MetaFilter posts tagged with health and insurance

Sen. Lieberman (I - Aetna).

markkraft — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:28:11 -0800

Joe Lieberman... Deal or No Deal?! (SLYT) A campaign ad for Ned Lamont has suddenly become very relevant, considering Sen. Joe Lieberman's recent statement threatening to block any health care legislation with a public option. "I accused him of, after 20 years, dithering on that topic," said Ned Lamont yesterday. "As far as I can tell, a filibuster is one more dither."

The Stupid History of Health Insurance Regulation in the US

cimbrog — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:33:46 -0800

fxgillis at the League of Ordinary Gentlemen tells "the stupid history of how the stupid Supreme Court and a stupid Congress wound up saddling us with such a stupid system for regulating the insurance market." That is the reason that health insurance regulations look like this right now. This issue was brought up most recently by the McCain campaign as part of their health care plan, but there was criticism pdf that this plan would create a race to the bottom for coverage.

A very good article on health care economics

kliuless — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:40:28 -0800

How American Health Care Killed My Father After the needless death of his father, the author, a business executive, began a personal exploration of a health-care industry that for years has delivered poor service and irregular quality at astonishingly high cost. It is a system, he argues, that is not worth preserving in anything like its current form. And the health-care reform now being contemplated will not fix it. Here’s a radical solution to an agonizing problem. (via mr) BONUS -Health Care Spending and PCE -Consumer Driven Health Care Plans -4 Points on Health Care -A Public Option Isn't a Curse, or a Cure [also btw Thaler vs. Posner] -'A Plan to Swissify America' (P.Krugman) -Why We Need Health Care Reform (B.Obama) -Health 2.0 could shock the system (E.Dyson) -Mont. Clinic Aims to Deliver Top-quality Care for Less -Cleveland Clinic Chief: Lower Care Costs Must Be Focus in Reform Efforts -Healthcare lessons -The world's worst healthcare reforms

"It seems like a money-saving exercise," she said. "If a patient dies, tough."

anotherpanacea — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:27:36 -0800

£35,000-a-year kidney cancer drugs too costly for NHS: Sutent offers to extend a kidney or GIST cancer patient's life by about 26 months, but the British NHS refuses to fund it, citing "marginal benefit at quite often an extreme cost."

A day at the fair

oneirodynia — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:30:44 -0800

You may remember Stan Brock from as the British anaconda wrangler from Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (top right video). These days he runs Remote Area Medical, a volunteer airborne relief corps that brings medical, dental, and educational assistance to remote areas of the world. Every year, they go to remote Appalachian Virginia, a one day drive from Washington DC, for a 3 day event at the fairgrounds.

Closer to the heart

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 02:42:21 -0800

"In 2003, Americans spent an estimated US$5,635 per capita on health care, while Canadians spent US$3,003... Canada’s single-payer system, which relies on not-for-profit delivery, achieves health outcomes that are at least equal to those in the United States at two-thirds the cost." What do wealthy, educated Americans living in Canada think?

Mr. Universe's muscular agenda

kliuless — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 23:09:51 -0800

California's Governor Seeks Universal Care: Under a plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California would become the largest state to attempt to provide near universal health coverage.

As goes Massachusetts so goes the nation?

narebuc — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 09:32:24 -0800

Massachusetts is about to pass a "nearly" universal health care plan. It's an ambitious and innovative piece of public policy that mixes tax incentives to insure yourself if you can afford it to direct government subsidies to health care insurers to help cover the poor. Businesses will be fined if they are not going to cover their workers. It still does not cover escalating costs or malpractice wildness. And, it still will leave 5% uncovered. Nor, is it the plan specifically endorsed by Physicians for a National Health Plan (who favor a single payer system) or the AMA (who favor much greater reform of insurance providers). Still, it's a start from making us "the only industrialized nation in the world" to not, well you know.....

Broken promises, broken hearts

Rothko — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 04:52:01 -0800

The New England Journal of Medicine published several articles this week on remaining, statistically significant gender and racial disparities in the quantity and quality of various medical procedures and care management resources made available to black and white Americans. These disparities may possibly help our understanding of the cause of some of the unexplained differences in mortality rates between populations. "Although the reasons for these differences are unknown, their persistence emphasizes the need for a continued search for explanations so that inequities in clinical care may be eliminated..." (registration req'd)

kliuless — Sun, 02 Dec 2001 06:24:35 -0800

The healthiest states in America "Louisiana finished last, preceded by Mississippi (49), South Carolina (48), West Virginia (47), and Florida (46)... Minnesota captured first place by scoring highest overall in categories measuring access to health care, disability, disease, mortality, and occupational safety." full report here.

davidmsc — Sat, 07 Jul 2001 07:31:56 -0800

Health Care For Youngest Americans...or Sneak Attack On Pro-Choice Lobby? Interesting proposal from HHS...guaranteed to fan the flames of what has been called the "most divisive issue in modern America." Should a fetus be classified as a "beneficiary" of health care benefits under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)? If this proposal is approved, will it forever change the debate?

aflakete — Sun, 04 Feb 2001 12:04:05 -0800

Why bother with insurance forms--go to the Luxury Hospital. And they're helping Medicare costs stay low too!! (?)

120degrees — Wed, 12 Jul 2000 23:42:47 -0800

Doggy PPO/HMO , I saw on the news tonight where local companies are offering Healthcare plans for their pets as an added employment bonus. "Annual exams and annual vaccines are provided in FULL at NO charge. Extensive veterinary services are provided at significantly reduced fees. Office visits are only $15.00 which is a significant savings for United Pet Care members." How cool is that?