health care costs

Harold Ford, Jr.

Lamar Alexander and Richard Burr make the case in the Washington Times for and election year discussion of health care reform:

The idea I picked to give advice to for ideablob.com Week at the Entrepreneurial Mind is one that offers an innovative product tied to wellness.

One begins to wonder how many competitive advantages non-profit hospitals need after reading of State Sen. Bill Ketron’s sponsoring a bill that allows them to formulate strategic plans and marketing strategies in secret non-public sessions.

The proposed bill has passed the house and is now scheduled for a vote in the Senate.

Big admission in Canada: Socialized medicine isn’t working!

From Investors Business Daily:

Socialized Medicine: Quebec’s former health minister is tacitly admitting that the system he helped create is not sustainable. It has, as Claude Castonguay has succinctly noted, reached “a crisis point.”

and this:

Phil Bredesen fights to delay changes to Medicaid until the new president takes office:

Gov. Phil Bredesen addressed the Tennessee Press Association winter convention in Nashville this morning and announced that he would be proposing legislation, the "Long Term Care Community Choices Act," that would begin to shift TennCare nursing home dollars to home-based care for elderly and disabled people on TennCare who would prefer it.

The governor talked about how home-based care is less costly, and more preferable for most elderly people.

Catherine McTamaney sent the following e-mail message to all Metro Council Members asking them to abstain from voting for tonight's benefits bill.

Tonight, the Council will vote on the third and final reading of a bill which expands retirement and medical benefits for Council members. Before you vote to increase the perks for your(albeit noble) part-time, temporary service, I hope you'll remember:

Bonna Johnson gives proper credit to Diane Black for her multi year fight to help the elderly be able to stay at home. This is an idea the governor decided to copy in his state of the state adress. If it holds true, as it has in other state, it should actually bring overall health care costs down.