I’ve written extensively on the subject of healthcare reform over the past 15 months, and some of the most intense debates on this blog have taken place in the comments of healthcare related posts. As President Obama prepares for what is likely to be the most significant battle of his political career, it seems like [...]
For over seventy years, Democratic presidents have attempted to overhaul our healthcare system with the ultimate goal of establishing a single-payer plan. Franklin Roosevelt’s original vision for Social Security included universal health coverage, but he was unable to muster the political support needed to make it a reality in 1937. In later years, Harry Truman [...]
In spite of the overwhelming economic challenges we face as a nation, President Obama seems determined to push forward with a massive overhaul of our healthcare system. The countless trillions in unfunded future obligations for Social Security and Medicare that already threaten to bankrupt future generations of Americans are apparently not sufficient to deter the [...]
There has been a great deal of misinformation floating around about the hourly wages paid to UAW members by GM, Ford and Chrysler. The most common figure cited is around $71.00 per hour, but most of the people using this number either don’t understand what it means, or they are deliberately misrepresenting the facts to [...]
Conventional wisdom tells us that the problem with the healthcare system in America is that too many people lack private insurance coverage. Approximately 59% of the population is covered by an employer sponsored health insurance plan, and another 9% purchase their own private coverage. The remainder of the insured population receives government provided healthcare in [...]
Americans seem to have a difficult time coming to terms with the notion that our resources are finite. This is made obvious by the fact that we choose nine-passenger SUVs for our daily commutes, and by the incredibly naïve manner in which citizens and politicians alike debate healthcare policy. An alarming percentage of Americans seem [...]
With every new presidential election cycle, the debate over healthcare returns to the front burner of American politics. There is no question that we have major problems with the delivery of healthcare services to the uninsured and underinsured among us. A host of complex factors contribute to the problem, not the least of which are [...]