcare reform, spring is in full bloom. April brought two important surveys and a high-profile investigative television report, all of which were supportive of national health insurance such as a "single-payer" system. California health professional students continue to add even more voices to the chorus. Will the California Medical Association join in?

Quote of the Day

  • Let's end the Medicare Advantage shell game - July 2, 2008
    This week, the AMA and AHIP (America's Health Insurance Plans) have each begun intensive campaigns to influence Congress on the anticipated Medicare adjustments that will be made when the members return from their recess. The AMA wants to prevent the disastrous 10 percent reduction in physicians' reimbursement rates, and AHIP does not want that to be paid for by a reduction in overpayments to the private Medicare Advantage plans. It is crucial that we understand what we are purchasing with these Medicare Advantage overpayments.

  • California's Medicaid disaster - July 1, 2008
    As a welfare program representing patients lacking an adequate political voice, Medicaid has been chronically underfunded. The problem is especially severe in California (where it is called Medi-Cal) with one of the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates in the nation, and a very large population of low-income individuals who might otherwise qualify for the program. We have more uninsured individuals in California than the entire population of Massachusetts.

  • AMA supports progressive tax policies for health care - June 30, 2008
    From a policy perspective, this is really great news. The AMA already is on record for supporting progressive financing of our health care system through the use of refundable, advanceable, inversely-income-indexed tax credits to purchase private health plans. The current additional actions of the AMA House of Delegates even more explicitly support the concept of progressive financing of health care, based on ability to pay.

Blog Watch

  • "I Think I See a Few Dollars on That X-Ray: We'll have to Operate" - June 17, 2008
    by David Himmelstein, MD | WBUR Blog
    As a primary care doctor, I live with one foot in the horse and buggy era and one in the silicon age. I spend most of my time talking to patients and wielding a stethoscope, and I also use the latest high tech gadgets. But the gadgetry is getting out of hand; its overuse threatens patients and is blowing the lid off health care costs.

  • The Most Basic Question in the Health Care Reform 'Debate' - May 23, 2008
    Posted by John P. Geyman, M.D. | PNHP Blog
    The most basic question underlying the so-called debate over reform of U.S. health care is being dodged by most participants, policymakers, and politicians. As health care costs spiral out of control and exclude more and more millions of Americans from even the most rudimentary health care services, what debate we have deals with incremental tweaks as delusional and false hopes of reform.

  • WellPoint Meeting, 5/21/08 - May 23, 2008
    From Dr. Rob Stone in Indianapolis, IN
    Five of us who own some stock went into the meeting and were able to address the board, which includes one of former President G H W Bush’s brothers William H T Bush, Sen Don Reigle, and Susan Bayh, amongst others. (The stock is right now trading around $50/share, and so you can buy 5 shares like I own and be able to attend the meeting next year!) We were polite, civil, and relentless. We made our case.

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