MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'care system'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:26:32 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008139&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6jdRyezxVhw%2F By Michael F. CannonFrom their editorial the other day: There is no doubt that Medicaid… has to be cut substantially in future decades to help curb federal deficits. For cash-strapped states, program cuts may be necessary right now. But in reducing spending, government needs to ensure any changes will not cause undue harm to millions. How would the Times cut Medicaid spending? The magic of central planning! The best route to savings — already embodied in the reform law — is to make the health care system more efficient over all so that costs are reduced for Medicaid, Medicare and private insurers as well. Various pilot programs to reduce costs might be speeded up…. And if government were smart, rather than stupid, that would work. I’ve got a better idea for cutting Me... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008139 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:58:44 +0100 5008139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960038&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJ-yhJMjYKaQ%2F By Adam SchaefferE.D. Kain has a post up here (and here) comparing and contrasting vouchers in education and health care. It’s an interesting post that manages both insight and remarkable oversights in a very short space. And the insight and oversights are bound up with each other: I think it’s a consistent position to support both single-payer health care – something many progressives advocate – and single-payer education – something many libertarians advocate. . . [Medicare] is a lot like what many school choice advocates want. They want government to foot the bill, but they don’t want them to provide the service, or at least not exclusively. This approach works for Medicare, and it could work for schools also. What we really need is single-payer education – not single-... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960038 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:20:16 +0100 4960038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803299&cid=t_259068_114_f&fid=35410&url=http%3A%2F%2Fletstalkhealthcare.org%2Fblog%2Fhealth-care-uncovered%2F During the week marking the fifth anniversary of our landmark health care reform in Massachusetts I participated in WCVBTV’s Health Care Uncovered Live Summit. It was an honor to be included in the panel of leaders, and I think we made important strides towards communicating the complexity of health care reform to the public. These are some of the topics we covered: Governor Patrick’s Payment Reform Bill Shift from Fee-For-Service to Global Payments How premium prices are calculated Why transparency is important Need to focus on Preventive Care/Patient Responsibility We also answered viewer’s questions directly from Facebook, and addressed some of the concerns many people have about the health care system. I encourage you all to watch the clips of the Health Care Uncove... HPHC blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803299 Tue, 03 May 2011 12:39:27 +0100 4803299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684277&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fjerptwu4EFo%2F By Chris EdwardsHouse Budget Committee Chairman, Paul Ryan, introduced his budget resolution for fiscal 2012 and beyond today entitled “The Path to Prosperity.” The plan would cut some spending programs, reduce top income tax rates, and reform Medicare and Medicaid. The following two charts compare spending levels under Chairman Ryan’s plan and President Obama’s recent budget (as scored by the Congressional Budget Office). Figure 1 shows that spending rises more slowly over the next decade under Ryan’s plan than Obama’s plan. But spending rises substantially under both plans—between 2012 and 2021, spending rises 34 percent under Ryan and 55 percent under Obama. Figure 2 compares Ryan’s and Obama’s proposed spending levels at the end of the 10-year budget window in 2021. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684277 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:54:21 +0100 4684277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560250&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fk_9bm4uY9ic%2F By Michael F. CannonThat's the title of my latest Kaiser Health News column, which addresses President Obama's offer to accelerate the waiver process that would allow states to replace many of ObamaCare's most offensive provisions: If you think that means the president was himself exhibiting flexibility, you would be wrong. Despite the rhetoric about compromise, what the president actually did was offer states the option of replacing his law with a single-payer health care system three years earlier than his law allows... HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has written that ObamaCare gives states "incredible freedom" to implement the law. We now know what she meant: states are free to coerce their residents even more than ObamaCare requires. What's incredible is that she calls that freedom. A... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560250 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:44:45 +0100 4560250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532193&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FiHDgr4lwp2s%2F By Michael F. CannonThe New York Times reports: Seeking to appease disgruntled governors, President Obama plans to announce on Monday that he supports amending the 2010 health care law to allow states to opt out of its most burdensome requirements three years earlier than currently permitted. It's significant that the president is finally acknowledging that ObamaCare is unworkable and will impose enormous burdens on the states.  Or is he? A closer look shows that the president is not lifting the burdensome requirements ObamaCare imposes on states.  All he's doing is proposing to move up, from 2017 to 2014, the date on which states can apply for federal permission to impose a different but equivalently or more coercive plan to expand health insurance coverage.  Here's what the Times s... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532193 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:53:27 +0100 4532193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813628&cid=t_259068_136_f&fid=37856&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FThePeacefulLiberal%2F%7E3%2Fhxoe7XAJ4WE%2Fgrateful-for-more-years-spent-with-my.html My apologies for taking so long to write another post and to be quite honest; I've just been resting a whole lot more lately.  