Tick Tock (or TikTok) for US Health Care
BY KIM BELLARD Yes, I know Congress just passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a big step forward in combating climate change that also has some […]
Health Policy
Long COVID cardiac studies: More questions than answers.
BY ANISH KOKA The NIH recently announced $1.2 billion dollars in funding for research on Long COVID. This is in part because of a faction of scientists […]
UK decision not to buy Covid drug Evusheld disappoints charities
Drug can help prevent infection in people who are immunocompromised but government says data is lacking The UK will not buy the drug Evusheld, which […]
UK decision not to buy Covid drug Evusheld disappoints charities
Drug can help prevent infection in people who are immunocompromised but government says data is lacking The UK will not buy the drug Evusheld, which […]
Caring Does Not Pay
BY KIM BELLARD Things are tough all over the job market. With a jobless rate at 3.5%, and with millions of people who left the […]
The Impact of COVID-19 on Shared Priorities for International Cooperation in Active and Healthy Aging
By ELIZABETH BROWN, CATALYST @ HEALTH 2.0 IN THIS MINI-SERIES, WE WILL BE TAKING A LOOK BACK AT THE IDIH WEEK 2022 USA REGIONAL WORKSHOP, […]
US Cardiac electrophysiologists meet reimbursement reality and don’t like it.
By ANISH KOKA It’s been a while but Anish Koka, a one time regular writer on THCB and occasional THCB Gang member, is back publishing […]
At the Core, Tuskegee Has Never Been Resolved
BY MIKE MAGEE July 25, 1972 was fifty years ago this week and it is a day that all AP Science journalists know by heart. […]
I Was Wrong
BY KIM BELLARD The New York Times had an interesting set of op-eds last week under the theme “I Was Wrong.” For example, Paul Krugman […]
Be Careful What You Wish For
BY KIM BELLARD I read the Stat News investigative piece “Health care’s high rollers,” by Bob Herman and colleagues, with interest but not much surprise. […]
Dr. Topol’s comment on LongCOVID and the heart is misleading/lacking context
By ANISH KOKA It’s been a while but Anish Koka, a one time regular writer on THCB and occasional THCB Gang member, is back publishing […]
M4A as a Swing Issue
BY MIKE MAGEE “There’s common ground there—not the warm belonging of full creedal agreement, perhaps, but a place, even a welcoming place, where we can […]
Danger Ahead. Good
BY KIM BELLARD I saw a great quote by Alfred North Whitehead the other day: “It is the business of the future to be dangerous.” […]
We Hold These Truths
BY KIM BELLARD It’s July 4th – Independence Day for those of you who remember your U.S. history. There’s already too much talk about loss […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits: Texas is the present future of abortion care
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
Mike Magee’s Advice to the AMA on Reversal of Roe vs. Wade
BY MIKE MAGEE Stable, civic societies are built upon human trust and confidence. If you were forced to rebuild a society, leveled by warfare and […]
We Have a Right to Privacy…Right?
BY KIM BELLARD Well, they did it. We had a warning they were going to do it, from the leaked opinion in May, but it […]
Getting Sick and Going Broke – CVS, Credit Cards, and Crippling Medical Debt
BY MIKE MAGEE The Medical-Industrial Complex is swarming with grifters. This is to be expected when you build a purposefully complex system designed to advance […]
An Upside Down Future for Healthcare
BY KIM BELLARD I find myself thinking about the future a lot, in part because I’ve somehow accumulated so much past, and in part because […]
Global Warming and Disease
BY MIKE MAGEE A study eight years ago, published in Nature, was titled “Study revives bird origin for 1918 flu pandemic.” The study, which analyzed […]
Republican Health Policies Disproportionally Harm White Citizens in Their States
BY MIKE MAGEE “As I’ve said before, I believe Dr. Ladapo is an anti-science quack who doesn’t belong anywhere near our state’s Surgeon General office, […]
Hey, Old Guys!
BY KIM BELLARD OK, how many of you had on your women-in-power bingo cards that, in 2022, Sheryl Sandberg would be out at Facebook but […]
British Doctor Suspended for falsely claiming she was “promised” a laptop. WTF!
BY SAURABH JHA If forced to choose Britain’s two biggest contributions to civilizations, I’d pick the Magna Carta and the vaguely instructional “fuck off.” If […]
Virtual Care Regulatory Round-Up: Telehealth & Digital Care ‘State-of-Play’ by Nathaniel Lacktman
BY JESS DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH Just as HHS extends the Covid-19 public health emergency waivers until July, we kick-off a brand-new monthly interview series about […]
I Want to Believe
BY KIM BELLARD I know, I should be writing about hot topics like monkeypox or the baby formula shortage, but, c’mon, Congress held hearings last […]
What Do You Mean, “Innovation”?
