Author's posts
Getting What You Want At The End Of Life – Lessons From A Dying Man
Many people die in ways and locations, that go against their preferences. Much of this unwanted care could be avoided if patients talked with their clinicians.
Spend Too Much On Your Medications? Help Is On The Way
Millions of Americans are bedeviled by expensive medications.
The 1990s Had Sponge-Worthy. Now We Have Contagion-Worthy
The brutal experience of the Covid pandemic has created a new kind of worthiness judgement: who should we hug, kiss, socialize with, etc., given the potential that the…
Regulating Surprise Bills Lower Healthcare Prices – Guess How Much
We have a huge price problem in the US healthcare system. One part of this problem is the existence of surprise bills.
Puccini Was Dying Of Cancer—Hiding His Diagnosis Was A Grave Mistake
Puccini’s life, and his death, teach us a lesson about the importance of communicating honestly with people who are terminally ill.
A $2 Suppository Now Costs More Than $300—Outrageous!
A simple suppository can avert a potentially life-threatening disorder.
Mindfulness Makes Some People Selfish—See If You Are One Of Them
What happens when mindfulness collides with Western independence? Will a fiercely independent person like me become less generous if I practice mindfulness? Will all that focus on self and present drawing me away from other people’s concerns?
Healthcare Prices Are Soaring—Guess Who’s Getting Rich!
Three facts and then a question Fact #1: Healthcare prices in the US are rising Fact #2: Physician practices are being gobbled up in unprecedented numbers.
Pulling The Plug In Seriously Ill Patients—It’s Often A Matter Of Race
In the US, Black patients often receive significantly less medical care than similarly sick white patients. Yet when Black patients experience a significant traumatic brain injury, they often receive more aggressive care than white patients.
Time To Take Tax Breaks Away From Non-Profit Hospitals
Many nonprofit hospitals in the United States are not performing enough charitable care to justify the billions of dollars of tax breaks they receive.