My body is starting to get weaker and I've lost some more weight; now I am weighing in at 85.5 and my weight  still appears to be heading downward.   I'm bummed a little but I'm still happy as can be to still be alive thanks to my sweet honey.  My brother is still trying to get a ticket to come out to see me again but he did manage to get himself an amazing  new cruiser bike to ride around in his neighborhood.  Hopefully he will one day be able to get another dog that can keep up with him; like a border collie or a sheltie, or what ever dog he can bond with at the local shelter?    I'm so happy for him that he is doing w... ShoppingKharma: What comes around goes around blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813628 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:25:00 +0100 4813628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829061&cid=t_259068_114_f&fid=35410&url=http%3A%2F%2Fletstalkhealthcare.org%2Fblog%2Fwelcome-back-lets-talk%2F Hello. My name is Eric Schultz and I am nearing the completion of my first six months as President and CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. And boy, have they been memorable. But before I get into any of that or even talk about the future of the “Let’s Talk Health Care” blog, I’d like to introduce myself to you. During the past 25 years or so, I worked both in the health insurance and health delivery space.  My first dozen years, I worked up the ranks at a national, for profit insurance company. At that point, I believed I had a broad and well-rounded view of the health care system.  But thanks to a physician executive who took a chance on me,  I stepped into the role as the Administrator of a physician group practice comprised of 25 primary care physicians.  It was a humbling e... HPHC blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829061 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:24:03 +0100 4829061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880847&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGdSfhSB0stA%2F As a former conservative (and a former leftist; I got around), I have noticed that the mainstream media often use the term “ultra-conservative” but rarely apply any equivalent term to extremists on the Left.  (I use Left/leftist because I mean to reclaim the term “liberal” for libertarians.)  Evidently, there are no left-wing extremists, only right-wing extremists. But maybe President Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs gave the mainstream media a term they can use: “the professional left.”  Venting about these left-wing extremists in his own party, Gibbs said: They will be satisfied when we have Canadian health care and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. President Obama has repeatedly stated his preference for a single-payer health care system, ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880847 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:57:14 +0100 3880847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3868760&cid=t_259068_101_f&fid=38969&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheemtspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2F15%2Fpatients-define-their-emergencies-part-2%2F True Story… The dispatch information was updated before we had even rolled our rig out onto the pad. Eye injury, no serious symptoms. Jodie shut down the lights and I informed dispatch that we’d be responding non-emergent. Up stairs and inside the small two bedroom apartment, Samantha, our patient, was waiting on the couch, holding a hot compress to her swollen right eyelid. Mom worked calmly in the kitchen finishing diner for her other two children. Alan, Samantha’s father sat on the edge of his seat next to his daughter in a state of barely containable anxiety. He had recently arrived home from work and his wife had informed him of the apparent infection in Samantha’s right eye. One look and he was on the phone to us. Now he breathed rapidly as he fumbled throug... The EMT Spot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3868760 Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:10:06 +0100 3868760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3746724&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNeXbeeNyV2M%2F By Cato EditorsAt more than 2,500 pages and 500,000 words long, the new health care bill — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — is the most significant transformation of the American health care system since Medicare and Medicaid. The bill’s complexity has created confusion, frustration, false expectations, and conflicts about its coverage and impact. An incisive new report by Cato scholar Michael D. Tanner provides an authoritative and deeply revealing explanation of its provisions. The diagnosis: the bill is bad medicine. It is likely to make Americans less healthy, less prosperous, less able to direct their own health care decisions, and places huge burdens on our economy and already massive national debt. It is now certain that the debate over health care reform w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3746724 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:12:29 +0100 3746724 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718376&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcUEUruzNO4Q%2F By Michael F. CannonIn a recent post on how RomneyCare is increasing health insurance costs in Massachusetts (by encouraging healthy residents to purchase coverage only when they need medical care) and how ObamaCare will do the same, I linked to a Boston Globe article where an insurance-company spokeswoman made this odd claim: We believe…the gaming in the system…is adding as much as $300 million dollars to the health care system in Massachusetts. It’s hard to know what she meant. Taken literally, this claim is obviously untrue.  The gamers aren’t adding revenue to “the system” — they’re withholding revenue.  Nor are they adding costs, in the sense of additional medical spending.  If anything, overall spending falls because the gamers are less often in... