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We have done it. We have decreased the increase in the cost of healthcare. Let us explain. For three decades (1980–2009), the cost of healthcare has been increasing each year at an average rate of 7.4%—double the rate of inflation. However, over the past three years, the increase in...
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One of the most disturbing challenges faced by American healthcare is the enormous geographic variability in both access and quality. We are one nation, and no matter which state we live in, we are all Americans. But (to paraphrase Bono) where we live actually determines if we live.
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Democrats and Republicans are sharply divided over how best to improve Medicare, a program that covers nearly 50 million Americans and that will spend almost $600 billion this year.
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Springtime in Washington brings the annual federal budget ritual. This year, President Barack Obama's budget for 2014 included a proposal to increase Medicare premiums for higher-income seniors. Other ideas to sustain Medicare are cross-pollinating across the political aisle.
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"Of all the transformations reshaping American healthcare, none is more profound than the shift toward value.”
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Every hospital and healthcare facility has some variation of this sign: “It's the law. Be careful not to discuss patients in public.” Like World War II posters warning that “Loose lips sink ships,” these notices stress that information falling into the wrong hands can lead...
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People's lives today are full of choices. They know what they like. They know what matters to them. They trust their judgment and check with their gut. But when it comes to choices related to their health, they could use a little help.
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Half of all adult Americans are expected to be obese by 2030, and already more than 40 million adults do not meet appropriate physical activity levels. The challenge of addressing obesity and physical inactivity requires new thinking and monitoring by healthcare providers.
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Here's another reason for states to expand Medicaid: preventing crime by mentally ill offenders.
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Desperate after a decade of trial and error to make the connection that could usher in a new generation of anti-HIV drugs, University of Washington researchers threw the scientific version of a Hail Mary pass.
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