Author: Duncan S. MacLean MD

The Pope & Healthcare Reform

This blog has taken the position that healthcare reform is compelled by practical considerations and by economic considerations. Although having health insurance extends and saves lives, this blog has not based its argument solely on that moral premise. I am reposting this report from the Catholic News Service to acknowledge that others in the discussion … Continue reading The Pope & Healthcare Reform →

The Racial Argument Against Healthcare Reform

Perhaps the most potent argument today against healthcare reform is racial. Let’s look at the argument, and see how it stands up. The argument goes like this: Non-whites are inferior to whites, not worthy of sharing in the “common good” reserved for whites.Giving a societal benefit to non-whites subtracts an equal benefit from whites – … Continue reading The Racial Argument Against Healthcare Reform →

Is the Texas Power Grid Failure a Metaphor for Blocked Healthcare Reform?

Here’s why the Texas power grid failed. This story sounds hauntingly similar to why healthcare reform has failed so far. It reminds us of what must be done to fix both. The system experienced rapid growth in the mid-20th-century. Investors used legal and political maneuvers to shield themselves from government oversight and to protect their … Continue reading Is the Texas Power Grid Failure a Metaphor for Blocked Healthcare Reform? →

NEJM’s Fundamentals of U.S. Health Policy, Part 3: Do We Spend Too Much?

I admire Dr. Christensen's posts, and thank him for featuring this series from New England Journal of Medicine! The NEJM authors claim — that some services have higher value than others — was the central thesis of Fixing U.S. Healthcare blog. My blog has highlighted the Oregon Health Plan of 1994, which used cost-benefit analysis … Continue reading NEJM’s Fundamentals of U.S. Health Policy, Part 3: Do We Spend Too Much? →

Biden’s Pandemic Response Plan & Healthcare Reform

President Biden and his team did their homework leading up to the Inauguration.  They are hitting the ground running with their comprehensive plan to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, released January 21. They know that the American people fear for our health, our healthcare system, our very lives, and now (at least on cable and social … Continue reading Biden’s Pandemic Response Plan & Healthcare Reform →