Declaration of Independence

Health independence today On July 4th, I was reading The New York Times, and at the end of the first section found a full page reproduction of the Declaration of Independence. I read it with pride in our founders, their idealism and courage, knowing of course that the union was established with acceptance of injustice […]

Chances for Reform

CodeBlueNow! explores common ground; cross-sector platforms emerging Will this be the season of Health Care Reform? With the economy swirling, and the current approach to health care in the U.S. arguably a deeply embedded complication, is it possible to imagine and implement a fundamentally different approach to care that promotes goodness and fairness, quality, access […]

AMA’s Virtual Mentor

A valuable resource for both teachers and students Three things are happening to health education information these days. First, it’s going electronic and virtual. Second, it’s uniting various audiences, bringing them together, often in new and interactive ways, to inform, educate and bridge. Third, it’s changing the power equation, emphasizing that we are all teachers […]

Healthy Behavior

Blending economics and psychology on behalf of healthDespite the great strides that we have made in health care over the last 50 years, we find ourselves in 2008 with an interesting problem: There is growing acknowledgement that human behavior has been unable to maintain pace with scientific understanding. When it first became obvious that we […]

Yearning for Universal Coverage Is Not Universal

Many still view universal coverage with apprehension, not anticipationEveryone wants universal health coverage, right? Not quite. As I pointed out in a recent opinion piece for the Washington Post, the yearning for universal health care is far from universal. The reaction to that article – about 160 posted comments or direct emails to me – […]

Homelessness and Healthlessness

Connected at the hipAs the saying goes, one thing leads to another. One of the measurables that has been publicized over the years to help stimulate action in health system reform is the number of uninsured in America. But as the economic downturn expands, and people lose their jobs and their homes, the number of underinsured […]

The Physician as Grim Reaper – The Ultimate Oxymoron

Confusing lethal injection with the practice of medicine is a fatal error I can’t understand the logic of state governments, on one hand, insisting that only physicians oversee lethal injection while, on the other hand, actively expanding scopes of practice for non-physician professionals. Does the government believe that it takes eight years of medical training to […]

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