I am on record as being disappointed with HCAN’s insistence that health benefits remain untouched by taxation. Honestly, I find alienating their labor-centric focus, and I haven’t been nearly as active as I could be. Now HCAN is running ads asking the Senate to get rid of the proposed excise tax on excess health benefits. [...]
Tue, October 20 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
This picture of me was taken moments ago…. Yesterday, after I posted about my COBRA, I called ADP again and spoke to a nice man named Sam who was very obviously of Indian ancestry. It’s not that I mind outsourcing; honestly, I wouldn’t want to be the person handling my calls in the mood I’ve [...]
Fri, July 31 2009 » Uncategorized » 4 Comments
Slate has a fascinating article by Timothy Noah, on how anti-trust rules helped turn health care into a for-profit business. I should say, ‘fascinating to me’, since I know not everyone is enthralled by arcane Supreme Court decisions. But still, it’s an important story, and worth reading if you want to understand how we got [...]
Thu, July 30 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
I woke up this morning and realized that my COBRA payment is due, and even if I get it to the mail today, it won’t arrive until early next week. ADP, the company that processes my premiums, has a long history of cutting me off if my payment isn’t received on the first of the [...]
Thu, July 30 2009 » Uncategorized » 2 Comments
Tomorrow’s the big day: they’ll be “Putting Patients First” at the National Press Club. The last panel of the event is on specialist care; it includes Dr. Rich from Covert Rationing, Dr. Wes, and Kim from Emergiblog (yay, nurses!). This, then, is my final set of questions: 1) Since I know the answer to all [...]
Thu, July 16 2009 » Uncategorized » 1 Comment
This Friday’s “Putting Patients First” has a primary care panel; Kevin, MD and Dr. Rob are on it, along with two other names I don’t recognize. Let me say first, I am totally in the tank for primary care. Kevin, MD and I don’t see eye to eye on… anything? But I agree with him [...]
Wed, July 15 2009 » Uncategorized » 4 Comments
This striking graph compares the rise in veterinary costs to the rise in human health costs over the last twenty odd years. It was created by Andrew Gibbs of the American Enterprise Institute, and he argues it shows there’s nothing wrong with the increase in human health spending; rather, the problem is the level of [...]
Tue, July 14 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
I have my own reasons for being opposed to the tax exemption for health benefits – namely, it doesn’t help me at all – but here is another argument against the exemption that I think deserves some consideration: In the long run, capping the amount of health insurance that employers can provide tax-free would raise [...]
Fri, July 10 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
Dr. Sandeep Jauhar writes about the business of doctoring in the New York Times… I must admit that part of me wants to see doctors master the business side of our profession. When I hear about executives at health companies getting tens of millions of dollars in bonuses, I am nauseated by the blatant profiteering. [...]
Tue, July 7 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
Timothy Noah has a provocative article on Slate titled The Paradox of Health Reform, pointing out that health care reform might help keep alive something we’re all better off without: In fact, employer-based health insurance is dying. A troublesome irony is that health care reform may spare this awkward and inegalitarian system the death it [...]
Sun, June 14 2009 » Uncategorized » 3 Comments
A novel crime against decency by Duncan Cross