BY KIM BELLARD One of my favorite movies is The Princess Bride. Among the many great quotes is one from Inigo Montoya, who becomes frustrated […]
The Licensing Walls Come Tumbling Down
BY KIM BELLARD Abortion rights continue to be one of the most heated issues in American politics, super-fueled by last week’s leak of a draft […]
Learning from This War
BY KIM BELLARD There’s an old military adage that generals are always fighting the last war. It’s not that they haven’t learned any lessons, it’s […]
ONC Explainer: Micky Tripathi Deep-Dive on Info Blocking, API standardization & TEFCA
By JESS DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH Micky Tripathi the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS says this year will be a “transformative” year for […]
Healthcare Suffers from Patient Bias
By KIM BELLARD If you went to business school, or perhaps did graduate work in statistics, you may have heard of survivor bias (AKA, survivorship […]
Dara’s “Hero Quest”: How About Embracing Universal Health Care in America?
By MIKE MAGEE Joseph Campbell, who died in 1987 at the age 83, was a professor of literature and comparative mythology at Sarah Lawrence College. […]
We Love Innovation. Don’t We?
BY KIM BELLARD America loves innovation. We prize creativity. We honor inventors. We are the nation of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Jonas Salk, Steve Jobs, […]
Medical regulator faces questions over board members’ links to drug firms
Concerns over potential conflicts of interest lead to calls for regulator’s policy to be strengthened The UK medicines watchdog has been urged to strengthen its […]
Ukraine’s Secret Weapon – “Moral Superiority”
BY MIKE MAGEE Two hundred and ten years ago, on September 7, 1812, a Putinesque commander, narrowly won a battle, but lost a war and […]
MedPAC Got It Wrong (pt 3)
By GEORGE HALVORSON This is the third part of former Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson’s critique of Medpac’s new analysis of Medicare Advantage. Part 1 […]
988 and 911: Justice System Involvement in Mental Health Crises
BY BEN WHEATLEY A woman was walking in the crosswalk of a busy intersection as the rain started to come down. She looked cold, but […]
Profits jump for Patel-backed PPE firm after it won £216m contracts
Pharmaceuticals Direct Limited was awarded taxpayer-funded business after support from home secretary Profits at a PPE company that secured support from the home secretary, Priti […]
MedPAC Got It Wrong (pt 2)
By GEORGE HALVORSON This is the second part of former Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson’s critique of Medpac’s new analysis of Medicare Advantage.Part 1 is […]
MedPAC Got It Wrong (pt 1)
By GEORGE HALVORSON This is the first part of former Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson’s critique of Medpac’s new analysis of Medicare Advantage. The rest […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits: #Does Medicare Advantage Save the Taxpayer Money?
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
Contemplating Health Data Rights as Civil Rights
BY ERIC PERAKSLIS ON BEHALF OF THE LIGHT COLLECTIVE Recently, despite decades of experience in cybersecurity, privacy, and data science, I got sent back to […]
Celebrating the 12th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act in a Pandemic: Where Would We Be Without It?
BY ROSEMARIE DAY When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law twelve years ago today, Joe Biden called it “a big f-ing deal.” […]
ARPHA-H Needs to Think Bigger
BY KIM BELLARD Everyone loves DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that is credited with such hits as the internet and GPS, but is […]
Hospital Systems: A Framework for Maximizing Social Benefit
By JEFF GOLDSMITH and IAN MORRISON Hospital consolidation has risen to the top of the health policy stack. David Dranove and Lawton Burns argued in their […]
The (sort of, partial) Father mRNA Vaccines Who Now Spreads Vaccine Misinformation (Part 2)
By DAVID WARMFLASH, MD This is part 2 of David Warmlash’s takedown of Robert W. Malone’s appearance (transcript) on the Rogan podcast. Part 1 is […]
The (sort of, partial) Father mRNA Vaccines Who Now Spreads Vaccine Misinformation (Part 1)
By DAVID WARMFLASH, MD Robert W. Malone, MD MS, is a physician-scientist who will live in infamy, thanks to the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast boosting […]
Where Health Care Value Can Lead
By BRIAN KLEPPER It seems inevitable that, in the near future, an innovative health care organization – Let’s call it The Platform – is going […]
Reflections From the Ukraine
By MIKE MAGEE The English translator of Tolstoy’s epic Russian novel, “War and Peace”, Richard Pevear, writes in his introduction, “The book is set in […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits: The Stupidity Vaccine
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
‘It’s a real-life Hunger Games’: a lifesaving drug costs $2m, but not every child can get it
Zolgensma is a revolutionary gene therapy that can stop a deadly childhood condition called SMA in its tracks. It’s also one of the most expensive […]
Medicare Advantage Poses Challenges to Health CareCost Effectiveness and Equity
BY NIRBAN SINGH AND AMY HELBURN Introduction Medicare Advantage (Advantage), originally conceived in 1997 during the Clinton Administration as ‘Medicare + Choice’, has progressively grown […]
Raspberry Pi Health Care
By KIM BELLARD Like many of you, I have been intently following the war in Ukraine, cheering for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people, while […]
Get Ready for (Healthcare) Microgrids
BY KIM BELLARD We depend on it. Indeed, our daily lives are unimaginable without it. The trouble is, it’s become unreliable. Lives have been lost […]
What Would Newt Do? Making Value-Based Care Victorious
By MICHAEL MILLENSON Health care’s much-trumpeted transition “from volume to value” care remains more tepid than transformational, according to a new study. Looking at 22 […]
What the Pandemic Taught Us About Value-based Care
By RICHARD ISSACS You’ll recall that we ran a long piece (pt 1, pt 2) about Medicare Advantage from former Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson […]
Aledade: Mandy Cohen joins, Farzad speaks
Aledade is the “build an ACO out of small independent primary care practices” company. It was founded by former ONC Director Farzad Mostashari and has […]
Imaging a Different Future
By KIM BELLARD Two articles have me thinking this week. One sets up the problem healthcare has (although healthcare is not explicitly mentioned), while the […]
Will Microbes Finally Force Modernization of the American Health Care System?
