“We use a punishment mindset that exacerbates the trauma (people have already suffered). We have to change that.” – Bryan Stevenson, Director of the Equal Justice Initiative In the months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, our quality …
Category: Policy
Healthcare Competition Isn’t Just A Republican Messaging Point
Republicans have promised to make “transparency, choice, and competition” the centerpieces of their approach to improving America’s healthcare system. Those principles are missing from the government-dominated status quo.
New proposals for universal health care in Oregon and Washington
Once again, it’s time to consider universal health care. What are the implications? Could it happen? After something of a hiatus during the passage of the Affordable Care Act and the battles over its implementation, legislative committees in Oregon and…
Neither Party Has A Good Plan For Social Security And Medicare
Securing these essential programs will require a far more serious conversation than the one voters have been hearing in the closing weeks of this election.
Permanent Daylight Saving Time Would Cut Collisions With Deer And Save Lives, Study Finds
Researchers estimate the annual clock change in November kills 33 people and 36,550 deer in car crashes and causes nearly $1.2 billion in damages.
Russia’s Tear Gas Bombings In Ukraine May Be First Step In Dangerous Chemical Escalation
Russia’s use of tear gas, which has failed to generate headlines, may be the start of a creeping shift toward chemical attacks that would allow Russia to sow fear and uncertainty among Ukrainians without any international backlash.
Punishing doctors for spreading misinformation
When I was in high school, I read George Orwell’s 1984, a novel about a dystopian future where the government (a.k.a. Big Brother) monitors everything the citizenry says or thinks. Anyone deviating from government “doublespeak” is swi…
Building individual health equity
Buying health insurance is a lot like renting an apartment. Finding the perfect place is hard, and the price is always higher than you expect. But if it is conveniently close to your employer and there are few other affordable options, you sign the le…
Medical malpractice is a lot like running a marathon
A medical malpractice process is a lot like running a marathon. The analogy makes it easy to understand why physicians are emotionally unready to go through years of litigation and often find themselves struggling. To successfully make it through the g…
Amazon, CVS, and Walmart are playing health care’s long game
In recent months, three of the nation’s largest retailers have stirred up a frenzy on Wall Street with a string of high-profile health care deals. Amazon bought primary-care company One Medical in early August for $3.9 billion. That was a month b…
