Holiday Tidings: A Health Care Roundup

As we approach the New Year, it seems only appropriate to provide a roundup of health care coverage in the blogosphere.

To begin Alan Katz provides his own news roundup on the California health care initiative at the very informative Alan Katz Health Care Reform Blog:

A couple of days ago I provided links to documents, articles and web sites describing the Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act passed by the Assembly on December 17th. Those were predominately focused on the facts surrounding ABX1-1. Now that folks have had a few days to look things over, opinions about the compromise health care reform package pulled together by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez are emerging. Here’s a round-up of some of the more interesting ones.

Katz has assembled an authoritative guide to who is saying what in regard to the controversial health care legislation that just passed he California Assembly.

Kathleen O'Connor over at the Code Blue Health Blog applauds the efforts of Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire's proposal to add 7.89 million dollars to increasing patient safety in her state. Once again the issues of transparency and accountability are brought to the fore.

The next stop on this virtual whirlwind tour is the Guest Blog section of HealthCommentary.org, where Michael L. Millenson, president of Health Quality Advisors LLC, draws upon Charles Dickens to deliver his own message on health care.

... a story rooted in the plight of a crippled young boy whose father cannot afford the care his son desperately needs. The prospect of Tiny Tim’s eminently preventable death finally breaks through Ebenezer Scrooge’s bitterness, causing the old miser to abandon his hard-hearted ways.

Alas, we Americans still seem inclined to treat the demand for universal health coverage like the Scrooge of old. His dismissive cry, “Are there no poorhouses?” is echoed by our smug assertions that those in dire medical need can “just go to an emergency room.”

As we leave Dickens and Millenson behind our next stop is the Health Care Renewal Blog where Dr. Roy M. Poses provides a handy scorecard of not only some of the commentators on health care, but also reveals interesting (and well documented) data about the business and ideological ties each of them bring to the table.

So there you have it, a variety of offerings from across the blogosphere. Our gift to you, as always, is food for thought. May your holidays -- however you celebrate -- be happy and healthy! We'll be back on December 26 with more Health Care Reform Now!

SOURCE: "Another California Health Care Reform Round-up" 12/20/07
SOURCE: "A Boon for Patient Safety" 12/19/07
SOURCE: "Tiny Tim Health Care: Dickens' Christmas Carol carries a health care message for all of us" 12/20/07
SOURCE: " You Can't Tell the (Health Care Policy Op-Ed) Players Without a Scorecard" 00/00/00