The last time a major effort at health care reform was tried, it died an ignoble death. Bill and Hillary Clinton were certain that they had read the political signals correctly and that health care reform was a winning issue for them. Bill Clinton framed health care as an essential economic issue after he was elected and before he became …

There is much speculation — and advice — about what to do about health reform given the change in Congress since the Massachusetts’ Senate race. Some policy makers and pundits are advising that it would be better to take small bites out of health reform — rather than trying to continue down a path focused on change to the entire …

Well, every politician for the past 100 years has known that health care reform is the “third rail” of politics. And, if they didn’t know before Massachusetts, they know it now. So, why did health reform fail this time? Is it for the same reasons it has in the past or is there something unique about this moment or this …

During the debate about health care reform, there has been much discussion about the need for a public option. The advocates for that option talk about the need to assure real competition in health care. About the public option, Robert Reich said, “…without a public option, the other parties that comprise America’s non-system of health care — private insurers, doctors, …

Health reform is exciting and both the House and Senate bills have elements that could greatly improve the way care is delivered for millions of people. But, with all those great things, you have to know that there are lots of things in those more than 1,900 pages of the House bill and more than 2,000 in the Senate bill …

“Breast-screening advice is Upended” (Wall Street Journal, November 17, 2009) For years, we have been told that we should have a mammogram every year after age 40 and in 2002, this advice was repeated by the same folks who now are recommending that most women can wait until 50 for routine mammograms. Does it make anyone think about the margarine …

I was having a debate the other day about whether the health reform bill going through Congress was a good or bad thing and whether it went too far or not far enough. This dialog is occurring with my friends and colleagues who are strong European model supporters – let’s put all docs on capitation/salary – and my friends who …