[Here's something that might come up in the discussion about "The R Word" that SLHI is hosting on September 25. If you have an interest in the topic, you are welcome and encouraged to attend. Register on the ArizonaHealthFutures site.] Unlike prescription drugs, surgeries often become widely used before they are tested for long-term effectiveness. [...] Learn More →

In all the politics surrounding the town halls and the proposed legislation to overhaul our health system, we have backed away from the notion of real health care reform and see to be just concentrating on insurance reform. But insurance reform doesn’t control costs, and doesn’t make Americans healthier. It just tinkers at the margins [...] Learn More →

From Dr. Richard Besserman to me via email: Yes care is limited here. Only parts of the system are broken but can be fixed. People demand immediate care and thus abuse the system. They have no one to take the children to the clinic so they come in during off hours or on weekends. If [...] Learn More →

I walked into the drug store to fill a prescription for a new nasal spray last week — the best, my doctor said, for my allergies. At the counter, the cashier said “your insurance doesn’t cover this, do you want it anyway?” That seemed like a strange question, until I asked how much it was: [...] Learn More →

How often do you read those EOBs (Explanation of Benefits) forms that you receive in the mail from your health insurance company? If you take the time, they can be very revealing about what is wrong with health care in America and why it’s so costly. Back in March, I went to my primary care [...] Learn More →

[Click to view larger version.] So it’s not a gorgeous graphic. But its sort of like a Magic Eye, if you stare at it long enough, you can see a pattern emerge. Here’s some advice on how to view it. First, notice the list of questions on the left. Each is based on information obtained [...] Learn More →