Mike Magee MD Science has a way of punishing humans for their arrogance. In 1996, Dr. Michael Osterholm found himself rather lonely and isolated in […]
Take a Tip from Domino’s
By KIM BELLARD If you’re already thinking ahead to next Sunday’s Super Bowl, you might be thinking about Domino’s, because, as everyone knows, pizza and […]
Ecology and Technical Advance
By MIKE MAGEE It is fair to say that the vast majority of Americans know more about viruses today than they did 24 months ago. […]
Spotify, Joe Rogan, and Health Care
By KIM BELLARD Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d have to write: the most interesting discussion in healthcare in the past week has been […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits: #What is insurance again?
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
The Social Science of Covid
By MIKE MAGEE As we enter the third year of the Covid pandemic, with perhaps a partial end in sight, the weight of the debate […]
The Tests were a Test
By KIM BELLARD Raise your hand if you’ve gone out shopping for home COVID tests, only to find empty shelves and signs apologizing for the […]
The Covid Vaccine’s PR Crisis: Health Innovation vs the Take-Down Power of Disinformation
By JESSICA DaMASSA Misinformation and disinformation (intentionally wrong information) have plagued the storyline of the Covid19 vaccine since the early days of its development, creating […]
The Intersection of 911 and 988: Decriminalizing Mental Health Crises
By BEN WHEATLEY Effective July 2022, a new three-digit telephone number (988) will become the number to call in the case of mental health emergencies. […]
DAOs May Rescue Healthcare
By KIM BELLARD You may have seen the news that Kaiser Permanente has signed on to be an organizing member of Graphite Health, joining SSM […]
Medicare Advantage Is a Superior Program (Part two)
By GEORGE HALVORSON Former Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson has written on THCB on and off over the years, most notably with his proposal for Medicare Advantage for […]
What a Waste of a Healthcare System
By KIM BELLARD An essay in Aeon had me at the title: The Waste Age. The title was so evocative of the world we live […]
Medicare Advantage Is a Superior Program (Part one)
By GEORGE HALVORSON Former Kaiser Permanente CEO George Halvorson has written on THCB on and off over the years, most notably with his proposal for Medicare Advantage for […]
UK Covid test distributor shut for Christmas after receiving 2.5m kits
Alliance Healthcare took delivery on 24 December and then closed for four days, amid nationwide shortage Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage […]
UK medicines regulator approves Pfizer’s ‘life-saving’ Covid pill
Paxlovid found to be ‘safe and effective’ at reducing hospitalisation and death among vulnerable adults Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage UK […]
My 22 Oldest Jokes and Why they Still Matter in 2022
By IAN MORRISON I have been studying American healthcare for more than 40 years and I have assembled a large number of one-liners over the years. As we enter 2022, I thought I’d share […]
NHS drug pledge broken for asthma sufferers and smokers, report reveals
Exclusive: charities critical of failure to meet health plan for England, despite 2019 agreement A promise to ensure that people with severe asthma and smokers […]
“Playing Doctor” – A Cautionary Tale From Health IT Pioneers.
By MIKE MAGEE Warner Vincent Slack, MD, a pioneer of medical informatics, was a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in the Division of […]
The Eisenhower Principle
By KIM BELLARD I’ve finally come to understand why the U.S. healthcare system continues to be such a mess, and I have President Dwight Eisenhower […]
UK ministers secure 114m more Covid vaccines for next two years
Extra Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna jabs for 2022 and 2023 ordered to ‘future proof’ vaccine programme Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Ministers […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits: Drug prices
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
The Kids Aren’t Alright
By KIM BELLARD America, like most cultures, claims to love and value children, but, gosh, the reality sure seems very different. Three recent reports help […]
988: A New Lifeline for Mental Health Emergencies
By BEN WHEATLEY Miles Hall, a 23-year-old Black man experiencing a psychotic episode, was shot and killed by police after 911 received calls of a […]
Healthcare Not a Part of the US Inflation Surge: Who Knew?
By JEFF GOLDSMITH When I first appeared in The Health Care Blog fourteen long years ago, it was to decry the policy community’s obsessive search […]
Climate Change: The Future of the Quality Movement
By MARIE DUNN A little more than 20 years ago, the IOM report To Err is Human catalyzed the profession around the realization that our […]
Can Democracy Survive In The Absence of Health Care Security?