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718376 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:59:49 +0100 3718376 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403866&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FpxjZUAbo3NU%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoCosta Rica – my home country – has suddenly become part of the health care debate after celebrity radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh said that he would move to Costa Rica go to Costa Rica for health care if  ObamaCare were approved by Congress the federal government gets too involved in health care in the next few years. Soon after Sunday’s vote in the House of Representatives, a website was set up to buy Limbaugh a one-way, first-class ticket to Costa Rica. Liberals were quick to point out that my country has a socialized health care system that is among the best in Latin America. People claim that in Costa Rica health care is a right, not a commodity. The problem surfaces when you actually need to exercise your “right.” Last July, La Nación newspaper ca... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403866 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:29:23 +0100 3403866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3302301&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUlrJncUoTZw%2F By Chris Moody How the stimulus raised unemployment. Price controls have failed in the past and there is no reason to think they will work now. So why is the president proposing price controls on health care? Michael Tanner: “Attempts to control prices by government fiat ignore basic economic laws — and the result could be disastrous for the American health-care system.” Does this federal government policy make me look fat? Be honest. (Yes). So, President Obama wants a presidential commission on the budget deficit. Isn’t that a little bit like W.C. Fields asking for a commission on sobriety? Podcast: “POTUS and Price Controls in Health Care” featuring Michael F. Cannon. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3302301 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:56:20 +0100 3302301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096833&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1qB8tjkB-e8%2F By Michael F. CannonJon Walker at FireDogLake says I’ve got the wrong smoking gun: The smoking gun was a manual put out by the CBO in May…It spelled out exactly how much regulation was “too much” regulation. It explained what was the magical threshold that would cause [CBO director] Doug Elmendorf to declare some private market part of the government budget. Now, I’m angry about this for different reasons than the Cato Institute. I think it is insane that there could be any level of regulation that would make the private market part of the federal budget. Either the money is going through the federal treasury or it is not. I don’t think the the CBO director should have the power to see gray areas on this issue…There is no real logic to it, he simply decided what h... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096833 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:52:07 +0100 3096833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3039784&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FQNfh6N-gAw4%2F In the face of acute primary care physician shortages and steady reductions in the number of physicians who are willing to accept Medicaid and Medicare, it is unclear whether our existing primary care system will be able to meet the needs of a universally-insured nation, as President Obama has expressed as a priority for his Administration. Health care delivery is strained under tremendous pressure from the demands of chronic health issues, downward trends in third party payments, and while insurance coverage will address some of these issues, many of these problems may persist even if universal insurance coverage is achieved in the United States. So what else needs to happen to make healthcare reform a success? In recent years, a series of “disruptive innovations” in the health care s... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3039784 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:35:11 +0100 3039784 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2973906&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbHBenHALa9c%2F The fat lady hasn’t even started to warm up yet. The narrow 220-215 victory in the House on Saturday night was a step forward on the road to a government takeover of the health care system.  But as close and dramatic as that vote was, that was the easy part.  The Senate must still pass its version of reform—which will not be the bill that just passed the House.  Nancy Pelosi was, after all, able to lose the votes of 39 moderate Democrats.  Harry Reid cannot afford to lose even one.  A conference committee must reconcile the two vastly different versions.  And then, Pelosi must hold together her 3 vote margin of victory (if it gets that far).  Yet several House Democrats who voted for the bill on Saturday said they did so only to “advance the process.” Their vote is far from... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2973906 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:18:15 +0100 2973906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954498&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlJXkpS4qjr0%2F The “Karzai problem” in Afghanistan: “The U.S. has assisted and sponsored a corrupt, illegitimate and slightly autocratic regime there while purporting to advance the values of freedom and democracy.” Did it work? Cato’s Jeffrey Miron debates the effectiveness of Obama’s stimulus plan. The Democrats’ internal battle: Why they can’t agree on how to overhaul the health care system. The limits of American power in Afghanistan. “Peter Bauer and the Economics of Prosperity“ (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954498 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:07:30 +0100 2954498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2946892&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FefbBx0q649s%2F One argument in favor of a government overhaul of the health care system is that the free market had its chance, and failed when it comes to providing the best possible care.  But as David Goldhill discovered while researching for the September cover article in The Atlantic, the United States has anything but a free-market health care system. He explains his findings below: For real market-based reform, see Cato’s new Policy Analysis, “Yes, Mr. President: A Free Market Can Fix Health Care.