Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Payment Reform is key to better health

by Merrill Goozner GoozNews Hospitals are pushing back on an experiment that would put providers on budgets. CMS should ignore their lobbyists and consultants playing games with numbers. Changing the way hospitals and doctors get paid is central to reforming our dysfunctional health care system. Payment reform can achieve better health outcomes, improve the patient […]

Top Supreme Court Health Cases to Watch

by Lawrence O. Gostin and Sarah Wetter MEDPAGE TODAY — A slew of cases this term could reshape health policy. Undecided Issues still before SCOTUS which should be decided this month. The Justices will then take off for a bit to reconcile the decisions they made causing issues amongst the population. Nothing unusual here, it […]

Supreme Court didn’t end access to Mifepristone

Today, the Supreme Court released its opinion in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. Here’s a little background—you can be forgiven if you’ve lost track of how this case has evolved since I first wrote about District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s order granting a nationwide injunction banning mifepristone in April of 2023. In April of 2023, Matthew Kacsmaryk, a federal district […]

The Urgent Need to Address VHA Community Care Spending and Access Strategies

Privatization Warning by Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early The American Prospect When the Department of Defense (DOD) or U.S. intelligence agencies face a crisis, they often assemble a task force to conduct a review and recommend solutions. In response to cost overruns on care for nine million patients of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the […]

Saving Rural Hospitals and Strengthening Rural Healthcare

Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform CHQPR I started reviewing rural hospitals a little over a year ago. Not much has changed. These smaller hospitals lack for resource and manpower because of their budget restraints. Services they provide may not be covered by a patient’s fees. As a result, they are always battling their budget. […]

Minnesota hospitals helped create the stress they operate under today

by Kip Sullivan Counterpoint Minnesota Kip Sullivan has been featured at Angry Bear over the years. Kip is known for his promotion of Single Payer healthcare, the costs of it and the benefits of it to healthcare providers and patients. His topic today is HMOs and how they have impacted MN hospitals. HMOs prospered through […]

Dr. Richard Bucholz and the origins of modern brain surgery

If you or your loved one had successful brain surgery, you can probably thank my colleague, Dr. Richard Bucholz, Professor of Neurosurgery at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Dr. Bucholz pioneered and invented the image-guided surgery navigational system marketed by Medtronic as the “Stealth Station.” It is standard equipment in nearly every neurosurgical suite […]

Another Administration Win in Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Lawsuits

by Sheela Ranganathan and Zachary Baron Health Affairs Introduction: This article is discussing the efforts of the pharmaceutical companies attempting to block Medicare and the government negotiations with them for pricing. Early on in the District Courts, the pharmaceutical companies are being denied standing. This is why I posted the article. The cases may still […]