By MIKE MAGEE In my course this fall at the President’s College at the University of Hartford, we began by exploring the word “right” at […]
What is the “Right” to Health Care Worth? It Depends
By MIKE MAGEE In my course this Fall at the University of Hartford, titled “The Right to Health Care and the U.S. Constitution”, we have […]
Godwin’s Law and the Rise of Hyperbole on MedTwitter ?
By @roguerad I first clashed with authority when I was eight. Every Saturday bunch of brown kids, children of Indian immigrants to Britain with an […]
State-Based Marketplaces 2.0 Part 2: Engines of Innovation, Competition, and Consumerism
By ROSEMARIE DAY and DAVID W. JOHNSON Within the current political reality, how can America implement policies that increase access to health insurance while also […]
In “Riding” Abortion, Is Greg Abbott Driving Texas Toward Divestiture?
By MIKE MAGEE Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been on a tear lately, and his central theme appears to be “revanchism.” Faced with declining demographics, […]
State-Based Marketplaces 2.0 – Part 1: The Coming Expansion in Access, Affordability, and Value
By ROSEMARIE DAY and DAVID W. JOHNSON, The Affordable Care Act (ACA) survived its third challenge at the Supreme Court on June 18, 2021, by […]
The Vaccine Brawl – A Legal Battle in Process
By MIKE MAGEE The power to mandate vaccines was litigated and resolved over a century ago. Justice John Marshall Harlin, a favorite of current Chief […]
Policies, Techies, VCS: Musings From a Futurist
By IAN MORRISON I should’ve been in Paris last week on vacation with my wife, instead I listened in to the Policies Techies VCS: What’s […]
Selfish Much?
By KIM BELLARD In a week where we’ve seen the bungled Afghan withdrawal, had Texas show us its contempt for all sorts of rights, watched […]
Does Our Healthcare System Work for the Most Vulnerable Americans?
By DEBORAH AFEZOLLI, CARL-PHILIPPE ROUSSEAU, HELEN FERNANDEZ, ELIZABETH LINDENBERGER “Why did you choose this field?” Most physicians are asked this question at some point in […]
Health Care, Meet Gall’s Law
By KIM BELLARD I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without knowing about Gall’s Law (thanks to @niquola for tweeting it!). For those of you […]
Sleepless Nights For Evolutionary Biologists: A Greek Tragedy in The Making
By MIKE MAGEE In my Jesuit high school, we were offered only one science course – chemistry. I took it in my Senior year and […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
The FDA’s Culture: Should Safety Dominate All Practices?
By STEVEN ZECOLA An organization’s culture is an internal set of shared values, attitudes and practices. The cohesiveness of the organizational culture will affect whether the […]
Delta Double-Down: A Universal Health Plan Is Long Overdue.
By MIKE MAGEE On March 25, 1966, during the Poor People’s March that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Of all the forms of […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
It takes a pandemic: Mental Health parity may finally have its day!
By EMILY EVANS Emily Evans is the health policy guru at equity research company HedgeEye. She sends out these reports in emails to her clients […]
Breast cancer drug approved for NHS after maker agrees discount
Reversal of earlier rejection by Nice of abemaciclib – known as Verzenios – is welcomed by campaigners A breast cancer drug that was rejected for […]
UK orders extra Covid vaccines for autumn 2022 booster campaign
Pfizer reportedly asked to supply 35m more doses, with final go-ahead for this year’s programme still awaited Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus […]
Health Care Needs A Hero
By MIKE MAGEE Health care needs its heroes. I came to that conclusion this week through a roundabout route. First I read Maureen Dowd’s interview […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
Biden Should Extend a “Public Option” as a Message to “Health Care Royalists”
By MIKE MAGEE In this world of political theatrics, with Democratic legislators from Texas forced into exodus to preserve voters’ rights, and Tucker Carlson rantings […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
A Hamiltonian View of Post-Pandemic America
By MIKE MAGEE “In countries where there is great private wealth much may be effected by the voluntary contributions of patriotic individuals, but in a […]
Million Pfizer jabs face being dumped after Israel-UK swap deal fails
Israel says technical issues have scuppered deal to give UK Covid vaccines expiring on 30 July Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage […]
Drug firms giving MPs ‘hidden’ funding, research shows
Pharmaceutical industry has “hidden web of policy influence” over dozens of all-party parliamentary groups Drug companies are giving groups of MPs and peers that campaign […]
Community Health Plans Are Serious: Support Major Federal Action to Reduce Rx Drug Costs
By CECI CONNOLLY Equal treatment under the law. A foundational pillar of American life. Except when it comes to drug makers who benefit from favorable […]
Matthew’s health care tidbits
Each week I’ve been adding a brief tidbits section to the THCB Reader, our weekly newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB that week (Sign […]
U.S. Science Embrace of Wuhan “Gain-Of-Function” Viral Research Proved A Slippery Slope
By MIKE MAGEE The truth hurts. Eighteen months into a disaster that has claimed 3.5 million lives around the globe, the truth is seeping out. […]
Bias, Before First Breath
How structural racism and implicit bias impact America’s babies, even prior to birth By ELLIE STANG Becoming a new mother in America is more dangerous […]
Make Some Microbe Friends
By KIM BELLARD It’s the coolest story I’ve seen in the past few days: The New York Times reported how an Italian museum cleaned its […]
MPs tell Johnson: you have a duty to help vaccinate the world
Exclusive: group urges prime minister to tackle ‘desperate shortage’ in developing nations Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Boris Johnson has a […]
Public Health Nurses Once Again Asking, “What Are They Thinking?”
