I say Bravo for this cogent piece by Henry Kotula laying out the key conceptual driver of exorbitant healthcare prices – inadequate assessment of value for dollars spent. I argue in this Fixing U.S. Healthcare blog that only a national single-payer system would have sufficient reach and clout to assess cost-benefit and then act – … Continue reading What Does Medicare Actually Cover?
Author: Duncan S. MacLean MD
I’ve lived the difference between US and UK health care. Here’s what I learned
Henry Kotula’s first-person report on going back and forth between U.S.’s chaotic system and Britain’s single-payer is not only a compelling read, but also a credible glimpse into on-the-ground impact for an average patient of Medicare-for-all. Enjoy this re-post!
Earlier this year, I shattered my elbow in a freak fall, requiring surgery, plates and screws. While I am a US citizen, several years ago I married an Englishman and became a UK resident, entitled to coverage on the British National Health Service. My NHS surgeon was able to schedule me in for the three-hour surgery less than two weeks after my fall, and my physical therapist saw me weekly after the bone was healed to work on my flexion and extension. Both surgery and rehab were free at the point of use, and the only paperwork I completed was my pre-operative release forms.
Compare that to another freak accident I had while living in Boston in my 20s. I spilled a large cup of hot tea on myself, suffered second degree scald burns, and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. In the pain and…
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Healthcare Reform: New Resistance, New Traction
Business school courses on managing organizational change often begin with how to deal with resistance to change. They teach business leaders first to distinguish between true resistance – recognition by front-line staff of real obstacles – and pseudo-resistance, the natural human tendency to fear anything unfamiliar. We are seeing the emergence of true resistance this … Continue reading Healthcare Reform: New Resistance, New Traction
Candidates Debate Healthcare Reform
Once again, healthcare reform is at the forefront of the U.S. political debate. CNN allotted healthcare the lead-off spot and 22 minutes on both nights of its Democratic Presidential Debates this week, more than for any other issue. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) perhaps best captured the key challenge -- unsustainable costs: In the United States … Continue reading Candidates Debate Healthcare Reform
Healthcare Reform: Are Insurance Companies and Drug Companies the Culprits?
“We are at the mercy of the private insurance and pharmaceutical companies, whose greed dictates the cost of healthcare,” railed Democrat Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders in a recent campaign blurb. Are insurance and drug companies really the ones to blame for our healthcare problem – unsustainable costs and millions without access? If so, are … Continue reading Healthcare Reform: Are Insurance Companies and Drug Companies the Culprits?
Fixing U.S. Healthcare 