Health Beat

Kaiser Health News Confirms that the Medicare Buy In Will Be Costly. Who Will Pay?

Kaiser has just posted a report which suggests that the Medicare Buy-In will be even more expensive than I thought. It turns out that median family income for Americans 55 to 64 who don’t have insurance is just $22,510. By... Read More...

Published Fri, Dec 11 2009 1:17 PM by Health Beat

Prevention: An Apple-a-Day Isn't Gonna Cut It

There is much to be hammered out before a final health reform bill emerges from Congress. Disputes over the public plan, abortion, financing and when reforms will actually take effect continue to delay progress. But on one thing, apparently, there......

Published Wed, Dec 09 2009 2:31 PM by Health Beat

The Gang of Ten’s “Solution”: This is What Happens When You Give Five People Too Much Power– Part 1

Last night, the news broke that the “Gang of Ten” (the Senators who have been trying to break the deadlock between moderates and liberals) had come up with a two-part alternative to the public option. Under their proposal, Americans 55... Read More.....

Published Wed, Dec 09 2009 12:29 PM by Health Beat

To Health Beat Readers

A family illness has kept me away from the blog for much of the past week. But today, I plan to post--about the Senate compromise, and other matters. Tomorrow, I'll begin catching up with responses to comments. Maggie Read More...

Published Wed, Dec 09 2009 10:43 AM by Health Beat

Newsflash: In the Senate, Liberals and Moderates Begin To Defeat Those Who Oppose Reform

Senate liberals and moderates have closed ranks, defeating many who hoped to use seniors’ fears of Medicare cuts to bury health care reform. As the Assocociated Press (AP) reported: “Unflinching on a critical first test, Senate Democrats closed ranks...

Published Thu, Dec 03 2009 5:47 PM by Health Beat

The CBO Report: Looking Past Premiums to Total Cost

Those who oppose reform have been using the recent CBO report to claim that, under the Senate bill, many Americans will pay more for health care. That’s not what CBO said. A careful reading of the report suggests that even... Read More...

Published Thu, Dec 03 2009 9:34 AM by Health Beat

Not So Pretty in Pink: The Uproar Over New *** Cancer Screening Guidelines

Not So Pretty in Pink: The Uproar Over New *** Cancer Screening Guidelines By Barbara Ehrenreich Has feminism been replaced by the pink-ribbon *** cancer cult? When the House of Representatives passed the Stupak amendment, which would take abortion rights...

Published Thu, Dec 03 2009 8:09 AM by Health Beat

Truth Squad: Medical Reporting on Mammograms—Part 2

Part 1 of this post described how the US Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF’s) message about mammograms has been distorted by the press. Despite what you may have read, the Task Force did not recommend that women in their 40’s... Read More...

Published Wed, Dec 02 2009 1:52 PM by Health Beat

Women and Health Care: Stay Focused on the Real Benefits of Reform

Women have a lot at stake in the debate over health care reform. Some seven in ten women are either uninsured or underinsured, and more than half report forgoing care or preventive visits because they can’t afford it. Meanwhile, insurance... Read More...

Published Tue, Dec 01 2009 2:05 PM by Health Beat

New York Screening of Money-Driven Medicine

Monday, December 7th @ 7:00 PM Cinema Village 22 E 12th Street New York , NY10003 212-924-3363 featuring a Q&A with producer Alex Gibney Read More...

Published Mon, Nov 30 2009 3:16 PM by Health Beat

What Health Care Reform Will Mean For Most Americans: the Underinsured

Below a snapshot of how health care reform would help one underinsured household. A single profile is hardly a definitive assessment of how reform will affect the many families that are now paying far too much for far too little... Read More...

Published Mon, Nov 30 2009 9:28 AM by Health Beat

Truth Squad—Medical Reporting On Mammograms, Part 1

"Vague, fact-free, emotionally charged statements are the language of public relations, not scientific discourse.” Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berma, Georgetown University Medical Center, and Alicia M. Bell, member of the board of directors of the National...

Published Mon, Nov 30 2009 8:38 AM by Health Beat

Merck’s Cholesterol Drugs—Low Hanging Fruit?

If an expensive, name-brand cholesterol drug costs four times more than a generic but provides no clear clinical benefit, why do insurers—both public and private—continue to pay for it? The answer, in the case of Vytorin, a combination of two... Read...

Published Wed, Nov 25 2009 2:21 PM by Health Beat

If you, friends, or relatives live near Austin, Texas . . . Wednesday, December 2

Money Driven Medicine will be playing at 10 a.m. at the Texas Capitol Auditorium in Austin, and at 7 p.m. at the Millennium Youth Center Complex. Both shows are free and followed by a discussion with Consumers Union and the... Read More...

Published Tue, Nov 24 2009 4:01 PM by Health Beat

Syndication

Recent Posts

Tags

Archives