If you think that it’s the federal government’s responsibility to ensure patient safety and quality in hospitals, Medicare for all would help. Right now, private accreditation agencies and states...
Diane Archer
Coronavirus: Life expectancy drops significantly for Blacks and...
Health equity issues run deep in the US. And, the huge drop in life expectancy for Blacks and Hispanics since the pandemic underscores these inequities. Kaiser Health News reports on the significant...
Senator Wyden sets forth principles for drug price reform
Jonathan Cohn reports for The Huffington Post that Senate Finance Committee Chair, Ron Wyden, just announced his principles for drug price reform. They should appeal to both progressive and...
Should health insurers help patients with travel costs?
Access to health care is a surprisingly small determinant of people’s health. Education, housing, food and transportation contribute significantly more to people’s well-being. So, health...
Drug ads drive up drug spending
A new Government Accountability Office analysis suggests that pharmaceutical companies benefit handsomely from advertising brand-name drugs on television and in other media. People look at the loving...
Health care coverage denied? Appeal, it’s easy
In its infinite wisdom, Congress is eyeing a fix for people with poor health insurance whose health care is wrongly denied or delayed. No, it’s not guaranteeing everyone good health insurance...
Medicare stops covering costly brain-cancer drug
Kate Gibson reports for CBS Money Watch that Medicare is no longer covering a costly brain-cancer drug because the company that manufactures it charges way too much for it. The drug’s...
For-profit hospitals are causing rising medical debt and...
Axios reports new findings, in partnership with Johns Hopkins, that medical debt continues to rise. Rising medical debt should come as no surprise as insurers shift more costs onto patients through...
ER coverage: Private health insurers control our coverage
If you think you like your private health insurance, watch out. Private health insurers control the terms of your coverage. What they cover today can be very different tomorrow. Do not count on...
States lack power to take on health insurers and guarantee...
So far, President Biden has done little to move forward with health insurance reform at the federal level; most states lack the will and the skill to take on the health insurance industry and...