“ (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2946892 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:55:05 +0100 2946892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939271&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FwPFifq6VRsQ%2F Speaker Pelosi is set to unveil a health care bill today including yet another version of the so-called public option. This one would let providers “negotiate” reimbursement rates with the government-run program. That’s the health care equivalent of negotiating with Tony Soprano. But regardless of how much lipstick they put on this pig, it still is a government takeover of the health care system that would all but eliminate private insurance and force millions of Americans into a government-run system. Apparently the House leadership has decided that if at first you can’t get the votes by being honest about your true intentions, lie, lie, again. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939271 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:20:32 +0100 2939271 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916082&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCbCVCx6X__w%2F Senate Judiciary Committee abandons hope of bringing any real change to the Patriot Act. Julian Sanchez in The Nation: “The Obama administration makes vague, reassuring noises about constraining executive power and protecting civil liberties, but then merrily adopts whatever appalling policy George W. Bush put in place.” The imminent collapse of Social Security. Cognitive Dissonance: New poll shows rising support for a so-called public option in health care, even as the public continues to oppose greater government control over the health care system. It has been tried before: Why increasing the size of government won’t work. Talking with Tea Partiers. Podcast: The real problem with American health care: You are not the customer. More here. (Source: Cato-at-libe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916082 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:18:13 +0100 2916082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2904863&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fjyf0Z5I3kX0%2F Governments love to promise benefits.  But politicians prefer not to have to raise the funds necessary to provide the promised services.  The result for nationalized medical systems is political rationing … and long waiting lists.  The Mackinac Institute, located in Michigan, has produced a series of videos on Canadians speaking about how their system works.  The British Columbia Automobile Association even developed medical access, or wait list, insurance, before abandoning the program under pressure. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2904863 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:32:53 +0100 2904863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890618&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F5ZIzpiSepLQ%2F Michael Tanner and Michael Cannon are working nonstop to derail government-run health care, but they better figure out how to work more than 24 hours per day, because if they fail, it is very likely that politicians will then look for a new revenue source to finance all the new spending that inevitably will follow. Unfortunately, that means a value-added tax (VAT) will be high on the list. Indeed, the VAT recently has been discussed by powerful political figures and key Obama allies such as the Co-Chairman of his transition team and the Speaker of the House. The VAT would be great news for the political insiders and beltway elite. A  brand new source of revenue would mean more money for them to spend and a new set of  loopholes to swap for campaign cash and lobbying fees.  But as I expl... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890618 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:40:17 +0100 2890618 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886416&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F91auaiaEQy0%2F Americans are catching on to the idea that the health care overhaul is really about redistributing health. Can the Republican Party revive itself? David Boaz: “George W. Bush nearly destroyed the Republican Party, but Barack Obama is giving it a chance at resurrection.” Can the federal government handle a health care overhaul? Federal programs are consistently wrought with waste, fraud and cost overruns. A strategy for Afghanistan: Instead of sending thousands of extra troops to Afghanistan, the US should focus on assisting and training Afghan forces. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886416 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:43:51 +0100 2886416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879384&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F6x-nd4GxvAw%2Ffrench-health-care-system.html Many countries envy the French health care system. The difficult reformation that is involved itself to the United States reminds me the fight of the French workers to obtain an equitable system. Nevertheless, the reformation of the United States is wished by the President Barack Obama and this decision seems to divide the American people, even beyond the borders. Interesting it seem to we to retrieve the big points that do the force of the French system but equally not to conceal the problems. The French health care system works on the basis of the solidarity between the active persons. Every month, the employees see a part of their salary versed to the State to finance the retirements and the social security besides the state ordinary taxes. The social security is the strong point of the... Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879384 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:21:19 +0100 2879384 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823953&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMivduSGu4d0%2F Should more troops be sent to Afghanistan? Cato’s Malou Innocent weighs in alongside the policymakers. What does the end of the missile defense system in Central Europe means for U.S.-Russian relations? Signals indicate that the market just might be on the rebound. That’s great,  but it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves, says Johan Norberg.  “We must never forget that the light at the end of the tunnel can be an approaching train.” A few thoughts on the new rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and what it means for Pakistan and India. Michael Cannon continues his debate in the LA Times: The dirty little secret is that “Obama-care” isn’t about reducing health care costs or making coverage more secure. It’s about robbing... