The road to a healthier life begins by ending the slow death caused by chronic economic insecurity.

Downsizing in healthcare will only intensify from what appear to be unstoppable technological, demographic and economic trends. Policymakers need a clear-eyed view of the underlying dynamics in order to develop an appropriate response.

Something unexpected has happened at the VA in recent years. The number of vets turning to the government-run healthcare system has risen steadily due to more demand for its specialized care. Giving them access to private-sector care hasn’t reversed the trend.

Only government has the resources and the long-term perspective necessary for successfully investing in community-based prevention programs. Healthcare providers can play a critical role, but it will never be enough.

Nearly a century after the initial discovery of insulin, the 7.5 million patients who rely on the drug still don’t have a generic alternative. And resistance persists from brand-name companies.

Medicare Advantage insurers say they’ve earned their soaring enrollments and rising profitability with better, more efficient care. A new study suggests it may actually be due to “pre-existing differences in care seeking behavior.”

With 10% of the population suffering from disabilities and half the baby boom generation entering retirement without significant assets, coming up with a national long-term care plan that works is long overdue.

It’s past time for the CMS to adopt mandatory value-based reimbursement, with appropriate ramp-up periods to accommodate the learning curve.

The government and academic medical centers need to rethink their technology transfer policies, which have allowed the price of specialty drugs to soar to unsustainable heights.

Sometimes, complex problems have simple solutions. Why not just ban balance billing and let the hospitals, their staffing contractors and insurers sort it out?

While wages have inched up in the past few years, the purchasing power of take-home pay for those on the lower rungs of the healthcare workforce is no different today than it was a decade ago.

Addressing the root causes of ill health requires being honest about the extent and location of the poverty, inequality and despair in our society. The bottom line is that improving the nation’s health is a political agenda.

There are alternatives for achieving Medicare for All's goals, says Editor Emeritus Merrill Goozner.

With the advance of new technologies like video conferencing, telehealth and remote monitoring, many patients are realizing the best access point for physician care is once again their home.

Even if Congress prohibits rebates and requires drug companies to pass along every dime in savings to customers, which almost every CEO in attendance pledged to do, tens of millions of patients will still be hitting their out-of-pocket maximums.