A Nobel Prize for Repositioning Health Care

Doing a “Gore�? on our health system If there was a Nobel Prize for “repositioning,” I’d give it to Al Gore — even though he’s already won the Nobel Prize for Peace. Why? Because, beyond his passion for the issue of global warming, and his dogged pursuit of the facts and unique ways of communicating […]

Ted Kennedy: A Good and Decent Man

How he described Bobby is how we might describe him The news of Ted Kennedy’s brain tumor is deeply upsetting on so many levels, running the gamut from personal to professional. For political foes and fans alike, most publicly acknowledged that he has become a great senator, capable of working both sides of the aisle […]

Being Poor and Sick in the U.S.

Health system reform for the “Two Americas” Since I started medical school nearly 40 years ago, I’ve seen a lot of changes in health care. Not all of them have been for the better. A recent study by Dr. Majid Ezzati and colleagues at Harvard, for example, lays out some sobering facts about the inequities […]

Universal Health Care One State At a Time?

Potholes in the road to universality Twelve states are currently, in one way, shape or form, pursuing universal health coverage for their citizens. When states take this on, they’re not all starting from the same point. In fact, if you take a giant broom, and sweep it west to east across the southern portion of the […]

We Need Geriatric Competence

Will there be enough caregivers for our aging population? The long-expected upsurge in the number of older Americans is almost here. The first baby boomers will turn 65 in 2011. By 2030, there will be more than 70 million adults over 65, nearly double the number today. Oftentimes, older age requires more frequent and regular […]

New York Patient Safety Bill Would Try Physicians in the Court of Public Opinion

Proposed bill may unintentionally harm the innocent and discourage physicians from practicing New York State is moving forward with a proposal that will improve patient safety by alerting the public early when doctors are charged with a misconduct or crime. Currently, the public is notified when a physician is convicted of misconduct – a process […]

Ozone and the Wilderness

The impact of ground-level ozone upon human health Here’s an interesting news item that was recently brought to my attention. The content is from Reuters on April 22, 2008: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Even breathing in a little ozone at levels found in many areas is likely to kill some people prematurely, the National Research Council reported. […]

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