Fox Valley Health Care Transformation Initiative

On Wednesday, I addressed the Noon Hour Philosophers audience on why the Fox Valley needs to change how health care markets work here and indicated several potential reform initiatives.  The audience of roughly 85 people heard an update on the talk I gave at Lawrence in October.  Below I provide an overview of the talk.  … More Fox Valley Health Care Transformation Initiative

If the Question Relates to Efficient and Equitable Health Policy Reform, Single Payer is Not the Answer

Advocates for a single payer health insurance plan, such as the Physicians for a National Health Program, have been making their case for decades. According to a just published survey by Merritt Hawkins , 56 percent of physicians now somewhat or strongly support a single payer system in the United States. Furthermore, in recent months, … More If the Question Relates to Efficient and Equitable Health Policy Reform, Single Payer is Not the Answer

Medical Care As We Know It In The US Is Unsustainable.

With the passage of Medicare in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson opined “No longer will illness crush and destroy the savings that [older Americans] have so carefully put away over a lifetime.” As the demographics of this country expand the pressures on our slowly growing economy, payment for an expensive illness response system may indeed crush … More Medical Care As We Know It In The US Is Unsustainable.

Are High Risk Pools the Best Way to Keep Down Premiums in the Non-Group Insurance Market?

In my previous posting on the ACA, I posited five questions that serious health policy reform should address.  High risk pools form part of a response to the first question:  Who should pay for the predictably expensive (such as those with chronic disease)? Based on Statistical Brief #497 (SB497)  from the Agency for Healthcare Research … More Are High Risk Pools the Best Way to Keep Down Premiums in the Non-Group Insurance Market?

Obamacare: Repeal and Delay or Replace Then Repeal

This blog posting opines on what might lie ahead for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). In a previous posting, I commented on the unlikely case for total repeal; the musings below address where potential resolutions might exist and where they will be difficult to obtain. There appear to be several principles … More Obamacare: Repeal and Delay or Replace Then Repeal