A Message From Elizabeth II This Christmas Day

As the New Year approaches, Hcom offers this piece for your quiet consideration and contemplation. Mike Magee Hanukkah, the Jewish communities 8-day Festival of Lights begins this Wednesday on December 25, 2024. This is a rather rare calendar coincidence, one that will not repeat again until 2052. Those who witnessed the conspicuous Trump and Musk-induced […]

Your Comments Matter – Reporter Resources for CODE BLUE.

Thanks to Mary Ellen, a veteran health care professional for the comment above. She is absolutely right. CODE BLUE: Inside America’s Medical Industrial Complex, was written intentionally to share with policy makers how our health care arrived at this moment in history, and suggest ways to improve it. For reporters interested in following this lead, […]

A Clash of Values Playing Out In Full View.

Mike Magee As the new year, 2025, fast approaches, it’s wise to pause, and gather our thoughts as a nation. Few would argue that we’ve been through a lot over the past decade. And quite naturally, we humans are prone to blame individuals rather than circumstances (some of which have been beyond our control) for […]

Not My Final Column.

Mike Magee As my wife often reminds me, “Comparisons are toxic.” And, in general, I agree and try to respect this cardinal rule. But these are extraordinary times. So grant me this exception. On December 9, 2024, in my early morning survey of the news, two articles demanded my attention. The first was an editorial […]

AI and Medicine: A Brief History and Where We Are in 2024

(printable PDF) Mike Magee The history of Medicine has always involved a clash between the human need for compassion, understanding, and partnership, and the rigors of scientific discovery and advancing technology. At the interface of these two forces are human societies that struggle to remain forward looking and hopeful while managing complex human relations. The question has […]

Ten Wizards Who Shaped Our Health Care System.

Mike Magee The incoming Trump Administration nominees for positions in Health and Human Services (like RFK Jr. to direct the department and Mehmet Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid Services) are names you know and apparently many trust? In this week’s New York Times, Dr. Ashish Jha, President Biden’s Covid lead, thinks he knows why. […]

What is the Value of our Humanity?

Mike Magee The image of William Westmoreland, speaking direct to the camera in the 1974 documentary “Hearts and Minds”, is stark and unapologetic. He addresses the interviewer’s question about extensive loss of civilian lives during the Vietnam War this way: “Well, the Oriental doesn’t put the same high price on life as the Westerner. And […]

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