Summary: As the US approaches 800,000 COVID deaths, this week we review how pandemic control fared in two countries. Today: Taiwan, where broad public cooperation
The McCanne Health Justice Monitor is produced by a team of health policy experts and single-payer champions. For more information, and a complete archive of entries, visit the HJM website. For an archive of Quote of the Day entries from Dr. Don McCanne, click here.
Health Insurance Headlines of the Single Payer Future
Summary: And now for something completely different: We take cost headlines recently reported in KHN (Kaiser Health News) and imagine how they would look under
Privatizing Jail Healthcare Increases Death Rates
Summary: A Reuters investigation found 7,571 inmate deaths across >500 US jails from 2008-2019, including nearly 5000 among inmates awaiting trial. Death risks were 18-58%
Health Care Reform’s History of Utter Failure
Summary: The persistent malfunctioning of our health insurance system is clearer than ever. The futility of periodic piecemeal reforms is undeniable. Yet, we’re on the
Quantifying Patient Burden Due to Insurance Complexity
Summary: We know that US health insurance causes huge administrative overhead at providers and private insurers. Now, two studies document the burden for patients. One
High Profit COVID Vaccines
Summary: A new article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine describes how the price charged by US-based COVID-19 manufacturers exceeds production costs
Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equity in US Health Care
Summary: The Commonwealth Fund just released an important national and state-by-state review of inequities in health care. The findings are unsurprising and distressing – higher
Thanks Giving
Summary: In recognition of this week’s US holiday, today’s post offers heartfelt thanks. First, for a terrific documentary film. Second, to all the groups contributing
Charity Doesn’t Fill the Health Care Void
Summary: St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis TN promises not to bill families for medical care. And they don’t. But parents travel long distances to
Working Families and Businesses Need Medicare for All Now
Summary: Job-based health insurance premiums increased twice as fast as inflation over the past year, despite 2020 being a year of very low medical payouts
Aducanumab as a Lens on U.S. Health Care
Summary: The June 2021 FDA approval of Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s, despite absent evidence of clinical benefit, and now a sharp increase in Medicare Part B
We Cringe When Hospital “CMO” Means “Chief Marketing Officer”
Summary: Big academic hospitals like Harvard’s Mass General Brigham now mount huge marketing efforts, similar to those of consumer products corporations. The message is clear: