Rube Goldberg Invented Our Healthcare Payment System (SPL #354)

Putting for-profit intermediaries in charge of our healthcare spending (all $4.5 trillion of it) is nuts, but the trend is toward making a failing system worse--and not just here. The new Labour government in the U.K. is set to accelerate privatization of its once-heralded National Health Service. And from all indications, the undermining of Medicare continues apace here as well. We can only keep up with the details of these perverse trends and stay alert to possible ways of pushing back or at the very least alerting people to why they are a terrible idea.

Here are all the links to articles mentioned in this podcast. If you want my full newsletter, write me at tfrasca@yahoo.com and you can also check the full archive at www.nypan.org/single-payer-news

 

Nick Corbishley, “It is now Labour’s turn to expand the piecemeal privatization of the UK’s National Health Service,” Naked Capitalism, Jul 9, 2024 https://bit.ly/4cuNku2

Dave Muoio, Emma Beavins & Noah Tong, “CMS' proposed 2.8% physician pay decrease for CY2025 earns quick condemnation from docs,” Fierce Healthcare, Jul 10, 2024 https://bit.ly/3xQ6YBL

Kristine Sorensen, “UPMC, leaders celebrate acquisition of Washington Health System,” CBS News, Jun 12, 2024 https://cbsn.ws/4cSrSyW

Paul van Osdol, “Months before announcing 1,000 layoffs, UPMC leases new $50 million jet,” WTAE/ABC News, Jul 1, 2024 https://bit.ly/4cSicEE

Dave Muoio, “Steward Health Care spent millions spying on critics amid failing finances,” Fierce Healthcare, Jul 1, 2024 https://bit.ly/4f02hG0

Michelle Crouch, “North Carolina unveils plan to incentivize hospitals to forgive medical debt and beef up charity care,” Charlotte Ledger, Jul 1, 2024 https://bit.ly/461h5Ai

Taylor Knopf, “‘Something from a horror novel’: U.S. Senate slams owner of N.C. psych hospitals,” North Carolina Health News, Jun 27, 2024 https://bit.ly/3VX9uy0

Tina Reed, “Smallest businesses feel crush of health care costs,” Axios, Jun 27, 2024 https://bit.ly/3XWIvoM

Judith Graham, “Lack of affordability tops older Americans’ list of health care worries,” KFF Health News/CNN, Jul 3, 2024 https://bit.ly/4cVFJo9

Wenonah Hauter, “The corporate greed behind bird flu,” The Progressive, Jul 3, 2024 https://bit.ly/3zEj81a

“We’ve put all our eggs in one basket,” literally, says this author. “Industrial factory farms cram hundreds of thousands of animals with near-identical genetics into desperately tight quarters, creating perfect breeding grounds for infectious disease.” Once upon a time, we acquired our food from diversified, small-scale farms that could withstand new infectious agents. No longer.  

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Megan Molteni, “Bird flu snapshot: Live H5N1 virus grown from raw milk samples as Delaware moves to legalize its sale,” STAT, Jul 8, 2024 https://bit.ly/4cCZQb8

Lori Kersey, “West Virginia’s soft drink tax is repealed this week,” West Virginia Watch, Jul 2, 2024 https://bit.ly/4bCHrtt

Brenda Goodman, “In new Alzheimer’s criteria, some see progress while others fear profit-driven ‘diagnostic creep,’” CNN, Jul 1, 2024 https://cnn.it/3W1jZAe

Maya Goldman, “Health insurers take on the affordability crisis—in housing,” Axios, Jun 5, 2024 https://bit.ly/4cA3L8i

Andrew Goudsward & Tyler Clifford, “US charges 193 people in $2.75 billion health care fraud bust,” Reuters, Jun 27, 2024 https://reut.rs/3VX76Ht