Join in the discussion, led here by people from all walks of life who share a desire to make the world of medicine a better place to be, whether you're a patient, a care giver, or just someone who is concerned about the future of health and health care. Remember, this is a discussion, so don't forget to comment.
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill
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Even after President Obama signed the health care reform bill, I think some people still have questions about what this new law means for Missourians. This year, important health care reforms will start helping Missouri families.
This year, Missouri’s small businesses will receive tax credits to help provide benefits to their employees. 79,900 small businesses in Missouri are eligible, employing approximately 303,000 Missourians. After this year, 1.4 million Missouri children will get a guarantee that they will never again be... more >>> |
February 02, 2010
Adrian BracyCEO, YWCA Metro St. Louis
| The health care reform bill that is pending in Congress should be passed. The differences in the House and Senate versions must be hammered out and approved for final legislation to pass. It’s fundamental to the YWCA Metro St. Louis mission to eliminate racism and empower women. Yes, race and sexism play heavily in policies and equal access to health care for the people we serve. Poor and low-income women, single mothers and young women are uninsured at higher rates than other groups. Disparities in health care are a major reason Af... more >>> |
December 21, 2009
Steven LipsteinCEO, BJC HealthCare
Steve Lipstein is president and CEO of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States.
| As we enter the final weeks of deliberations over health care reform and the United States Senate finishes work on legislation, the news media will attempt to capture the essence of last minute revisions, and politicians will attempt to convince us that the final version of the bill is either good or bad for the American people. We must beware the sound bite. The majority of proposed health care reform legislation is about health insurance coverage. Our government will spend between $800 and $900 billion over ten years to provide cov... more >>> |
November 30, 2009
Steven LipsteinCEO, BJC HealthCare
Steve Lipstein is president and CEO of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States.
| At BJC, I write a column for our employee newspaper, titled “A Note from Steve.” We also encourage employees to share their thoughts through an invitation to send a “Note to Steve” at the end of each column. Recently, I have heard from a few employees with some serious concerns about the health care reform proposals in Congress, especially in regard to government involvement in health care, tax increases and perceived rationing of health care services. It occurred to me that many of you may share these same concerns ... more >>> |
November 18, 2009
Barbara MonseesChief, Breast Imaging, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology and Siteman Cancer Center
Ronald and Hanna Evens Professor of Women’s Health
| Published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine are several articles and an editorial dealing with the breast cancer screening recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The general purpose of their efforts is a good one, to take an unbiased look at all the evidence and make recommendations based on science. This task force looked specifically at the benefits and harms of breast cancer screening including mammography, digital mammography, magnetic resonance imaging, breast self examination and clinical breast... more >>> |
November 04, 2009
Lee FetterPresident, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
| Health care reform has engendered a broad public debate around a variety of related issues. Except for one that has been largely ignored. The most vulnerable members of our society, our children, are under-served by the health care industry and the health care public safety net due to a limited availability of pediatric physicians to care for their primary and special needs. What's the problem? The reimbursements paid by Medicaid do not cover the cost of providing care, so many community physicians either limit or do not serve Medica... more >>> |
September 25, 2009
Steven LipsteinCEO, BJC HealthCare
Steve Lipstein is president and CEO of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States.
| Many visitors to makemedicinebetter.org are asking the same questions: "What is health care reform really all about?" and "What does health care reform mean for me?" There are no short or easy answers to these questions, but below is my attempt to provide some information that might help make it a little easier to understand. First, health care reform will mean something different to everybody, depending on whether you are old or young, rich or poor, employed or not, insured or not, completely healthy or with an existi... more >>> |
September 20, 2009
Steven LipsteinCEO, BJC HealthCare
Steve Lipstein is president and CEO of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States.
| In a recent interview, BJC's Steve Lipstein was asked about health care reform. Specifically, what really has to happen to fix the problems of cost, quality and coverage. This is pretty insightful stuff and worth listening to. Click here to listen! more >>> |
September 20, 2009
James BufordPresident & CEO, St. Louis Urban league
James Buford is President & CEO of the St. Louis Urban league. Please visit www.ulstl.org for more infomation.
| As we all know healthcare reform has once again become a hot-button issue for the American public. Not since the Clinton-era have we heard such a heated debate on whether the government needs to reform healthcare. Statistically speaking, the need is undeniable: at an average annual cost of $7,439 per person, medical debt is the principal cause of personal bankruptcies in the United States. Today, more than 45 million people live without medical coverage in this country and, as a result, many are unable to pay their mounting doctor and hospi... more >>> |
September 02, 2009
James KimmeyPresident/CEO of the Missouri Foundation for Health
James R. Kimmey, M.D., M.P.H., is president and CEO of the Missouri Foundation for Health, a nonprofit grant making health foundation dedicated to serving the uninsured and underinsured.
| Health reform in some guise appears imminent despite the efforts of opponents to demonize and distort the intent of such reform. The topic dominates the print and electronic media, particularly when some outrageous claim is made concerning the proposals taking shape in Washington. The lack of civility that has characterized the past few months is troublesome. But there are other troublesome aspects to the debate that are less obvious but ultimately more important. The issues that have been attracting attention are several―the public optio... more >>> |
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