guest opinions

Physician, First Do No Harm - To Yourself

A retreat for physicians allows them to say the word suicide out loud for the first time.
OPINION – May 21, 2013 -- A psychiatrist in Seattle had picked out the bridge.  At 3 a.m. he would swerve across his lane and plunge into the water. Everyone would assume he fell asleep. Read More >>

Cost of Coverage – The Real Measure of Health Reform Impact

The author who runs an insurance agency in Roseburg, contends that only low-income Oregonians and people on Medicaid will benefit from the insurance reforms under the Affordable Care Act
OPINION – May 20, 2013 -- Prior to actual plan pricing being available, everyone, including me, tried to predict how much the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would increase premiums. Estimates generally ranged from 25 percent to 38 percent, and I was on the high end. So we all knew premiums were most likely going to increase, we just weren’t sure how much. All these efforts to predict were generally done on a false assumption that similar plans to the new Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze plans were available already, and all we had to do was predict the added cost of the new 2014 ACA requirements. These included a change in rating methods, added preventive benefits and guaranteed issue with no health restrictions, in addition to added fees and taxes. None of these plans actually existed. We knew prices were going up but not actually how this would impact the people who buy health insurance and those who haven’t, but are now required to or pay a fine. Read More >>

128 Students to Receive $2,000 KAISER Permanente Health Care Career Scholarships on May 18

May 15, 2013 — When Annel Mendoza was 6 or 7, she learned her cousin had a heart murmur. After watching her cousin go from surgery through recovery, Mendoza decided that she wanted to become a heart surgeon. Read More >>

What is the Successful Path to Healthcare Cost Containment?

The author not only shares his preferences for a health plan but encourages readers to come up with their own alternatives.
OPINION – May 13, 2013 -- The rise in healthcare costs has inflamed our public policy debate for decades, leaving a trash heap of unsuccessful pursuits and discredited experts. The cost of a robust health insurance policy, left unsubsidized is hard to justify for most sensible individuals. And subsidies in all forms are inflationary. Isn't it essential that we break this behavior of pursuing unproven policies merely because we believe in their likely merit? We do not even have consensus that the cost of healthcare should have influence on our personal demand for services. How do we possibly control costs when so many believe costs to be an offensive consideration? So what is the right path forward? What health plan constraints would you accept? Read More >>

Oregon’s Health Insurance “Experiment” Must Lead to Improved Health Outcomes

The medical director of the North by Northeast Medical Center has declared her center a heart attack and stroke-free zone.
OPINION – May 10, 2013 -- There has been a lot of attention paid this week to “Oregon’s Health Insurance Experiment.” The term refers to a study, published in the May 2, 2013 New England Journal of Medicine, which set out to calculate the effect of Medicaid coverage on health behaviors and health outcomes. Differences were examined between about 6,000 low-income Oregonians randomly selected by lottery for coverage under the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) and another approximately 6,000 who were not selected and went without health insurance. Read More >>

Willamette Valley Medical Center Responds to Charity Care Article

The hospital CEO commends the work of The Lund Report in educating the public about our healthcare system while also clarifying that his for-profit hospital does provide adequate charity care as part of its mission.
OPINION – May 6, 2013 – I want to commend you on your mission to educate the public about the major issues facing our healthcare system. As a hospital CEO, I know all too well how much more needs to be accomplished in this area, not just in Oregon but throughout the nation. Read More >>

What’s Wrong with Healthcare Reform

Steve Gregg suggests that we follow the money and look at the politically and proprietary powerful healthcare system as a starting place, followed by a conflicted public sector that looks as healthcare as a remaining opportunity for growth.
 
OPINION – May 6, 2013 -- Health reform was not initiated with ObamaCare. We have been reforming in spurts unsuccessfully for decades, always driven by populism. Beliefs that win the contest of ideas do not usually endure the requirement of proof of concept. It is not so surprising that assumptions have failed to tame healthcare costs, but rather the passionate certainty of their advocacy. Would you have believed: "The shortages of trained medical personnel and health facilities have impaired American health standards and increased the cost of hospital care beyond the financial capacity of most American families....we pledge increased support for hospital construction programs.” – from the 1956 Democratic National Platform.
 
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Bioscience Incubator to Set Industry Growth in Motion

The author, the executive director of OTRADI, encourages legislators to support the bioscience industry by funding its efforts
OPINION – May 6, 2013 -- Oregon’s need for job growth is a conversation that extends well beyond the capitol walls this legislative session. In our businesses and homes, we’re debating how to solve Oregon’s unemployment and underemployment issues. While opinions abound in how to solve the problem, the consensus is clear. We need to support the businesses we do have, and we need to grow the industries that can sustain job growth. Read More >>

Pharmaceutical Companies Profits Reach 30 Percent, Author Says

Cheaper drugs could be prohibited for VA and Medicaid formularies if pharmaceutical corporations succeed in extending patents through evergreening.
OPINION – May 3, 2013 -- Like sharks, the largest pharmaceutical companies smell blood. They swim in murky international waters, competing for prey. The sick are easy prey—whether rich or poor, insured or not. Read More >>

The Lund Report Makes Strides Uncovering Hospital Finances

We’ve heard from legislators, lobbyists and hospital executives – all of whom have touted our hospital finances series, calling it accurate, thorough and breakthrough journalism
April 25, 2013 -- Are you among the more than 10,000 readers who’ve been intrigued by the articles on hospital finances prepared by Courtney Sherwood, an award-winning freelance journalist? If so, you can look forward to two more stories during the coming weeks in this outstanding series that’s being touted by legislators as a break-through journalism enterprise. Read More >>
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