Whitney Thurman Karen Johnson By KAREN JOHNSON and WHITNEY THURMAN One recent Friday night, we huddled with our colleagues in the pouring rain at a […]
Secular Stagnation – An Economic Argument for Universal Health Care Now
By MIKE MAGEE John Maynard Keynes, the famous British economist, was born and raised in Cambridge, England, and taught at King’s College. He died in […]
A Timex Healthcare System
By KIM BELLARD Those of us of a certain age remember the Timex slogan that bragged about its watches’ durability: “It takes a licking and […]
10 Design Considerations for Vaccine Credentials
By ADRIAN GROPPER As COVID-19 vaccines become widely, if not fairly, available in different regions, both the public and private sector are working to develop […]
This Mother’s Day, Let’s Get Mothers the Health Care Coverage They Need
Mothers deserve more than a day of recognition this year—they deserve the whole month, and more. The pandemic has been particularly hard on women, especially poor […]
“Necessitous Men Are Not Free Men” – Words to Remember
By MIKE MAGEE In the second half of the 19th century, Emily Dickinson wrote a short poem that could easily have been a forward looking […]
The Market Forces Behind Vaccine Passports
By SAURABH JHA Unlike medical meetings, rendering Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony isn’t easy on Zoom, so the local orchestra has been furloughed and their members work […]
UK orders 60m more doses of Pfizer Covid vaccine for booster jabs
Health secretary says greater supplies of vaccine will help safeguard progress in tackling coronavirus Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK […]
Healthcare’s Million Dollar Blocks
By KIM BELLARD Since I first heard about them, I have been fascinated, and dismayed, by the concept of “million dollar blocks.” For those of […]
UK strategy of backing several Covid vaccines seems to be paying off
Analysis: buying new and existing technologies ensured alternatives if a vaccine failed or had supply issues Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage […]
Coronavirus: UK expert urges people in 20s to keep getting vaccine
Prof David Spiegelhalter says advantages of vaccinating young people far outweigh risks Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage People in their 20s […]
UK ministers silent on AstraZeneca vaccine shipment to Australia
Downing Street will not confirm or deny report that more than 700,000 Covid jabs were sent after EU blocked export Coronavirus – latest updates See […]
A prized UK biotech firm looks to Wall Street, much to Rishi Sunak’s dismay
Vaccitech, the Oxford-based firm behind the AstraZeneca vaccine, is a high-profile float that slipped away A glowing, Deliveroo-style tribute from Rishi Sunak will not be […]
Time to Reboot “Medicare-For-All”
By MIKE MAGEE In the fog of the Covid pandemic, many are wondering what ever happened to prior vocal support for universal coverage and Medicare-for-All. […]
We Are the Ever Given
By KIM BELLARD The Ever Given is free! Admit it: you’ve been following the story about the huge container ship stuck in the Suez Canal. […]
UK to make up to 60m doses of Novavax Covid vaccine under GSK deal
Deal is intended to boost domestic supply amid fears potential export bans could hit vaccine shipments Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage […]
Boris Johnson: vaccine cooperation vital to help combat third Covid wave
PM stresses need to work with EU and says surge in infections is likely to ‘wash up on our shores’ Coronavirus – latest updates See […]
Benefits of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh any risk, says EMA
European agency seeks to allay blood clot fears as Germany, France and Italy temporarily suspend use Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage […]
Pandemic Accelerants: Life Under the “New-Normal.”