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823953 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:02:52 +0100 2823953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803887&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUJEALC3pR_E%2F In their attempt to defeat Obamacare, Republicans have focused their criticism on the public option, painting it as the most objectionable feature of existing proposals. Senator Max Baucus, (D-Mont.), has now proposed a plan without the public option. This leaves the Republicans in an awkward position, especially since Baucus’s plan is projected to cost less than earlier proposals. If Republicans oppose the Baucus plan, they surely risk the ire of voters who will be told during the mid-term elections, “The Republicans blocked a plan that would have covered the uninsured and reduced the deficit.” The problem is, the public option was never the crucial issue; instead, it was the mandate to purchase insurance. Once government mandates insurance coverage, it gets to define wh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803887 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:26:45 +0100 2803887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774607&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsQnzXQxW7fE%2F President Obama continues to portray the debate over health care reform as a choice between his plan for a massive government-takeover of the US healthcare system and “doing nothing.”  Those who oppose his plan are said to be “obstructionist” or in favor of the status-quo.  Yesterday, the President again said, “I’ve got a question for all those folks [who oppose his plan]: What are you going to do? What’s your answer? What’s your solution?” Well, I can’t speak for all his critics, but the Cato Institute has a long record of supporting health care reform based on free-markets and competition.  If the President wanted to know more he might have read my recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times or Michael Cannon’s piece in Investors Business Daily.  H... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774607 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:15:10 +0100 2774607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630049&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FF_65iTumUiQ%2F The Cato Institute will launch an ad campaign Thursday highlighting under-reported poll data showing Americans’ concerns that current health care reform plans will raise costs, limit choice and reduce the quality of their health care. The campaign will feature full-page ads in major national newspapers, in addition to radio spots focusing on why government-run health care cannot address the problems of growing costs and lack of coverage for many individuals and families. The campaign will expand in the weeks ahead. “Our goal is to help the American public navigate terms like ‘a public plan’ and ‘individual or employer mandates’ to understand what is really happening here,” said Ed Crane, founder and president of the Cato Institute. “The bottom li... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630049 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:55:29 +0100 2630049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630052&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPredUsOrAIQ%2F Sally C. Pipes understands Canadian health care. As the former assistant director of the free-market Fraser Institute, she lived under Canada’s national health care system and has researched it extensively. The Canadian experience with national health care has produced waiting lines, rationed care and has not produced the preventive and patient-focused care that it has promised, says Pipes, who is now president of the Pacific Research Institute and author of the new book, The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care. She spoke at the Cato Institute July 15, 2009. For market-based solutions to health care reform, visit Healthcare.Cato.org. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630052 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:22:54 +0100 2630052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2615381&cid=t_259068_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F18%2Fimprisoning-people-with-mental-illness%2F People with mental illness are increasingly ending up being imprisoned, rather than in the mental health care system where many of them belong. With the down economy, states and counties — who are primarily responsible for the health of the indigent — cut social services first. And with most public psychiatric hospitals long-since closed, people who have a mental disorder end up being warehoused not in hospitals, but in prisons. Yes, we succeeded in closing down the state mental hospitals. But we moved the population not to outpatient facilities, but to our prisons. Now, finally, people are realizing the short-sightedness of locking people with mental illness up, as the spiraling prison costs of doing so become a burden to cash-strapped local governments. In Philadelphia, a ne... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2615381 Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:11:30 +0100 2615381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2610887&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHn9Z5ivfmb8%2F I was on the Glenn Beck Show yesterday… …talking about this rendering of the House Democrats’ 1,018-page health care plan: That’s you all the way on the left, and your doctor/hospital all the way on the right. What could be simpler? (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2610887 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:00:42 +0100 2610887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2527766&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBfynu22f3vI%2F President Obama took to the airwaves Wednesday in an effort to promote his plan for a national government-run health care system. He answered questions on rising costs, taxing benefits, and many other issues during an ABC News special on health care reform called “Questions for the President: Prescription for America.” After live-blogging the ABC special, Cato scholars Michael D. Tanner and Michael F. Cannon dissect the president’s health care plan point by point. