What the Heck Are Medicare Vouchers?

A Rundown On What They Do, How They’re Meant To Help, and Why They Probably Won’t

Enacted in 1965 and implemented in 1966, Medicare, which largely covers the healthcare costs for America’s seniors, has become one of the federal government’s most beloved programs. It’s also one of the most expensive. In 2011, outlays came to $486 billion, about 14 percent of federal expenditures.

Everyone knows Medicare needs to be set on a sustainable course, but partisan exchanges about how to achieve that have become increasingly sharp. This election season, Republicans have accused President Obama of cutting Medicare, while Democrats have accused Republicans of intending to end Medicare …

Doctors Really Do Die Differently

Research Says That More Physicians Plan Ahead, Reject CPR, and Die In Peace

In late 2011, I wrote an essay for Zócalo called “How Doctors Die.” Drawing on my observations and experiences as a doctor, I reported that doctors tend to seek less …

Why Does the Doc Keep Calling?

The Perils and Promise of the Next Hyped Health Cost Control: Accountable Care Organizations

You’ve got diabetes. Maybe also a little asthma. You’ve got a few extra pounds you know you should lose. You gave up smoking. You’re of a certain age. That is, …

This Is How I Wish To Die

Why I Filled Out a "POLST" Form

Dr. Ken Murray’s article about how doctors die generated a lot of comments about the bureaucratic side of end-of-life preparation. Curious to know about a form called the POLST, or …

Dr. Me

Cancer Patients Want a Say, But Do We Have To Be the Doctor, Too?

Shortly before my 39th birthday, when I was taking a shower, I felt a lump about the size and shape of a pea in my right breast. I felt a …

Hello, Asthma, My Old Friend

Growing Up in Fresno, Where There’s No Such Thing As a Good-Air Day

I don’t remember learning the word “asthma”–any more than I remember learning the words “pizza” or “dog.” In Fresno, California, where I was born in 1989, all those terms were …