By MIKE MAGEE Confrontation is good. Governor Abbott’s “We are getting out of the business of telling people what they can and cannot do” was […]
Democrats vs. Republicans: Health Policy Battle Royale
Conventional wisdom holds that the U.S. has become more and more partisan and the views of both Democrats and Republicans have become less moderate over […]
Correlative Adventures with COVID
By ANISH KOKA “The patient in room 1 should be a quick one, its an addon, they just need a prescription for ivermectin” I’m a […]
Moderna’s “Secret Sauce”
By MIKE MAGEE This week J&J gained FDA approval for their 1-shot COVID vaccine, leading optimists like Pfizer Board member, Scott Gottlieb, to predict that […]
Wiping the Sleep From Our Eyes: The Pandemic Plan Trump Ignored
By MIKE MAGEE When awakening from a long sleep, there is a transition period, when the brain struggles momentarily to become oriented, to “think straight.” […]
Post Pandemic Re-Entry
By ALICIA MORTON FARLESE Not in our lifetimes has humanity experienced such a pervasive, profound, and prolonged retreat from “normal lives.” This. Will. Not. Be. […]
Number of UK Covid vaccinations falls by a third as vaccine supply dips
Factors at play include high uptake plus stockpiling for second doses, but Matt Hancock promises ‘bumper weeks in March’ Coronavirus – latest updates See all […]
Saints, Sinners, & the Spirituality of the SPAC Church | Politics, Policy, Power
By EMILY EVANS Takeaway: Policy changes have overtaken many health care SPACs but that won’t stop a lot of telegenic advocates; something is sure to […]
‘It shows what we’re capable of’: the NHS’s vaccine triumph
A huge effort has helped the UK provide 14m first doses of Covid vaccines in about two months Coronavirus – latest updates See all our […]
Oxford Covid vaccine 10% effective against South African variant, study suggests
Small-scale trial of vaccine’s efficacy shows it offers very little protection against mild to moderate infection Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage […]
UK orders 50m doses of Covid vaccines in fight against variants
Government to work with German firm CureVac on tackling potential mutations Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK government has signed […]
UK vaccine strategy ‘paying off’ as latest trials boost stockpiles
Pre-ordering of Janssen and Novavax means Britain has procured 247m successfully trialled jabs Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Britain has cemented […]
EU means business over Covid vaccine exports, says Von der Leyen
Commission president says firms must deliver on orders after AstraZeneca warns of shortfall Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The EU “means […]
Moderna Covid vaccine approved for use by UK medicines regulator
Britain’s third jab to receive clearance for public use will not be available until the spring Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage […]
Third Covid vaccine set for UK approval next week but arrival delayed by Brexit
Moderna jab won’t be available in Britain until April but fourth vaccine may soon come online Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage […]
What difference will Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine make in UK?
We look at how the introduction of a new vaccine in the fight against Covid will work Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus […]
Evaluating President-Elect Biden’s Healthcare Plan | Part 2
By TAYLOR J. CHRISTENSEN In Part 1 of this series, I reviewed the relevant context of our post-ACA healthcare system to show why President-Elect Joe […]
Evaluating President-Elect Biden’s Healthcare Plan | Part 1
By TAYLOR J. CHRISTENSEN Without the full support of congress behind him, President-Elect Joe Biden will probably not have an opportunity to sign any major […]
No Names, Please
By KIM BELLARD Feeling good about your holiday spending? You’ve made it through most of this mostly horrible 2020, maybe lost a job or even […]
Tensions mount over handling of UK Covid vaccine rollout
With overall costs for vaccinating the UK population at £12bn, the public accounts committee flags ‘highly unusual’ arrangements Coronavirus – latest updates See all our […]
The “Right” to Health Care in America
By MIKE MAGEE I’ve been working on a Spring lecture for President’s College at the University of Hartford titled, “The Constitution and Your ‘Right to […]
Here’s how to tackle the Covid-19 anti-vaxxers | Will Hanmer-Lloyd
Do not demonise. To optimise the vaccine rollout, all of us must show respect to those who are unsure about inoculations Will Hanmer-Lloyd is a […]
What, Us Worry
By KIM BELLARD 2020 has been an awful year. Hurricanes, wildfires, murder hornets, unjustified shootings, a divisive Presidential election, and, of course, a pandemic. Most […]
Vaccine results bring us a step closer to ending Covid, says Oxford scientist
Latest breakthrough comes as PM says he hopes most at-risk could be immunised by Easter Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The […]
Can the Government Mandate a Covid-19 Vaccine? Will It Have To?
By PHILLIP MEYLAN With the emergence of two vaccines with high levels of effectiveness, there’s a strong prospect of having powerful new tools to combat Covid-19 in the […]
‘It’s a great day’: Oxford coronavirus vaccine volunteers on trial data
Trial participants react to news that Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine has up to 90% efficacy Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Dan […]
Trials to begin in UK for Covid antibody cocktail drug treatment
Scientists say jab could be used to protect those who cannot be given vaccines Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Major trials […]
Pregnant women warned to avoid some pain-relief drugs
The post Pregnant women warned to avoid some pain-relief drugs appeared first on Healthy Debate.
Women Leaders Increasingly Visible In The Fight Against Covid-19
By MIKE MAGEE, MD As we struggle to control a second wave of Covid-19, we are reminded once again of the nurses and doctors who […]
Social Workers are the Healthcare Heroes We Need
By ALIZA NORWOOD I’m a primary care doctor at a clinic providing care to uninsured and under-insured patients in central Texas. As COVID-19 cases rise around the country, […]
Healthcare’s Bridge Fire
By KIM BELLARD We had a bridge fire here in Cincinnati last week. Two semis collided in the overnight hours. The collision ignited a blaze […]
‘Your brain is not broken:’ ACEs screening draws pushback
The post ‘Your brain is not broken:’ ACEs screening draws pushback appeared first on Healthy Debate.
