By Evan Falchuk
Welcome to Grand Rounds – the health care blogosphere’s ultimate blog carnival.
This week’s version is something special. I asked for posts only about health care reform, and I am overwhelmed by the response. Below are the leading voices of the health care blogosphere.
It is the Mother of All Health Care Reform Blog Round-Ups.
So, evacuate the dance floor- you’re about to be infected by the sound of health care reform blogging.
First, Doctor Bloggers.
There are many terrific doctor bloggers. You should read them because they give you a real-life, in the trenches view of health care. You may be surprised by what you read, and you should read them all. Regularly.
Premier doctor blogger Kevin Pho (aka KevinMD) says conservatives should be happy with reform, even though they’re not.
Another leading doctor blogger, Dr. Robert Centor (of db’s Medical Rants) puts it succinctly — like only he can: he hopes reform helps but thinks it’s too early to tell.
Dr. Richard Fogros (of the Covert Rationing Blog) says that the individual mandate will survive a constitutional challenge – but it won’t be politics that will save it.
On the other hand, the Happy Hospitalist isn’t so sure about the individual mandate and the politics around it.
At the ACP Internest, Dr. Jonathan LaPook wonders what will happen when 32 million newly insured Americans look for a doctor. There’s a video report there, too!
Dr. Toni Brayer at Everything Health breaks reform down with her post: Health Care Reform Bill 101.
Dr. Michael Kirsch of MD Whistleblower tallies up who won, and who… won in reform.
Dr. Ramona Bates, fresh of hosting Grand Rounds last week, wonders why there isn’t more tort reform in the reform law?
From across the pond, Dr. Am Ang Zhang of the Cockroach Catcher gives the perspective of an NHS doc on US reform.
Dr. Joseph Kim says reform will make more doctors leave clinical practice.
The anonymous family practice doctor at Musings of a Dinosaur says health care reform is nothing of the sort.
Dr. John Schumann of Glass Hospital notes a big gap in the reform plan.
Dr. John Mandrola – a new blogger – says the problem with reform is it doesn’t fix the things that are eroding the doctor-patient relationship.
The brand-newest doctor-blog is Jill of All Trades, MD. By brand-newest, I mean this is her second post ever. In it she tells us about reform from the perspective of a doctor working for a state department of public health.
Now, Health Care Bloggers
These are the policy and business leaders of the health care blogosphere. They had a lot to say about reform, too.
David Harlow, lawyer and health care blogger extraordinaire at Healthblawg, weighs in on whether reform is constitutional. In short, he says, get over it.
David Williams, of the Health Business Blog says we should thank the Republicans for delivering reform.
Hank Stern at Insure Blog has written so much about reform I wondered how he would pick a post. He makes the point that reform is about something he knows a lot about- health insurance. It was never really about health care.
Gregg Masters (best-known on twitter as @2healthguru – follow him!) says reform is kicking off the era of Managed Care 2.0.
Jake Shulke of MedicJake is a paramedic in California. He’s tired of all the talk about socialism, capitalism and whatever other -isms. He thinks all that talk misses the point: it’s a good thing if people have insurance coverage.
Speaking of insurance, insurance expert Scott Dowling of Insurance in the Light thinks the reform plan is really just a step on the road to a single-payer America.
Another expert, Louise of Colorado Health Insurance Insider, explains the intricacies of the new law on pre-existing conditions and children. It’s not as simple as you think.
Laurie Edwards of a Chronic Dose asks a good question: Where’s the patient in health care reform?
Amy Tenderich of Diabetes Mine wonders if the American Diabetes Association has been helping in any meaningful way in putting the needs of patients in the forefront of reform.
Laika at Laika’s MedLib blogs from the Netherlands. In her post, she shares insights into the Dutch health care system and thoughts about how U.S. reform looks from the Continent.
Do you wonder what dentists think about reform? Teresa Duncan of Dental Implant Blog gives you an idea.
Can I submit my own post for Grand Rounds? I’m willing to risk it. Here were my reactions when the bill passed.
Finally, something completely different
He’s not a health care blogger, but Curtis Silver of Wired Magazine (he’s their renowned “Geek Dad”) submitted his own whimsical take on reform. It’s the Top 10 Geeky Changes in the Health Care Reform Bill. Some of these might actually be in there.
Thank you to everyone who submitted posts on reform.
Next week’s Grand Rounds is at The Daily Monthly!
The new health care bill is not perfect – far from it – but as the old Chinese saying goes, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” There will be improvements made on it down the years – there absolutely needs to be – but this is a fairly good first step. We're on our way! The Conservatives will whine, but that's what they do best. They'll whine just as they whined when Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965, or the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Just as they whined when Harry Truman desegregated the army in 1947, or when Franklin D. Roosevelt brought Social Security into being in 1935. They'll whine just like they did when Woodrow Wilson tried to form the League of Nations in 1919 – or when Abraham Lincoln ended the institution of slavery in 1863! They whine a lot. Did you ever notice that?
