After the passage of historic health care reform there will still remain very tough questions on the direction of our economy and the steps to take. But good will - charity - does exist.
After 2010, the Obama presidency, if history is any guide, will change substantially. It will become reactive, initiate few, if any, major pieces of legislation, and focus more on foreign policy.
I think of this bill as a starter home. It is not the mansion of our dreams, but it has a solid foundation, giving every American access to quality, affordable coverage.
The Senate is a system designed, for good or ill, to permit a minority to interpose itself, as obnoxiously or as honorably as they may choose. Eliminate all that, and what do you get? You get the House of Representatives.
We may end up with single-payer health care after all: since insurance companies aren't subject to anti-trust provisions, one or two large insurers could easily dominate a market.
My young patients prove to me that the barriers to one's life potential can be removed. For the millions of children with psychiatric disorders, just as for everyone else, it simply matters what choices we make.
I'm not a fan of savings strategies that require daily maintenance -- and deprivation. Instead, I like to battle big boring expenses every once in awhile.
When it comes to a basic social safety net, Europeans are far more giving than are Americans and far more effective because the safety-net is organized on a societal basis through government.
Deal Hudson appoints himself the arbiter of what is Catholic, and if you support health care reform that in any way might lead to an abortion paid for with public funds, you are not one.
One lesson of the past decade is that facts - scientific and medical - aren't always clear. Rather, they're messy and often difficult to interpret, even upon expert examination.
As we look toward Congressional action for 2010, we hope for passage of a "good enough" bill -- not a perfect bill -- that can be tinkered with.
Populism is not so much a political stance (as "conservatism" is, for instance) as it is a political tactic. Meaning it can be used equally well by either side of our current American political divide.
My examination of the Gardasil vaccine continues with an in-depth interview of Dr. Diane M. Harper.
The routine use of the filibuster in the last 15 years marks the acceptance of "Polish rules" (the ability of a small minority to say "no" to anything) as a given in the U.S. Senate.
Have you ever noticed how a mean tone on the other end of the phone can leave you bitter for the rest of the day and a warm, helpful voice can spur on a cheerier, more productive day?
It will be incumbent upon the Senate/House conference who will determine the final bill to ensure the package doesn't contain a lump of coal for states like New York.
It's frustrating to watch the politicians who are quick to point out the weaknesses of the Indian Health Service even though they have never proposed adequate funding or the dreaded idea of rationing.
Approximately 137,000 Americans died between 2000 and 2006 because they didn't have insurance. That's like wiping a city the size of Savannah, Georgia off the map every seven years.
It was not an outright bribe. Money is not being handed to Sen. Ben Nelson for his personal use. But it is certainly the equivalent to a campaign contribution.
Homeopathy gained popularity due to its impressive successes in treating the infectious disease epidemics of the 19th century, not just typhoid, but also cholera, scarlet fever, yellow fever, flu.
