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Section: Blogs/Opinion

Will Paul Ryan’s Idea Work for Pre-Existing Ailments?

The pre-existing conditions issue played a central role in the design of the Affordable Care Act, and dealing with this issue appropriately in any ACA replacement plan will be instrumental to the achievement of stable and sustainable individual and small group health insurance markets. House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republicans’ June 2016 Better Way […]

January 30, 2017

A Modest Proposal Post-Obamacare

It looks increasingly like one of President Donald Trump’s first actions will be to end the individual mandate which requires all Americans to have health insurance. Conservative media like Breitbart and the Drudge Report are cheering this as a return to freedom, and it is indeed as we will be free to make our own […]

January 25, 2017

Ending Disparities Must Start at the Top

Among the many lessons from the fractious presidential election is the manifest need for a national dialogue on what it means to be a diverse, inclusive society. There are myriad threads and entry points to such a discussion, but it might start with our health care system. Despite decades of reports, the formation of organizations […]

January 23, 2017

“Risk Pools” Will Be Buzzword for Obama Repeal

In the national health insurance debate, repeal is the word on everyone’s lips, as in “the repeal of Obamacare.” But soon enough, “risk pools” will be the new buzzword. And there are some very potent reasons why. For all of the GOP’s and Donald Trump’s bashing of Obamacare, there are two provisions of the ACA […]

January 18, 2017

We Need “Single Payer”

At his press conference Wednesday at Trump Tower, President-elect Donald Trump said that as soon as the Senate approves his pick for health secretary, he will unveil a “repeal and replace” plan for the Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare.” He gave no hints at the details of Trumpcare, other than to say the country […]

January 17, 2017

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Bernie Sanders: Trump Must Rescue Obamacare or Admit Lies

It didn’t take long. During the first week of 2017, the new Republican Congress has begun efforts to dismantle America’s health-care system. Their long-standing goal, consistent with their right-wing ideology, is to take away health insurance from tens of millions of Americans, privatize Medic300are, make massive cuts to Medicaid and defund Planned Parenthood. At the […]

January 11, 2017

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Adding Diversity to Clinical Trials

In a previous post, I described why I enrolled in a clinical trial at Stanford to treat my Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But I didn’t share the result: I received radiation therapy and chemotherapy — instead of the standard treatment of exploratory abdominal surgery — and I’m confident it helped me to be cancer free for the […]

January 10, 2017

Coal Country’s Trump Voters Fear Loss of Obamacare

CNN this week aired a terrific segment on people from coal country who voted for Donald Trump -but are now worried that his vow to repeal Obamacare will deprive them of crucial protections that enable them to stay afloat financially. This dovetails with other reporting that suggests a lot of Trump voters may be harmed […]

January 4, 2017

Doctors Divided on Trump’s HHS Choice

Thousands of doctors are objecting to President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Rep. Tom Price, MD, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services — and then there are thousands who think it’s a great idea. The AMA along with several dozen other “organized medicine” voices like the choice, but those who are opposed are […]

December 21, 2016

LGBTQ Supporters Should Resist HHS Pick

Donald Trump’s choice of Republican Rep. Tom Price of Georgia to be the next secretary of health and human services has drawn what could charitably be called a mixed reaction. While some medical groups hastily issued statements in support of his nomination, many others have expressed grave concerns about the decisions he would make as […]

December 19, 2016

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How Trump Threatens Women’s Health

Organizations dedicated to women’s health and reproductive rights say they are ready to fight President-elect Donald Trump in order to preserve and protect women’s rights. Trump poses several dangers to women’s health, advocates say: the promised repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the appointment of one or more Supreme Court Justices, and the threat of […]

December 14, 2016

Can Trump Save Health Care?

Donald Trump will soon be President Trump. In light of this, it’s worth examining the potential impact of one of his most frequent promises: the replacement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). I suspect average Americans were encouraged by Trump’s promise, and might expect that whatever replaces the ACA, will be more life-affirming in terms […]

December 12, 2016

About Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks

Have you heard of the acronym H.I.R.E? I’m sure most of you haven’t unless you’ve heard me on radio or read old columns of mine. H.I.R.E is an acronym I created to describe four political topics that could potentially pose an existential threat to America from within. H.I.R.E stands for health care, immigration, regulation and […]

December 7, 2016

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Loss of Obamacare Will Hit Poor, White Voters

Donald Trump has chosen GOP Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, a longtime critic of the Affordable Care Act, as his secretary for Health and Human Services. This likely means that, at best, the health law will be repealed and replaced by something that covers far fewer people, or that, at worst, it will get repealed […]

December 5, 2016

A “Connection Maker” Helps Apache Community

My name is Joaquin Ray Gallegos and I am from the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the Pueblo of Santa Ana. I was raised to be a connection-maker. Each American Indian and Alaska Native student and youth is a rare solution to the unrest and problems that grip society today. Read More

November 30, 2016

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Trump Presidency Risks Health of Asian American and Islanders

While the details of President-elect Donald Trump’s policy plans have been vague, he campaigned that “repealing and replacing” the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be one of his top priorities. This campaign pledge echoed legislative proposals introduced by Congressional Republicans since the bill’s passage, and who now have majority control over both the House of […]

November 28, 2016

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Native Americans Should Be Recognized As Sacred People

The Native American people have been a victim of external oppression since European settlers arrived in the Americas hundreds of years ago. After involuntarily giving up two whole continents, which originally belonged to their ancestors, Native American descendants are still fighting today for the land that the U.S. government has allowed them to have. Even […]

November 21, 2016

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“My Son Did Not Have to Die” from Prescribed Drug

On July 23, 2007, my 17-year-old son, Logan Parker, underwent successful surgery at a freestanding ASC to correct his sleep apnea. He received IV morphine in the PACU: 2 mg administered 3 times over 20 minutes beginning at 12:50 p.m. His IV was removed 8 minutes later and he was discharged at 1:25 p.m., just […]

November 16, 2016