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Goshen NY
Very nice edition!
As always, great job with pulling this together Evan. Loads of good posts to go through here.
Thanks! And thanks for your submission, too!
Evan
Indeed, Don, thanks!
Hi Tom, you may want to read the posts in this round-up. You can get a very informed view by people in this line of work about health care and reform.
Evan
Thank you for that, Evan. I'll keep my mind and eyes open.
All the best,
Tom
Outstanding job, Evan!
Thanks for hosting, and for including our post.
Very interesting to read the different takes in the US.
Wow Evan…a veritable potpourri of insights. Masterfully done!
Nice job, Evan. But I had hoped to see my Housecalls post included here – as this was billed as “the Mother of all Healthcare Reform” posts. If we're gonna pull back the veil, let's stop pulling punches and pull it back all the way.
Because I really do think Dr. Mary Johnson, former NHSC physician hosed by a “non-profit” after going above & beyond for a patient, should have been invited to testify before Congress about that program failure BEFORE Congress passed a reform bill that does not, in fact, reform so many of the things that need to be reformed.
So I'll link it: http://www.drjshousecalls.blogspot.com/2010/03/...
It's not just about the patients.
Hi Dr. Johnson,
I'm sorry but I never received a submission from you, which is why I don't have it included here.
Evan
Absolutely Hank, thanks for participating!
Definitely. And definitely interesting for us to see your view from the UK. Thanks!
Thanks, Gregg!
If you say so, Evan. But I submitted the post linked in my comment yesterday – well before the deadline, and followed all the instructions.
And my voice being heard – especially in a post like this (as opposed to being shut out – which has been the MO of every government agency I've served and fought since my own personal nightmare started) kind of mattered to me.
Like I said. Reform cannot be just about the patients.
> They'll whine just as they whined when Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965, or the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Just as they whined when Harry Truman desegregated the army in 1947, or when Franklin D. Roosevelt brought Social Security into being in 1935. They'll whine just like they did when Woodrow Wilson tried to form the League of Nations in 1919 – or when Abraham Lincoln ended the institution of slavery in 1863!
What are you babbling about? All of the civil rights acts were enacted with the vast majority of Repubs voting in favor. (Yes, Goldwater voted against one of them, but championed the others. Meanwhile the “respected Dems” were uniformly opposed.)
The vast majority of Congressional Repubs avoted for FDR's Social Security. They also voted to enact Medicare.
Repubs fought the Civil War on the Union side – Dems were on the south.
I don't know about the League of Nations, but given Degan's record, I wouldn't be surprised if he was wrong there too. Then again, since the League of Nations was a disaster, maybe it's best to let him keep it.
Oh, and the army was segregated by that noted Progressive, Wilson….
Now, Andy, quoting me out of context won't work when my quote is up for all to see. Now, take a hard and careful look at what I wrote.
Whom did I say would “whine”? I didn't say it would be the Republicans. I said it would be the Conservatives. When I said that, I meant Conservative Democrats as well.
Read these things very closely from here on.
peace….
Tom Degan
http://www.tomegan.blogspot.com
Now, Andy, quoting me out of context won't work when my quote is up for all to see. Now, take a hard and careful look at what I wrote.
Whom did I say would “whine”? I didn't say it would be the Republicans. I said it would be the Conservatives. When I said that, I meant Conservative Democrats as well.
Read these things very closely from here on.
peace….
Tom Degan
http://www.tomegan.blogspot.com
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Great discussion!
It inspired me to write an after-the-fact post with my views about the health care reform bill:
http://lockupdoc.com/2010/03/thoughts-on-the-he...
[...] thing hasn’t changed since 1946 and that’s Grand Rounds! Granted, now they are online and this week Evan Falchek at the See First blog is hosting with a [...]
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[...] wait to see great posts about health and medicine, check out last week’s Grand Rounds at See First Blog. Topic: General / Site [...]
[...] blog carnival hosts. Evan Falchuk’s healthcare reform edition of Grand Rounds is up at his See First blog. Rch Elmore hosts the current Health Wonk Review at his Healthcare Technology News (check out [...]
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Thanks for adding me to the blogroll, Evan!
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[...] Welcome to the Grand Rounds — a weekly roundup of medical and health blogging, hosted on a different blog each week. This edition is volume 6, number 28 (click here for last week’s edition). [...]
At this point, I would rather watch Cascada than discuss health care reform again.
Careful Mark the Cascada fans will find you!
[...] 2010 | Etiketler: Falchuk, Grand Rounds, Health Care Reform, Helpful Links Evan Falchuk hosts this week’s edition of Grand Rounds, focused primarily on health care “reform.” It’s a tremendous effort, with [...]
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