UK in ‘advanced discussions’ to buy Moderna Covid vaccine
Britain decided not to buy US vaccine and earliest it could be supplied to UK is spring 2021 Coronavirus – latest updates See all our […]
In Praise of Unsung Heroes
By KIM BELLARD Even in this extraordinary year, this has been an extraordinary week. Last Tuesday we had what many believe to have been the […]
RWJF Emergency Response Innovation Challenges: Virtual Pitch Event on 11/19!
By ELIZABETH BROWN As COVID-19 brought to light the lack of emergency response preparedness in the health care system, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) […]
Shut out of clinical trials, community hospitals miss out on ‘cutting-edge therapy’
The post Shut out of clinical trials, community hospitals miss out on ‘cutting-edge therapy’ appeared first on Healthy Debate.
What Will Shape Joe Biden’s Health Care Agenda?
I’m thrilled to have health futurist Jeff Goldsmith back on THCB, and given Biden was only confirmed as President-elect this morning, his article on what […]
We Need a Digital Identity Framework to Guide the Challenging Transition to Remote Healthcare
By GUS MALEZIS We don’t often see two Republicans and two Democrats come together to offer solutions to problems. But even at this difficult time […]
A Cure at Any Cost? Time to Shine a Light on Drug Pricing
By CECI CONNOLLY and BOBBY CLARK We are all are anxiously awaiting the approval and delivery of a cure to the novel coronavirus – or […]
Election Issue Spotlight: “Junk” Insurance Makes a Pandemic Even Worse
By ROSEMARIE DAY and NIKO LEHMAN-WHITE One of the most important responsibilities of the American government is to protect its citizens from harmful industry practices, […]
What’s in the air? Aerosol transmission drawing increased attention
The post What’s in the air? Aerosol transmission drawing increased attention appeared first on Healthy Debate.
Viruses on Motorcycles
By ANISH KOKA The most recent fiction dressed up as science about COVID comes to us courtesy of a viral Washington Post article. “How the […]
Careful What You Wish For: How Republican Attorneys General’s Attack on the ACA Could Trigger Medicare for All
By MIKE MAGEE Cautionary tales are timeless. Take for example Aesop’s Fables, from 620 BC, which included the advisory, “Be careful what you wish for […]
Will Trump, Congressional Infections Boost Innovations For Covid-19 Survivors?
By MICHAEL MILLENSON When powerful politicians confront a life-threatening diagnosis, it can change policy priorities. In addition to President Trump and a slew of top […]
A War on Science is a War on Us
By KIM BELLARD We’re in the midst of a major U.S. election, as well as hearings on a Supreme Court vacancy, so people are thinking […]
A War on Science is a War on Us
By KIM BELLARD We’re in the midst of a major U.S. election, as well as hearings on a Supreme Court vacancy, so people are thinking […]
Value-based care – no progress since 1997?
By MATTHEW HOLT Humana is out with a report saying that its Medicare Advantage members who are covered by value-based care (VBC) arrangements do better […]
Value-based care – no progress since 1997?
By MATTHEW HOLT Humana is out with a report saying that its Medicare Advantage members who are covered by value-based care (VBC) arrangements do better […]
NHS coronavirus tests threatened by Roche supply chain glitch
Pharmaceutical firm reports ‘significant drop in processing capacity’ of reagents, kits and swabs Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Concerns have been […]
New Technologies Drive Cost Growth Over Time
By KEN TERRY (This is the eighth and final installment in a series of excerpts from Terry’s new book, Physician-Led Healthcare Reform: a New Approach […]
COVID-19 testing failing vulnerable communities
The post COVID-19 testing failing vulnerable communities appeared first on Healthy Debate.
Obstacles to Value-Based Care Can Be Overcome
By KEN TERRY (This is the seventh in a series of excerpts from Terry’s new book, Physician-Led Healthcare Reform: a New Approach to Medicare for […]
UK doing more than most to help poor get Covid vaccine, study finds
Campaign scoring countries for global access efforts calls for more British transparency Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK is doing […]
Biden’s Nov 9th speech: “Don’t you force me to pass Medicare 4 All”
By MATTHEW HOLT The new Supreme Court, in all likelihood including just nominated Justice Amy Coney Barrett, will be hearing the California v Texas suit […]
Measuring the Effectiveness of Cost-of-Care Conversations
By NELLY GANESAN, JOSH SEIDMAN, MORENIKE AYOVAUGHAN, and RINA BARDIN With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Avalere assesses opportunities to normalize cost-of-care conversations […]
Giving thanks for Dan’s Law
The post Giving thanks for Dan’s Law appeared first on Healthy Debate.
