Bradley's message on expanded health coverage didn't hit home
Skip to main content
MDHC_Logotype_white
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • This Week's News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition
    • Health experts blame rapid expansion for vaccine shortages
      Profit up nearly 23% across U.S. community hospitals in 2019
      HHS freezes rule targeting community health centers' drug discounts
      Cerner names Erceg as new CFO
    • Health experts blame rapid expansion for vaccine shortages
      HCA launches joint venture to boost domestic PPE production
      Lilly: Drug can prevent COVID-19 illness in nursing homes
      Mobile labs take vaccine studies to diverse neighborhoods
    • Medicare ACO participants fell in 2021
      Louisiana gets reports vaccine providers are discriminating
      'We know this is real': New clinics aid virus 'long-haulers'
      The Check Up: Trenda Ray
      The Check Up: Trenda Ray of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
    • UnitedHealthcare operating earnings fall by $2 billion in Q4
      CMS approves rule forcing insurers to ease prior authorization
      COVID-19 still a big uncertainty for insurers in 2021
      Health insurers' outlook boosted after Dems' Georgia win
    • Health experts blame rapid expansion for vaccine shortages
      HHS freezes rule targeting community health centers' drug discounts
      Biden signs executive orders to reverse, pause Trump-era rules
      CMS finalizes blood-based colon cancer screening coverage
    • Providers await new HHS coronavirus grant reporting deadline
      Operation Warp Speed Dr. Moncef Slaoui, Pfizer Group President Angela Hwang, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, CVS Health Executive Vice President Karen Lynch and McKesson CEO Brian Tyler participate in a panel discussion on the COVID-19 vaccine.
      Hospitals, drug companies strive to stand out virtually at JPM
      Intermountain, Trinity, Memorial Hermann behind $300M private equity fund
      Operation Warp Speed to bump up McKesson's stock price
    • A man in a room with servers.
      Momentum grows to outsource hospital tech functions in 2021
      5 things to know about Google's $2.1B Fitbit acquisition
      Providence bets on machine-learning, consolidating data centers
      Mental health treatment was most common telehealth service during COVID
    • Mobile labs take vaccine studies to diverse neighborhoods
      As virus surges, states reporting shortages of vaccine
      Sticking to Mediterranean diet is good for the brain
      Chance of COVID-19 triage care looms over Arizona hospitals
    • Cerner names Erceg as new CFO
      Elizabeth Richter will serve as acting CMS administrator
      Providence names new chief financial officer
      Wisconsin's top health official departing for federal job
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • InDepth Special Reports
    • Innovations
    • The Affordable Care Act after 10 years
    • New care model helps primary-care practices treat obesity
      doctor with patient
      COVID-19 treatment protocol developed in the field helps patients recover
      Rachel Wyatt
      Project to curb pressure injuries in hospitals shows promise
      Yale New Haven's COVID-19 nurse-staffing model has long-term benefits
    • Michellene Davis
      Healthcare leadership lacks the racial diversity needed to reduce health disparities
      Dr. James Hildreth
      How medical education can help fight racism
      Modern Healthcare InDepth: Breaking the bias that impedes better healthcare
      Videos: Healthcare industry executives describe their encounters with racism
      Quotes from rebadged employees
      Outsourcing IT, revenue cycle takes toll on internal culture
    • A woman with a wearable sensor talking to her provider.
      Wearable sensors help diagnose heart rhythm problems in West Virginia
      self service station
      COVID-19 pushes patient expectations toward self-service
      Targeting high-risk cancer patients with genetics
      A nurse holds up a phone with a message to a family member saying surgery has started.
      Texting, tablets help hospitals keep family updated on patient care
  • Transformation
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Highmark Health inks six-year cloud, tech deal with Google
      Study: 1 in 5 patients report discrimination when getting healthcare
      HHS proposes changing HIPAA privacy rules
      Android health records app launches at 230 health systems
    • California hospitals prepare ethical protocol to prioritize lifesaving care
      Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Berkshire Hathaway disband Haven
      Digital pathways poised to reshape healthcare continuum in 2021
      Healthcare was the hardest hit by supply shortages across all U.S. industries
    • A woman with a wearable sensor talking to her provider.
      Wearable sensors help diagnose heart rhythm problems in West Virginia
