For It Before They Were Against It

Would a Court Ruling Against Healthcare Reform Actually Kill Off Cherished Conservative Ideas?

You would never know it from their denunciations of “Obamacare,” but in the battle over the 2010 healthcare law, conservatives have been fighting against ideas they once approved–and still approve in other contexts.

The 2010 legislation calls for the establishment of insurance exchanges, subsidies to the poor and near poor to make insurance affordable, and a mandate requiring individuals to maintain a minimum level of health coverage. That approach was championed originally by the leading conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation. It was the basis of legislation co-sponsored by 20 Senate …

How Doctors Die

It’s Not Like the Rest of Us, But It Should Be

Years ago, Charlie, a highly respected orthopedist and a mentor of mine, found a lump in his stomach. He had a surgeon explore the area, and the diagnosis was pancreatic …

Go Ahead: Break My Leg

I Can Afford It, Because I’ve Ditched My Health Savings Account

I knew I was in trouble when the first bill arrived. A few months after going from uninsured to using a health savings account to manage the cost of care, …

The Worst Kind of Super

How Can We Fight the Rise of Deadly Superbugs?

In 2004, an outbreak of MRSA decimated my college rugby team. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus–also called MRSA (pronounced MER-sa)–sent every infected player to the hospital for treatment, every uniform and piece …

It’s My Genes, Isn’t It?

How To Avoid Being Scared Half to Death By Genetic Testing

One reason our genes scare us is that they might be hatching a plan to kill us. For some reason, though, when I had my genes tested I thought as …

Who Needs Doctors, Anyway?

Getting Used to Life After Primary Care Physicians

If you think it’s hard to get an appointment with a family doctor now, just wait until you’re a little older. By 2025, it’d really be best if you avoided …