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2527766 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:10:28 +0100 2527766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473189&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOVHZMzbFKSM%2F Will Obama Raise Middle-Class Taxes to Fund Health Care? President Obama is promoting an expansion in federal health care spending, and Democratic leaders are scrambling to find ways to pay for it. The plan is expected to cost about $1.5 trillion over the next decade, but the administration has promised that health care legislation won’t add to already huge federal budget deficits. In a new paper, Cato scholars Michael D. Tanner and Chris Edwards argue that expanding government health care will likely involve huge tax increases on the middle class. Tanner warns of “Obamacare” to come, saying that Obama’s new health care plan will give “government control over one-sixth of the U.S. economy, and over some of the most important, personal, and private decisions in Americans&#8217... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473189 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:17:08 +0100 2473189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473202&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fsrb-41yebHw%2F Faced with rising opposition to a so-called “public option” in health care reform, some Democrats are floating the idea of establishing health insurance “co-operatives” as an alternative. Opponents of a government takeover of the health care system should not be fooled. A “co-op” can be defined as a business owned and controlled by its workers and the people who use its services, in this case presumably the people whom it insures. In that sense, government provision of some sort of legal framework or seed money to help establish health insurance co-ops seems relatively harmless but also relatively pointless. The U.S. already has some 1,300 insurance companies. Adding a few more would accomplish…what? It is suggested that the “co-ops” would be nonprofits, and therefore wou... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473202 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:02:11 +0100 2473202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2464094&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3Syu3NVOyAI%2F A draft of Sen. Ted Kennedy’s health care reform bill is finally available, and it is difficult to overstate how far he would move us to a government-run health care system. An initial read-through reveals among the key provisions: An individual mandate, requiring that every American purchase a “qualified” insurance plan. (Sec. 161(a)) The mandate will be enforced through the tax code with Americans required to pay a penalty if they fail to comply.  In an extraordinary delegation of congressional authority, the Kennedy bill would give the Secretaries of Treasury and Health and Human Services the power to determine what this penalty should be. Individuals would be required to submit information on their insurance status over the previous year to the Secretary of HHS, along with “a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2464094 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:40:52 +0100 2464094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441178&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fpp5du9uDC64%2F The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn accuses Americans for Prosperity (AFP) of “lies” for running an ad that claims “Washington wants to bring Canadian-style healthcare to the U.S.” AFP’s ad is more defensible than Cohn’s criticisms of it. Cohn elides the question of whether Shana Holmes (the woman featured in the ad) was almost killed by Canada’s Medicare system.  For a supporter of single-payer like Cohn, that is tantamount to admitting that, yeah, socialized medicine sometimes kills people. Cohn argues that the ad is unfair because Canada has many advantages over the U.S. health care sector.  That may be true, but the ad doesn’t appear to defend American health care.  It merely says, “government should never come in between your family and your doctor” and “Don’... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441178 Thu, 28 May 2009 12:43:07 +0100 2441178 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347788&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKvRxHU_B4nk%2F As we all know, the American health care system is less than perfect.  An inefficient amalgam of government spending, federal tax incentives, employer-based insurance, and private providers, the U.S. system costs us more than it should for the services provided.  Nevertheless, medicine in America remains far more directed by and for patients, in contrast to nationalized systems, which are usually organized by and for bureaucrats. The results sometimes are horrific.  Indeed, the best way to understand the consequences of Britain’s National Health Service is simply to read stories in British newspapers.  Consider this one in the Daily Mail about  the lack of adequate dental care: Like so many young women, Amy King always took great pride in her appearance. Standing in front of... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347788 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:19:55 +0100 2347788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2306719&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FagjKN5tr-So%2F My colleague, Michael Cannon, makes several good points about comparative effectiveness research (CER), both in his letter to USA Today and in his excellent paper on the subject. I strongly agree with him that we should not reflexively oppose CER—much of health care spending is wasteful or unnecessary, and it makes sense, therefore, to test and develop information on the effectiveness of various treatments and technology, giving consumers tools to evaluate the value of the care they receive. There is also a case for the use of CER in taxpayer-funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Taxpayers should not have to subsidize health care that has not proven effective, nor can Medicare and Medicaid pay for every possible treatment regardless of cost-effectiveness. However, I am more skeptic... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2306719 Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:38:23 +0100 2306719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2284358&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTWZvTs0i-rE%2F In the 2003 film The Barbarian Invasions, a patient’s wealthy son offers a handsome bribe to the administrator of a decrepit, chaotic, state-run hospital in Montreal that is (mis)treating his dying father.  “This is silly,” the startled administrator exclaims.  “We’re not in the Third World.” Britain’s health-care system is perhaps slightly less state-dominated than Canada’s.  Yet today comes the following report: The British government apologised Wednesday after a damning official report into a hospital likened by one patient’s relative to “a Third World” health centre… Between 400 and 1,200 more people died than would have been expected in a three-year period at the National Health Service (NHS) hospital, accordin... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2284358 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:31:45 +0100 2284358 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2284360&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFztv6-O7GOE%2F Speaking at a Cato forum Tuesday, Dr. Donald Abrams, director of Clinical Programs at the University of California Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, discussed the science behind medicinal marijuana, and explained why the drug should be allowed for patients who suffer from a variety of symptoms. After the event, Abrams spoke with Caleb Brown for Wednesday’s Cato Daily Podcast, explaining the promise of marijuana as medicine: One of the reasons I am in favor of people using the plant is because… we no longer have a health care system in the United States, we have a disease management system, and it is very expensive largely due to pharmaceuticals. If there is a plant that is a medicine that people can grow for themselves in their own backyard then I think we can really go a long... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2284360 Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:38:35 +0100 2284360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2266686&cid=t_259068_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F13%2F1-million-a-good-start-for-suicide-followup-services%2F Today, during a meeting of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Center Grantees, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will announce the award of six grants totaling more than $1 million over three years to support suicide prevention. The funds will help crisis centers throughout the country develop special follow up services for people at high risk of dying by suicide. Every month, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline run by SAMHSA takes 44,000 calls. While not every caller is at acute risk for suicide, past research has shown that large numbers of callers have significant histories of suicidal ideation and attempts. Crisis centers provide invaluable services and for those at imminent risk for suicide, emergency intervention is frequently... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2266686 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:30:15 +0100 2266686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2255997&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSS7WvA9KBbg%2F This time, it’s coming from Reihan Salam at Forbes.com: Choice and Security: Professor John Cochrane’s advice to President Obama Last week, at a White House forum on reforming health care, President Obama issued a challenge to advocates of less government control of the medical marketplace. “If there is a way of getting this done [i.e., reforming health care] where we’re driving down costs and people are getting health insurance at an affordable rate and have choice of doctor, have flexibility in terms of their plans, and we could do that entirely through the market, I’d be happy to do it that way.” More to the point, Obama added that he’d be just as happy to pursue an approach that involved more government control as well, and that seems to be the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2255997 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:47:21 +0100 2255997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2256000&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-R6xU_U7KBk%2F On the Diane Rehm Show last week, I predicted that all the lovey-dovey coalition-forming by the Church of Universal Coverage would fall apart as soon as people started talking about actual reforms instead of vague principles. Today, The New York Times reports: Two labor unions have pulled out of a broad coalition seeking agreement on major changes in the health care system. The action, by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Service Employees International Union, shows the seeds of discord behind the optimistic talk at a White House conference on health care this week. It also illustrates the difficulty of reaching agreement on two of the knottiest issues in the health care debate: whether to offer a new government-sponsored insurance option, and whether... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2256000 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:29:58 +0100 2256000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1419322&cid=t_259068_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F283351130%2Fthird-tier-in-us-health-care.html It’s a sickening situation. Physicians’ incomes are under attack: think lower reimbursements, higher costs for malpractice premiums and the like, greater business costs, claims processing hassles,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog) Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1419322 Sun, 04 May 2008 15:45:06 +0100 1419322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1377935&cid=t_259068_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F4%2F17%2Fwhy-cant-we-do-it.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DI am not a health care policy wonk, or a wonk of anything, to tell the truth. But having observed the heated arguments, the indecipherable terms and acronyms, and the general sense of helplessness in breaking the political logjam, I asked a naїve question: how do others deal with the issue?  I looked at the British system, which I know quite well. I also looked at the Japanese system, which I knew from my visits to the country and contacts with Japanese doctors, professors, drug companies, and just plain folks. Finally, I looked at the Taiwanese system, which I think is an unsung hero that deserves more recognition.The British systemThe Brits are very much like us economically, politically and culturally. They have a much more cynical attitude toward governmen... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1377935 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:14:18 +0100 1377935