…cause of increased prices was growth in unit prices. http://www.healthcostinstitute.org/files/HCCI_HCCUR2011.pdf Comment: By Don McCanne, MD The authors of this Wall Street Journal opinion article have participated in the development and…
Institute of Medicine’s “Best Care at Lower Cost”
…preferences. Recommendation 5: Community Links Promote community-clinical partnerships and services aimed at managing and improving health at the community level. Recommendation 6: Care Continuity Improve coordination and communication within…
Medical journal cautions that ‘pay for performance’ may adversely affect health care
…“penaliz[ing] low-scorers can make matters worse, effectively punishing patients who have nowhere else to go,” especially those in urban and low-income areas. Read the editorial at https://www.pnhp.org/sites/default/files/docs/nc/bmj-incentives-edit.pdf. Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/top-journal-dont-bet-on-performance-pay-649020/#ixzz246MNZ730…
Joseph Stiglitz’s “The Price of Inequality, ” with OECD confirmation
…Health Service Utilization http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/income-related-inequalities-in-health-service-utilisation-in-19-oecd-countries-2008-2009_5k95xd6stnxt-en Click on “PDF” for the 61 page paper. Comment: By Don McCanne, MD Today’s comment is very brief in order to give you more time to…
Why is Aetna’s new premium increase so important?
…in dividends to its parent company. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/insurance-347932-aetna-health.html Aetna California rate filing (185 pages): http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/HlthRateFilings/upload/AetnaHAO0010.pdf Comment: By Don McCanne, MD We are inundated with stories about “unreasonable” rate increases by private…
For-profit home health agencies blasted in new analysis
…a new analysis finds. For-profit home healthcare agencies had an average cost-per patient of $4,827 compared with not-for-profit firms that had an average cost per patient of $4,075, according to…
The Pursuit of Single Payer: Toppling, or Tipping Point?
November 2024 is thirty years after we lost California’s single payer ballot initiative. I look back at what has happened since, and see promise ahead.
…in US history: democracy, freedom, and community are at stake. Single payer is, likewise, resonant with American ideals of freedom (from worry and in choosing doctors) and, of course, community….
Evidence Supports Medicare For All
…in 2010, compared with 20 percent with employer-sponsored private insurance. Among physicians who treat Medicare patients, 90 percent of all physicians and 96 percent of specialists are accepting new Medicare…
Physicians for a National Health Program
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Medical Debt and Subsequent Changes in Social Determinants of Health in the US
…was common, even among insured individuals. Acquiring such debt may worsen SDOHs. Expanded and improved health coverage could ameliorate financial distress, and improve housing and food security. full study: https://jamanetwork.com……
ACP’s position on single payer reform
…a comprehensive approach to improving access, quality, and efficiency of care. The first part describes health care in the United States. The second compares it to health care in other…
ACP's position on single payer reform
Achieving a High-Performance Health Care System with Universal Access: What the United States Can Learn from Other Countries
…result in shortages of services and delays in obtaining elective procedures and limit individuals’ freedom to make their own health care choices. Pluralistic systems, which involve government entities as well…