Articles of Interest

By Jack Bernard | AL.com (Huntsville, Ala.), Sept. 23, 2016
Black Lives Matter has its supporters (43 percent of Americans, per Pew Research Center), as well as its detractors (22 percent), but one thing is unmistakable: it has brought visibility to a very real problem. For too long, the general public has ignored the increasingly frequent violence against African-Americans, especially men.

By Paul Gorman, M.D. | Portland (Ore.) Business Journal, Sept. 15, 2016
Working as an Oregon physician for over 30 years, in small town primary care and big city academic medical centers, I have become convinced that single payer is the only way to achieve the health care system we need and deserve.

By Adam Gaffney, M.D. | Jacobin, Sept. 2, 2016
If epinephrine autoinjectors are to be stockpiled in public places like schools throughout the nation, and if they are optimally identical, then they constitute a significant public health concern that cannot be left to the caprice of one or two oligopolistic firms.

By Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H., Adam Gaffney, M.D., and David Himmelstein, M.D. | MedPage Today, Aug. 26, 2016
There can be no doubt that the ACA improved both coverage and access to care. The number of uninsured has fallen by 41%, with the largest gains among the poor, near-poor, and minorities. The percentage of Americans unable to afford medications or needed care has also fallen, although more modestly. Yet post-ACA, more than a quarter of poor non-elderly adults remains uninsured. Moreover, high out-of-pocket costs continue to deter many of those with coverage from seeking care when they need it.

By Ed Weisbart, M.D. | St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Letters, Aug. 26, 2016
When I read that Aetna was pulling out of the Missouri health insurance marketplace, I immediately reached for my wallet to see which insurance company I have this year.

By Craig Klugman, Ph.D. | Bioethics.net Blog, Aug. 24, 2016
In Illinois, Land of Lincoln insurance and Aetna announced that they are pulling out of the health insurance Marketplace. In other states, United HealthCare and Humana have announced pulling out of the exchanges. As a result, many newspaper headlines and political pundits have declared the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare) to be in a “death spiral.”

By Dr. Jen Gunter | Dr. Gunter's Wordpress Blog, August 20, 2016
Two years ago I wrote about my experience in a London emergency department with my son, Victor. That post has since been viewed > 450,000 times. There are over 800 comments with no trolls (a feat unto itself) and almost all of them express love for the NHS. I was in England again this week. And yes, I was back in an emergency department, but this time with my cousin (who is English). This is what happened.

By Kay Tillow | The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.), letters, Aug. 23, 2016
No one should cry for Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini over his claim of losses in the Obamacare exchange plans. Bertolini raked in $27.9 million in total compensation in 2015.

By Steve Sebelius | Las Vegas Review-Journal, Aug. 20, 2016
During the Democratic primary, as Bernie Sanders battled Hillary Clinton for the nomination, a strong disagreement emerged over health care. Sanders — who has supported a single-payer health care system similar to those in Canada and Great Britain — asked voters why America can’t do the same thing.