MARGOT SANGER-KATZ
Selected ColumnsFrom Margot's weekly Need to Know: Health Care column at National Journal:
"That’s Rich." Physicians say the health care system will fall apart if lawmakers don’t protect their salaries. Actually, they could afford a hefty pay cut. June 22, 2013 "Alone at the End." The solo practitioner was once an icon of American medicine. Now, economic pressures have made these doctors increasingly rare. June 15, 2013 "Supreme Disaster." Last year’s high-court decision seemed like a victory for Obamacare. It hasn’t turned out that way. June 8, 2013 "No, Oncologists Are Not Going Broke." Cancer doctors say government cuts force them to turn away dying patients. Nonsense. April 20, 2013 "Past Is Prologue." The last rollout of a major government insurance program was a disaster. This time could be even worse. April 20, 2013 "Is Obamacare in Trouble?" State insurance exchanges, one of the key planks of the reform law, are supposed to launch in October. Prepare for disaster. April 4, 2013 "Always Low Prices." Instead of skimping on the most expensive care, Wal-Mart is sending workers to the most elite hospitals. Turns out, it’s a great way to save money. May 25, 2013 "Corporate Welfare." Would conservatives rather promote private competition or cut government spending? In Arkansas, they had to choose. March 2, 2013 "Blank Screen." Keeping guns away from the mentally ill sounds like a promising way to prevent mass shootings. But studies show it might have little impact. January 26, 2013 "The (Fiscal) Case for Death." As the Affordable Care Act advertises, preventive medicine saves lives. Just don’t pretend it saves money June 23, 2012 "First Robin of Spring?" Suddenly, Medicare is growing much more slowly than expected, and nobody knows why. Still, no one’s complaining. April 28, 2012 "The Other Jobs Bill." Mitt Romney lionizes entrepreneurship. His health care law helped more than he knew. April 21, 2012 "In Praise of Price-Fixing." Americans face a constant (and often Sisyphean) struggle against health care inflation. Maryland found an answer. March 17, 2012 "Heart Palpitations." Lawmakers working on the Medicare “doc fix” should be aware that reimbursement formulas influence behavior. Just ask cardiologists. December 10, 2011 "Heart Versus Head." Autism and breast-cancer advocates are getting Congress to carve out money for their causes. Critics say it’s a bad way to set priorities. October 1, 2011 |