Preparing for a (Gulp!) Colonoscopy: What It Says About Our Healthcare System
As of November 30, I am now, as my gastroenterologist puts it, 39 + 11 years old. You know what that means! So, a couple of weeks ago I called his office to make an appointment. I would have preferred...
View ArticleWelcome to the Roller Coaster Ride of the Affordable Care Act
I’m behind in the blog, I admit it. Last week I was planning a blog on all the good news about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the 10 million people who signed up; the lower-than-expected...
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How Much is Three Extra Months Worth?
I’m in the middle of a project about the future of cancer care in this country. And you can’t talk about cancer treatment these days without also talking about cost. That’s because cancer drugs are...
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Should You Listen to Your Doctor?
When I speak about the US healthcare system, I always like to tell the story of my mother. A couple of years ago, she emailed my sisters and I. “Good news!” she wrote. “My nuclear stress test was...
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Why You Need a Second Opinion
Early in the summer I wrote about a good friend who was diagnosed with ovarian cysts and endometriosis. She saw a gyn oncologist because there was a small chance it was cancer (thankfully, it wasn’t)....
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Doctors Are Angry. I Get That. But . . .
I knew this would be the toughest audience yet in my three years of teaching/speaking about the US healthcare system and healthcare reform. I even put on a flak jacket at the beginning of my talk as a...
View ArticleWhy Repealing the Affordable Care Act Won’t Stop Healthcare Reform
So the election is over. The Republicans now control both houses. And several are promising that one of their first jobs is to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). I’m sure there are lots of people...
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A Letter to a Friend (or, I’m Sorry I Lost My Temper Last Night”)
So I did something last night that I’m not proud of. I got into an argument – complete with raised voices – with a friend. Over health care and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), of course. (Note that he...
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Who’s In Charge? You or Your Doctor?
Sunday was the first baby shower I’d been to since. . . well, let’s just say that my youngest kid turned 19 a few days ago. There were the mandatory sherbet-colored decorations; a watermelon fruit bowl...
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How Much Is That CT Scan In the Window?
Do you know how much that 50-inch, flat-screen TV cost? How about your car? The cashmere cardigan you just had to have? So how much did that visit with your gyn because of your painful period cost...
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Ladies: Stop Cutting Off Healthy Breasts
Really scary story in The Wall Street Journal this week about a dramatic increase in double mastectomies in this country — and not for women who need them. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer only...
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Value-Based Reimbursement: There’s a New Player in Town
There’s a new player in town. In case you haven’t heard, his name is VBR – value-based reimbursement. He’s smart. He’s tough. He’s out to break you down and build you up. And if you’re a healthcare...
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How Much is Three Extra Months Worth?
I’m in the middle of a project about the future of cancer care in this country. And you can’t talk about cancer treatment these days without also talking about cost. That’s because cancer drugs are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Should You Listen to Your Doctor?
When I speak about the US healthcare system, I always like to tell the story of my mother. A couple of years ago, she emailed my sisters and I. “Good news!” she wrote. “My nuclear stress test was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why You Need a Second Opinion
Early in the summer I wrote about a good friend who was diagnosed with ovarian cysts and endometriosis. She saw a gyn oncologist because there was a small chance it was cancer (thankfully, it wasn’t)....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Doctors Are Angry. I Get That. But . . .
I knew this would be the toughest audience yet in my three years of teaching/speaking about the US healthcare system and healthcare reform. I even put on a flak jacket at the beginning of my talk as a...
View ArticleWhy Repealing the Affordable Care Act Won’t Stop Healthcare Reform
So the election is over. The Republicans now control both houses. And several are promising that one of their first jobs is to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). I’m sure there are lots of people...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Letter to a Friend (or, I’m Sorry I Lost My Temper Last Night”)
So I did something last night that I’m not proud of. I got into an argument – complete with raised voices – with a friend. Over health care and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), of course. (Note that he...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Who’s In Charge? You or Your Doctor?
Sunday was the first baby shower I’d been to since. . . well, let’s just say that my youngest kid turned 19 a few days ago. There were the mandatory sherbet-colored decorations; a watermelon fruit bowl...
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