Slow Walking to Value Based Care: Why Fee for Service Still Rules
By KEN TERRY (This is the second in a series of excerpts from Terry’s new book, Physician-Led Healthcare Reform: a New Approach to Medicare for […]
Thriving in COVID Times
By KIM BELLARD These are, no question, hard times, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the U.S., we’re closing in on 180,000 deaths in the […]
Physicians Should Lead on Healthcare Reform
By KEN TERRY (This is the first in a series of excerpts from Terry’s new book, Physician-Led Healthcare Reform: a New Approach to Medicare for […]
THCB’s Bookclub, August 2020 – UnHealthcare: A Manifesto for Health Assurance
By JESSICA DAMASSA & MATTHEW HOLT The THCB Book Club is a discussion with leading health care authors, which will be released on the third Wednesday […]
Health Insurers Ride High for Now, But Watch What’s Coming Next
By KEN TERRY In the strangest healthcare business story of 2020, the major health insurance companies are thriving despite—or because of—the pandemic. As the second […]
Healthcare Sings The Non-Profit Blues
By MICHAEL TURPIN Powers once assumed are never relinquished, just as bureaucracies, once created, never die. Charley Reese As we ponder the 100 day count […]
UK agrees deals for 90m doses of two potential coronavirus vaccines
Government secures early access to those being developed by Novavax and Janssen Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK government has […]
The Story of an American Mask Distributor
By SAURABH JHA Seven weeks before President Trump declared COVID-19 a federal emergency heralding the economic lockdown, Jesse’s customers began cutting their orders. Jesse sells […]
Take Your Mom to Work
By KIM BELLARD If you are a working mom, or married to one, or simply know one, you know that it is tough to balance […]
The Need for Measuring Clinician-Patient Cost-of-Care Conversations
By MORENIKE AYOVAUGHAN, NELLY GANESAN, EMMY GANOS, and JOSH SEIDMAN It is no surprise that beyond COVID-19 health risks, the pandemic has also caused significant […]
How to Pandemic-Proof Our Healthcare Payment System
By AISHA PITTMAN, MPH and SETH EDWARDS, MHA The pandemic has focused many policymakers’ attention on strategies to make the healthcare system better. The obvious […]
Up to 750,000 UK Covid test kits recalled due to safety concerns
Products made by diagnostics firm Randox removed from care homes and individuals Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage the Up to 750,000 […]
Redefining Values in American Health Care
By RICHARD HOEN, MD Experts claim we could have been better prepared when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020. With an annual budget of […]
Health Insurance Needs to Grow Up
By KIM BELLARD I’ve been covered by private insurance my entire life. Even more telling, I worked in the health insurance industry for — gasp! […]
COVID herd immunity: At hand or forever elusive?
By MICHEL ACCAD, MD With cases of COVID-19 either disappeared or rapidly diminishing from places like Wuhan, Italy, New York, and Sweden, many voices are speculating […]
Stop Rolling Back Expanded Practice Licenses for Nurse Practitioners
Dallas Ducar Katie Wolf By DALLAS M. DUCAR, MSN, PMHNP-BC, RN, CNL and KATIE WOLF, MBA We’re not in Kansas anymore. Kansas has rescinded an […]
Collective State Action Is Needed to Fight This Pandemic Right Now
By KEN TERRY As COVID-19 cases soar across the country, the federal government has lost control of the situation. Amid the Trump Administration’s happy talk […]
Healthcare Should Get Into Some #GoodTrouble
By KIM BELLARD As hopefully most of you know, Rep. John Lewis, civil right icon and longtime member of Congress, died this past Friday. Rep. Lewis […]
Repurposing a Universally Installed EHR App Into an Effective COVID-19 Early Detection System
By SCOTT WEINGARTEN, MD COVID-19 exposed our country’s lack of centralized coordination when it comes to managing and preventing disease spread. Today, our public health […]
UK government orders halt to Randox Covid-19 tests over safety issues
Care homes and members of public told to immediately stop using firm’s kits Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The UK government […]
The Trump COVID Legacy: Bad Timing. Lots of Questions. Few Answers.
By MIKE MAGEE, MD What a strange irony. Trump decides, full-bravado, to challenge China to a trade war just months before China unwittingly hatches a […]
The 2020 Pandemic Election
The 2020 US election will be vicious, with a nasty pandemonium following a nasty pandemic. By SAURABH JHA, MD When the COVID-19 pandemic is dissected […]
Doctors and Democracy: Why Vote-By-Mail is Good Public Health
Rob Palmer Josh Hyman Isaac Freedman By ROB PALMER, ISAAC FREEDMAN, and JOSH HYMAN Suppose tomorrow you were informed that patients could no longer have […]
A Conversation with John Ioannidis
By SAURABH JHA, MD The COVID-19 pandemic has been a testing time for the already testy academic discourse. Decisions have had to be made with […]
Telehealth’s Missing Link: In the Rush to Implement Virtual Care, What Did CMS Leave Out?
By RAY COSTANTINI, MD Imagine three months from now when the predicted ‘second wave’ of COVID-19 is expected to resurge and we’re still without a […]
‘The wondrous map’: how unlocking human DNA changed the course of science
Thanks to the success of the Human Genome Project, 20 years ago this week, scientists can track biology and disease at a molecular level Twenty […]
The Lancet’s editor: ‘The UK’s response to coronavirus is the greatest science policy failure for a generation’
Richard Horton does not hold back in his criticism of the UK’s response to the pandemic and the medical establishment’s part in backing fatal government […]
Is it time to implement one national license for Canadian doctors?
The post Is it time to implement one national license for Canadian doctors? appeared first on Healthy Debate.
