Health Care For America Now

NEWS

Fewer doctors entering primary-care field as need grows - McClatchy Newspapers

Many classmates of Dr. Chip Roser ended their medical training ready to practice a specialty. They morphed into neurologists, cardiologists, pathologists, dermatologists or other "-gists." Despite advice to the contrary, Roser chose the path of family medicine, with potentially lower pay and longer hours. And he doesn't regret it.

Citizens group answers Obama's call on health care - San Jose Mercury News

It was Democracy 101 — nine citizen-soldiers responding to a battle call for government reform, gathered around lattes and quiche in a downtown San Jose cafe, brainstorming ways to help President-elect Barack Obama ride to the rescue of an expensive, bloated and inequitable health care system.

Group discusses U.S. health care - Norwalk News

About 44 area residents met Sunday at the Wilton library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, to discuss the Gordian knot that is the nation's health-care system. The discussions will form the basis for a report to be sent to President-elect Barack Obama's Presidential Transitional Health Care Policy team. The team, to be headed by the nominee for the cabinet position of Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, asked Wilton resident Marianne Howatson to organize the event.

Health Care Reform - The Baltimore Sun

In 1993, Hillary Clinton, then the first lady, led an effort to reform the America's health care system that failed, in part because the public was excluded from secret planning sessions. Now, former Sen. Tom Daschle, who is shaping health policy proposals for President-elect Barack Obama, is hoping to do better. He is urging Americans to join in house parties this month to help develop ideas for new national policies to reduce health costs, boost the quality of care and get everyone coverage.

OPINION

Health Care With a Few Bucks Left Over - New York Times

HEALTH care drained the federal budget of more than $1 trillion this year. That includes direct health care programs like Medicare, plus insurance for federal employees and the cost of excluding employer health-care contributions from workers’ taxable incomes. If present trends continue, in 10 years the number will almost double.

Obama's Health-Care Community Discussions - OpEdNews

This evening (12/28) my wife and I will host one of the health care community discussions that will take place around the nation at the behest of the Obama transition team. The discussion will be seeded by a discussion guide. Emphasis is on people's personal stories about their experiences with the health care system. I will be reporting after the event on how it went, and eventually on how the Obama administration used the responses.

U.S. Health Care Costs Part VI: At What Price Physician Autonomy? - New York Times

After a lengthy discourse on health policy with a physician, I asked him to describe the ideal health system from a physician’s perspective. “Everyone in society should have access to needed health care,” he responded. “Only the physician and the patient should decide how to respond to a given medical condition. And someone should reimburse providers of health care at reasonable rates.”