Tag Archives: Medicare

Inappropriate Medicare Incentives Lead to Unnecessary Subspecialty Procedures

Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014

Sometimes people flat out need cameras shoved down into their stomachs.  A long history of reflux disease, for example, could prompt a gastroenterologist to perform an “upper endoscopy”—to run a thin tube down the patient’s throat in order to view … Continue reading →

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Are Bundled Payments the Future of US Healthcare?

Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I spoke recently with a reporter from the USA Today, who ended up writing a nice article on bundled payments in healthcare. I promise to return to this topic on future posts. But for now, let me whet your appetite … Continue reading →

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Look How Much Medicare Spends after Patients Leave the Hospital

Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2014

As readers of this blog know, Medicare costs loom large in our nation’s future. If we do not find a way to control Medicare spending, it’s hard to imagine any way to remain a solvent nation. As we continue to … Continue reading →

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Is Medicare Being Too Generous To Rural Healthcare Providers?

Posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2014

  If you live in the rural U.S., you probably face relatively limited access to the wonders of American healthcare.  There won’t be as many physicians per capita offering you their services.  This paucity of healthcare professionals will be especially … Continue reading →

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The Biggest Government Health Care Spender Since LBJ Was…Ronald Reagan?

Posted on Friday, February 28, 2014

Many readers will recognize Ronald Reagan’s famous maxim that: “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”  Some will even recognize his vehement opposition to Lyndon Johnson’s Medicare proposal, before the program was passed into law: … Continue reading →

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Why JFK Failed to Pass Medicare

Posted on Monday, February 3, 2014

In a late night phone call during a foreign policy crisis, Kennedy expressed disdain for domestic policy, showing the kind of attitude that doomed later efforts to reform the U.S. healthcare system: “It really is true that foreign affairs is … Continue reading →

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Medicare and the Desegregation of American Hospitals

Posted on Thursday, January 30, 2014

As anyone who has followed the Obamacare roller coaster over the past 4 years knows, passing legislation is only the first step in reforming a healthcare system. Since Obamacare came into law, we have been consumed by battles over how … Continue reading →

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When It Came to Medicare Costs LBJ Concluded “What’s $400 Million Between Friends!”

Posted on Friday, January 24, 2014

Lyndon Johnson’s advisers were worried. They were drafting a Medicare proposal, a major component of Johnson’s war on poverty. But the cost of this program was turning out to be much larger than expected. By their estimates, in the first … Continue reading →

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A Surprising Early Supporter of Obamacare: Eisenhower?

Posted on Tuesday, January 21, 2014

On October 10, 1952, President Dwight Eisenhower gave a speech in Salt Lake City in which he reiterated his opposition to socialized medicine. In fact, he had long asserted that he would “use every single attribute and influence of the … Continue reading →

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How Truman’s Medicare Efforts Were Foiled by Red Baiting

Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2014

In The Heart of Power, David Blumenthal and James Morone relate the 75 year history of presidential efforts (typically unsuccessful) to reform the U.S. healthcare system.  I used to think major reform efforts did not happen for many years after FDR’s … Continue reading →

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