Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Feature Highlights Recent Blog Entries

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Public Health;  IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 12 Jan 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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"Blog Watch" offers readers a roundup of health policy-related blog posts.

Niko Karvounis of the Century Foundation's Health Beat Blog examines budgetary and other challenges NIH experienced starting in 2003. Looking to the incoming Obama administration, Karvounis concludes, "It appears that the NIH is in for a period of revitalization."

Louise of Colorado Health Insurance Insider says a public health insurance plan option "deserves a chance" because it has the possibility "of really bringing some change to the health care industry."

Gooz News' Merrill Goozner looks at trends behind the slowdown in health care spending in 2007, saying, "Given that the overall economy fell into recession in 2008 while health care spending continued on its merry way, this is probably the last good news on health care spending that the rest of the economy will get in a while."

Health Populi's Jane Sarasohn-Kahn looks at a new report by Accenture that details Americans' major concerns about health care and found that anxiety about cost was the top concern.

Conn Carroll of the Heritage Foundation's The Foundry suggests questions senators should pose during hearings for HHS Secretary-nominee Tom Daschle based on statements from Daschle's book, "Critical."

Joe Paduda of Managed Care Matters discusses a story he finds "highly misleading" about managed care plans' outcomes using a surgical procedure to reduce the risk of stroke. Paduda goes on to discuss his experience working for managed care companies and difficulties they had influencing provider behavior.

Paul Testa of the New America Foundation's New Health Dialogue looks at news that an economic stimulus package might contain COBRA subsidies and says that the move could be "one of many temporary steps we'll need to get us through these rough times as we transition to more permanent health coverage solutions and a more sustainable health system."

Marilyn Werber-Serafini of the National Journal's Health Care Expert Blog asks, "What early health care victories should President-elect [Barack] Obama and Congress seek before Washington works on broad health care reform legislation?" Responders include Drew Altman, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Karen Davis, Andy Stern, Billy Tauzin and Rich Umbdenstock.

Several bloggers commented on the expected nomination of CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta to be U.S. surgeon general:

The American Prospect's Ezra Klein writes that the nomination "means Sanjay Gupta, arguably the nation's most trusted health care authority, will be back on TV screens arguing for Obama's universal health care plan, lending it his credibility as a doctor, a trusted media presence, and the nation's surgeon general."

Hygeia of Disruptive Women in Health posts an interview with former Surgeon General Richard Carmona about the responsibilities and duties of the position.

Michael Tanner of Cato@Liberty asks, "Why do we need a surgeon general in the first place? ... Why not start by letting people live the way they want, without a surgeon general looking over our shoulder and nagging us?"

Manny Alvarez of the Fox News Health Blog says that he is "happy" with Gupta's nomination and that "[Gupta's] ideas would generate a true debate for what is good for patients and doctors in the U.S."

Anthony Wright of the Health Access Weblog says, "It won't hurt to have a key surrogate that had credibility on health issues -- not just on public health, but on health reform as well."

Val Jones on the Health Care Blog calls Gupta "a fine communicator," but continues, "I don't think he has the gravitas or appropriate experience for the role of surgeon general of the United States."

Marin Cogan and Suzy Khimm of the New Republic's The Plank look at Gupta's potential conflicts of interest, including his role as co-host of AccentHealth, a CNN program for physicians sponsored in part by pharmaceutical companies. Cogan and Khimm write, "The sometimes thin line between his CNN and AccentHealth work -- and his public support for pharmaceutical products that have helped pay his salary -- raise a host of questions yet to be answered about how he'll perform as the Obama administration's leading public health advocate."

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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