National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care: Planning for the Past, Present or Future

This past week I spent a day in Washington, DC, as part of Bob Kerrey and Newt Gingrich’s National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care. They had arranged a terrific list of expert testimony and the commissioners themselves have decades of experience in the field. They include a senator, a congressman, and two governors. The net result […]

Corn Prices May Give McDonald’s Indigestion

A recent Wall Street Journal article made a direct connection between corn prices and McDonald’s pricing and profitability. And well they should. As outlined in this week’s Health Politics, a visit to fast food outlets in the U.S. and around the world means that you’ll be eating corn (from which the beef, the bun and the […]

Tennessee Stands Up for “Mini-Insurance”

Over the years, Tennessee has garnered respect from members of the public health community for taking on health insurance coverage for its citizens. Its TennCare program to cover the poor was not without controversy or challenges over the years, but at least the state acknowledged the problem. Now it’s looking at a new approach aimed at state employers who are […]

Human Capital, Downsizing, and Treating People Right

In an article titled "It’s the Workforce, Stupid!" in the April 30 issue of The New Yorker, James Surowiecki strategically dips into the issue of corporate downsizing. In the article, he mentions the work of Wayne Cascio from the University of Colorado, Denver, that assessed the performance of 300+ firms who had executed significant layoffs in the 1980s, but […]

Corn in My Hamburger?

The subject of this week’s Health Politics program might come as quite a shock to you. The gist? There’s corn in nearly every processed food we eat. This might not sound like such a big deal at first. Corn is good for us, right? Yes … and no. Corn in its natural state can be […]

Knowing What to Say and What to Do

It’s not easy to deal with miscarriage When a woman or a couple experiences a miscarriage, it can be devastating. The physical recovery isn’t usually the problem; it’s the emotional recovery that can sometimes take much longer. Friends and family may not realize or understand that expectant parents often begin to develop a bond with […]

Employers, Massachusetts and Health Insurance

David Wessel, in his Wall Street Journal column on April 12 hits on a recent HP topic — the future of the employer-based U.S. health care system. Here’s what he had to say: “The notion that requiring employers to provide health insurance is the best route to universal health care is fading. Sure, nearly 60% of […]

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