January 2010 - Health Beat - The Network of Care

Health Care in Norway: Part 1

“Aker University Hospital is a dingy place to heal. The floors are streaked and scratched. A light layer of dust coats the blood pressure monitors. A faint stench of urine and bleach wafts from a pile of soiled bedsheets dropped... Read More...

Published Wed, Jan 06 2010 1:51 PM by Health Beat

Health Care in Norway- Part 2

The story of the “Norway Solution” to hospital infections reminded me of a letter that I received in the fall, written by Svein U. Toverud, a Norwegian who lived in the U.S. from 1969 to 2003. While he was in... Read More...

Published Wed, Jan 06 2010 2:18 PM by Health Beat

In Massachusetts Elite Providers Drive Health Care Spending; What Does This Say about the Dartmouth Research? . . . Maryland’s Solution. Part 1

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakely has just released a report which reveals that the state’s health care costs are spiraling in large part because he state’s primo hospitals and physician groups --those with brand name recognition-- -are demanding...

Published Sat, Jan 30 2010 7:15 PM by Health Beat

The State of the Union--And the Economy: Why We Need Health Care Reform Now

According to the headlines, 10 percent of Americans are unemployed. The truth is that closer to 17 percent of the population cannot find full-time work; this number includes workers who have become discouraged and have given up looking for work... Read...

Published Tue, Jan 26 2010 1:33 PM by Health Beat

How Insurers May Use “Wellness Programs” To Target Pre-Existing Conditions

Under reform, insurers will still do their best to shun the sick. Over at AlterNet, health care editor Adele Stan points to one way they may do it: by using “wellness programs” to penalize those who can’t meet health targets.... Read More...

Published Tue, Jan 12 2010 11:41 AM by Health Beat

Medical Workers, Supplies and Money Needed in Haiti: How to Help

Everyone knows that Haitians are in desperate need of aid. Most people don’t know how they might help. Here is some useful information: First, Paul Farmer’s organization, Health Partners, can be trusted. Farmer has spent more than two decades working...

Published Thu, Jan 14 2010 5:48 PM by Health Beat

In the Wake of the Mass Massacre—Bipartisan Reform or the Senate Bill ?

Let’s begin by addressing some of the myths: First, the Massachusetts vote was not a “Massacre”: Brown won 51 percent of the vote. Secondly, this was not a referendum which shows that the public opposes health care reform. Among Massachusetts’... Read...

Published Fri, Jan 22 2010 12:34 PM by Health Beat

Filed under: Health Care Policy

Can We Really Have A Bipartisan Health Care Plan?

Just in case you were wondering what the public thinks about the recent upheaval over health care reform, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Wednesday finds some 55% of Americans say President Obama and congressional Democrats should suspend work on the.....

Published Thu, Jan 21 2010 3:08 PM by Health Beat

What Does This Mean?

From Talking Points Memo: January 21, 11:34 a.m. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just told reporters that she does not believe she has enough votes in the House to pass the Senate health care reform bill as-is -- at least not... Read More...

Published Thu, Jan 21 2010 9:41 AM by Health Beat

“I Don’t Quit”

In his address to the nation, President Obama made it clear: Jobs are now his #1 priority. This is what most Americans wanted to hear. They fear that he has spent too much time on health care, and has not... Read More...

Published Thu, Jan 28 2010 8:03 AM by Health Beat

SOTU and Health Care

In his address to the nation, President Obama made it clear: Jobs are now his #1 priority. This is what most Americans wanted to hear. They fear that he has spent too much time on health care, and has not... Read More...

Published Thu, Jan 28 2010 7:24 AM by Health Beat

Some of the Best of Recent Health Care Blogs: Health Wonk Review

Over at the Disease Management Care Blog, http://diseasemanagementcareblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/welcome-to-tree-of-blogs-avatar-movie.html Jaan Sidorov hosts the most recent edition of Health Wonk Review, a round-up of some of the best healthcare blogs...

Published Sun, Jan 24 2010 4:27 PM by Health Beat

Update: The Cadillac Tax Will Raise Far Less Than Projected and Won't Control Costs

The Senate’s controversial “Cadillac Tax” on expensive health insurance plans was supposed to raise $149 billion to help fund reform. But now, we’re told it’s been “scaled back.” Some use the verb “gutted”—though that is probably a tad strong. Still,...

Published Fri, Jan 15 2010 11:17 AM by Health Beat

Atul Gawande’s Manifesto: HealthCare Reform on the Ground-- Part 1

On the first page of his new book, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, Boston surgeon Atul Gawande tells the story of a man who arrives at an ER with a stab wound on Halloween night. The doctors... Read More...

Published Tue, Jan 12 2010 4:24 PM by Health Beat

How Did Democrats Manage to Lose Ted Kennedy’s Seat to a Man Who Reminds Me of Sarah Palin?

When explaining why the voters of Massachusetts turned Ted Kennedy’s seat over to a Republican, some commentators are suggesting that voters were appalled by the corruption they saw in Washington as Democrats struggled to put together health reform legislation...

Published Thu, Jan 21 2010 5:40 PM by Health Beat

January 2010 - Health Beat

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