      New care model helps primary-care practices treat obesity
      How hospitals are building on COVID-19 telehealth momentum
      Researchers: Hospital price variation exacerbates health inequities
    • MedPAC votes to boost hospital payments, freeze or cut other providers
      Most Next Gen ACOs achieved bonuses in 2019
      Congress recalibrates Medicare Physician Fee Schedule after lobbying
      CMS approves rule to encourage value-based drug pricing
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
    • Health Systems Financials
      Executive Compensation
      Physician Compensation
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
    • Wellstar CEO calls adapting for the pandemic her bold move
      Howard P. Kern
      Recognizing the value of telehealth in its infancy
      Dr. Stephen Markovich
      A bold move helped take him from family doctor to OhioHealth CEO
      Dr. Bruce Siegel
      Why taking a hospital not-for-profit was Dr. Bruce Siegel’s boldest move
    • Barry Ostrowsky
      Ending racism is a journey taken together; the starting point must be now
      Laura Lee Hall and Gary Puckrein
      Increased flu vaccination has never been more important for communities of color
      John Daniels Jr.
      Health equity: Making the journey from buzzword to reality
      Mark C. Clement and David Cook
      We all need to 'do something' to fight inequities and get healthcare right, for every patient, every time
    • Dr. Bruce Siegel
      By protecting the healthcare safety net, Biden can put us on the path to a stronger country
      Healing healthcare: some ideas for triage by the new Congress, administration
      Dr. Sachin H. Jain
      Medicare for All? The better route to universal coverage would be Medicare Advantage for All
      Connectivity: a social determinant of health that can exacerbate all the others
    • Letters: Eliminating bias in healthcare needs to be ‘deliberate and organic’
      Letters: Maybe dropping out of ACOs is a good thing for patients
      Letters: White House and Congress share blame for lack of national COVID strategy
      Letters: VA making strides to improve state veterans home inspections
    • Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      How blockchain could ease frustration with the payment process
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Three steps to better data-sharing for payer and provider CIOs
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Reduce total cost of care: 6 reasons why providers and payers should tackle the challenge together
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Why CIOs went from back-office operators to mission-critical innovators
  • Awards
    • Award Programs
    • Nominate
    • Previous Award Programs
    • Other Award Programs
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare Logo for Navigation
      Nominations Open - Best Places to Work in Healthcare
      Nominations Open - Health Care Hall of Fame
      Nominations Open - 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders
    • Top 25 Women Leaders
    • Excellence in Nursing Awards
    • Design Awards
    • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
    • 100 Top Hospitals
    • ACHE Awards
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Webinars
    • COVID-19 Event Tracker
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Healthcare Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Workplace of the Future Conference
    • Strategic Marketing Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala (2022)
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Carter Dredge
      Next Up Podcast: Ready, set, innovate! Innovation and disruption in healthcare
      Next Up Podcast: COVID-19, social determinants highlight health inequities — what next?
      Ceci Connolly
      Next Up Podcast: How to navigate the murky post-election waters
      Next Up Podcast: Saving Rural Health
    • An older man wearing a mask receiving a vaccine.
      Beyond the Byline: Verifying information on the chaotic COVID-19 vaccine rollout
      doctor burnout
      Beyond the Byline: How healthcare supply chain struggles contribute to employee burnout
      Beyond the Byline: Covering race and diversity in the healthcare industry
      Beyond the Byline: How telehealth utilization has impacted investor-owned company earnings
    • Leading intention promote diversity and inclusion
      Introducing Healthcare Insider Podcast
    • The Check Up: Chip Kahn
      The Check Up: Chip Kahn of the Federation of American Hospitals
      The Check Up: Trenda Ray
      The Check Up: Trenda Ray of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
      The Check Up: Dr. Kenneth Davis
      The Check Up: Dr. Kenneth Davis of Mount Sinai Health System
      The Check Up: Dr. Thomas McGinn
      The Check Up: Dr. Thomas McGinn of CommonSpirit Health
    • Video: Ivana Naeymi Rad of Intelligent Medical Objects
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Opinion & Editorial
December 06, 1999 12:00 AM

