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
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.
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:
Veterans Health Administration Under Attack
Summary: Veterans Day weekend is the perfect moment to contemplate actions from Washington that threaten the Veterans Health Administration, one of the finest elements of
ACA Private Plans Financial Barriers Rising
Summary: The Affordable Care Act uses private plan Marketplaces and tax subsidies to try to make insurance affordable for middle class families. New research shows
U.S. Ranks 36th Out of 37 Nations on COVID-19 Mortality
Summary: A new study quantifies the loss in life expectancy due to COVID-19 in nations around the world. The US is in the worst tier,
When will we transform our deadly insurance system?
Summary: New research with vital statistics data finds that since 1990 overall US mortality has increasingly worsened compared with other OECD countries, in poorer and
Insurers Avoid Loss Ratio Limits by Shifting Profits to Provider Subsidiaries
Summary: Insurers don’t appreciate limits on their profits. So, to circumvent federal “medical loss ratio” rules, they buy up medical providers and send the excess
Setting our sights for real health care reform
Summary: Build Back Better is falling short even on modest health reforms. Let’s focus on building the popular movement needed for truly progressive transformation of
Let the Games End!
Summary: Two unrelated news stories highlight ways that powerful actors in our healthcare system manipulate complex reimbursement rules and procedures, approaching and crossing legal boundaries.
Medicaid Coverage Reduces Pre-Pregnancy Depression
Summary: This study compared perinatal mental health outcomes for low-income women in states that expanded Medicaid with states that did not. They found a substantial