Bradley's message on expanded health coverage didn't hit home

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    Former Sen. Bill Bradley, who has made expanded access to healthcare coverage a centerpiece of his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, uses temporary workers without health benefits on his campaign staff, according to the Associated Press.

    The Bradley campaign used workers from five temporary agencies, which did not offer health insurance to the workers. Only full-time paid employees of the Bradley campaign receive health benefits, comparable to what other campaigns offer.

    Bradley was the only presidential candidate to use temps between January and September. Bradley no longer uses temporary workers, a campaign spokeswoman told AP.

    Anita Dunn, the spokeswoman, put just the right political spin on the situation.

    If Bill Bradley's healthcare plan was already in effect, all of these people would have had their choice of coverage," she said.

    Heavy medals. U.S. Oncology, the nation's largest manager of cancer practices, is cozying up to Washington.

    After hiring a public policy director last year, the company recently unveiled an annual Medal of Honor Award for members of Congress.

    Twenty-five awards were given this fall to members of both major parties who supported the company's causes, which included insurance coverage for routine treatment of patients participating in clinical trials, Medicare funding for hospital outpatient clinics and Medicare coverage of self-administered drugs.

    Eric Berger, the company's director of planning and public policy, says cancer funding struck a chord with those lawmakers, many of whom have firsthand experience with the disease. For example, Robert Bud" Cramer Jr. (D-Ala.) lost his wife to cancer, and Sen. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) and his wife are both cancer survivors.

    We've been able to have a very personal relationship with members. We wanted to do something special," Berger says.

    Healthcare comes in from the cold. Physician organizations in Central Europe want more control over how their nations spend money and rebuild healthcare infrastructure.

    Leaders of the region's national medical associations and the World Medical Association, meeting late last month in Prague, Czech Republic, decided to establish a regional secretariat to address inadequate and inappropriate allocation of resources" in nations such as Croatia, Slovenia and the Czech and Slovakian republics. They called for a greater role for national medical associations in the decisionmaking process.

    On the agenda would be medical ethics, quality control, human rights and the development of sound healthcare systems, according to the WMA.

    Also cited were public health concerns such as drug-resistant tuberculosis and increasing tobacco dependence. Jaroslav Blahos, president of both the WMA and the Czech Medical Association, said the regional secretariat would play a central role in training doctors in smoking-cessation classes for both themselves and their patients. Citing heavy tobacco marketing, Blahos says a concerted effort is needed to warn the public about the dangers of smoking.

    Clueless. Many Americans aren't getting the word about some of the major healthcare issues kicking around Washington these days.

    According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University survey of more than 1,000 citizens nationwide, only 21% of Americans knew that more than 40 million of their fellow citizens lack health insurance. Nearly 40% of those surveyed thought the number was smaller, and another 17% didn't know.

    Even scarier was the number of Americans who didn't know that Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore and Bill Bradley have made major healthcare reform proposals. Only 21% knew about Gore's plan, and 17% knew about Bradley's. One-fourth of those surveyed said neither had made a proposal, and more than half said they didn't know.

    Those surveyed scored better when asked about managed-care reform. More than half knew that Congress is still debating the issue, and 30% said they didn't know what was going on.

    Terminator stupidity. Americans also lack a historical perspective. According to the results of a survey by FitnessLink, an online health source at www.fitnesslink.com, Arnold Schwarzenegger is seen as the most influential fitness personality of the millennium and the person most responsible for the fitness revolution."

    The poll presupposes that the fitness boom began with Pumping Iron," the 1977 movie about Schwarzenegger's days as a bodybuilder. It also ignores such recent (we're talking millennium here, folks) fitness pioneers as Roger Bannister, whose sub-four-minute mile wowed the Western world in 1954; Paul Dudley White, M.D., who as President Dwight D. Eisenhower's personal physician advocated daily exercise; Kenneth Cooper, M.D., who pioneered aerobics in the 1960s; or Frank Shorter, whose victory in the 1972 Olympic marathon is widely credited with spurring the running boom in the U.S. None were even among the 21 choices listed on the Web site.

    Yes, folks, in the video age, where last week is ancient history, Schwarzenegger is seen as the pivotal fitness figure of the millennium. Now chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport, Schwarzenegger, with his omnipresent cigar and history of steriod abuse, is hardly the image of fitness as Outliers conceives it.

    Arnold brought bodybuilding into the mainstream of fitness and positioned it as a healthy activity for anyone," says Shannon Entin, publisher of FitnessLink and co-author of the aptly named book, The Complete Idiot's Guide To Health And Fitness Online. Many of his films co-starred fit women, too, like Linda Hamilton in the Terminator' series."

    Need we say more?

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Health experts blame rapid expansion for vaccine shortages
    Health experts blame rapid expansion for vaccine shortages
    Profit up nearly 23% across U.S. community hospitals in 2019
    Profit up nearly 23% across U.S. community hospitals in 2019
    Sponsored Content
    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up for free enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today

    The weekly magazine, websites, research and databases provide a powerful and all-encompassing industry presence. We help you make informed business decisions and lead your organizations to success.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Instagram

    Stay Connected

    Join the conversation with Modern Healthcare through our social media pages

    MDHC_Logotype_white
    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • This Week's News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • InDepth Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Transformation
      • Patients
      • Operations
      • Care Delivery
      • Payment
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Award Programs
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders
        • Top 25 Women Leaders
      • Nominate
      • Previous Award Programs
        • Excellence in Nursing Awards
        • Design Awards
        • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
      • Other Award Programs
        • 100 Top Hospitals
        • ACHE Awards
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Healthcare Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Workplace of the Future Conference
        • Strategic Marketing Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala (2022)
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Webinars
      • COVID-19 Event Tracker
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing