The Health Care Blog

Time to put aside the intellectual disputes for now

By Matthew Holt It’s always fun to see my friends beating each other up in public....and if you read down in the comments on the post published yesterday you’ll see a significant dispute between Maggie Mahar and the Klepper/Kibbe/Lazsweski/Enthoven team...
October 31, 2009 in Brian Klepper, David Kibbe, Maggie Mahar, Matthew Holt, Policy, Policy/Politics, Public Option, Robert Laszewski | Permalink | Comments (79)

Health-Care Reform and the “Culture Wars”

By MAGGIE MAHAR Friday, Politico.com editor Fred Barbash posed this question to “Arena” contributors: “Does the ongoing debate about healthcare reform reflect a :"kind of culture war” that can be traced to a “fundamental difference in world views?” Barbash then...
August 4, 2009 in History, Maggie Mahar, Reform | Permalink | Comments (13)

Why It is Inevitable that the Debate over Health care Will be Partisan

By Maggie Mahar In a post earlier this week, Bob Laszewski reported that “the extension and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has now passed the full House and the Senate Finance Committee and is on its...
January 20, 2009 in Maggie Mahar, Obama administration, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (8)

On Health Care Reform Stimulating the Economy: The Massachusetts Example

By Maggie Mahar Recently, a somewhat starry-eyed op-ed in the New York Times suggested that a $100 billion annual investment in universal health care is just the medicine that our economy needs. The goal, declared Jonathan Gruber, a professor of...
December 14, 2008 in Economics, Maggie Mahar, Obama administration, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (11)

“Spread the Wealth” Controversy Hits Doctors

By Maggie Mahar & Niko Karvounis By now you know that Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) has offered a “Call to Arms” for health care reform by way of a 98-page policy document. There is much to think about in Baucus’...
November 17, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (4)

Social solidarity is key to meaningful health reform

By Maggie Mahar On HealthBeat, I have talked about social solidarity as the key to meaningful health care reform. In his victory speech, President-elect Obama sounded that theme repeatedly, reminding his audience that he had been elected “by young and...
November 7, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (5)

If you have a right to health care, how much care?

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, she is fellow at the Century Foundation and the author of the increasingly influential HealthBeat blog, one of our favorite health care reads,...
November 6, 2008 in Economics, Maggie Mahar, Policy | Permalink | Comments (8)

A Fantasy Brought to You by the New York Times: Medicine Without Risk

By Maggie Mahar Sometimes I agree with New York Times’ editorials. Sometimes I don’t. But I rarely learn much from them. To my mind, the problem with the form is that it encourages opining without evidence. So, I admit, I...
October 27, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Medicare, Policy | Permalink | Comments (10)

Judging states by the health of their children

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, she is fellow at the Century Foundation and the author of the increasingly influential HealthBeat blog, one of our favorite health care reads,...
October 14, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, public health | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is health care a right?

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, she is fellow at the Century Foundation and the author of the increasingly influential HealthBeat blog, one of our favorite health care reads,...
October 8, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (87)

Obama's health plan under the microscope and through a fair lense

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. A fellow at the Century Foundation, Maggie is also the...
October 3, 2008 in Election 08, Maggie Mahar, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (5)

Cognitive dissonance in U.S. health care

By Maggie Mahar Princeton economist Uwe Reinhardt is well known as one of the bluntest—and wittiest—critics of U.S. Healthcare. Last week, we both spoke at a conference organized by Princeton’s Policy Research Institute on “Access to Universal Health Care: New...
September 19, 2008 in Economics, Maggie Mahar | Permalink | Comments (40)

Making medical school more affordable

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. She is the author of Money-Driven medicine: The Real Reason...
September 10, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Physicians | Permalink | Comments (4)

Merck's marketing for HPV vaccine trumps science

By Maggie Mahar A frequent contributor to THCB, Maggie Mahar's work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. A fellow at the Century Foundation, Maggie is also the author of the increasingly influential HealthBeat blog, one...
August 22, 2008 in Consumers, Economics, Maggie Mahar, Policy, prevention | Permalink | Comments (5)

Pay doctors for the value they offer patients

By Maggie Mahar A frequent contributor to THCB, Maggie Mahar's work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. A fellow at the Century Foundation, Maggie is also the author of the increasingly influential HealthBeat blog, one...
August 19, 2008 in Economics, Maggie Mahar, Medicare, Physicians, Policy | Permalink | Comments (12)

Health reform is possible; voters still hold the power

By Maggie Mahar A frequent contributor to THCB, Maggie Mahar's work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. A fellow at the Century Foundation, Maggie is also the author the influential HealthBeat blog. In a post...
August 4, 2008 in Economics, Maggie Mahar, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (10)

Creating currency to care for the elderly

By Maggie Mahar A frequent contributor to THCB, Maggie Mahar's work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. A fellow at the Century Foundation, Maggie is also the author the increasingly influential HealthBeat blog, one of...
August 1, 2008 in Economics, Maggie Mahar, Policy | Permalink | Comments (5)

Medicare could pave the way for national reform

By Maggie Mahar A frequent contributor to THCB, Maggie Mahar's work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. A fellow at the Century Foundation, Maggie is also the author the increasingly influential HealthBeat blog, one of...
July 25, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Medicare, Policy | Permalink | Comments (8)

The managed care roller coaster

By Maggie Mahar & Niko Karvounis Niko Karvounis tracks the health care system for the Century Foundation. Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times,...
July 16, 2008 in Health Plans, Hillary Clinton, Maggie Mahar, Marketplace, Policy, The Industry | Permalink | Comments (17)

Ted Kennedy shows up to vote; McCain absent

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. She is the author of Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason...
July 10, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, McCain, Medical Devices, Medicare, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (7)

The problem with Medicare Advantage

By Maggie Mahar Everyone understands why Congress was so reluctant to cut physicians’ fees. Reimbursements for primary care physicians are very low—so low that 30 percent of Medicare recipients who are looking for a new medical home can’t find one....
July 10, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (13)

Doctors Who Don’t Take Insurance: What Does It Mean for Patients?

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. She is the author of Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason...
July 9, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Physicians | Permalink | Comments (24)

Should progressive reformers talk about reining in the cost of care?

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. She is the author of Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason...
June 27, 2008 in Election 08, Maggie Mahar, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (13)

Going Dutch for health reform ideas

By Maggie Mahar & Niko Karvounis Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. She is the author of Money-Driven Medicine:...
June 22, 2008 in Economics, International, Maggie Mahar, Marketplace, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (12)

Stats can't explain everything; the anecdote remains relevant

By Maggie Mahar Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. She is the author of Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason...
June 16, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Physicians | Permalink | Comments (3)

Quoteable

By THCB Staff We asked THCB contributor Maggie Mahar for her quick take on the health care policies of each of the presidential candidates. We were pretty much expecting one of Maggie's trademarked dissertations - a meticulously researched critique of...
April 20, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Policy, Policy/Politics | Permalink | Comments (2)

When You Go to an ER and There's No One There to Take Care of You

By Maggie Mahar Recently, I’ve been reading less-well known health care blogs—and finding some provocative stories. Below, Edwin Leap--who is a physician and a blogger--tells a story about trying to find a specialist for a very sick child in the...
April 11, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Physicians | Permalink | Comments (4)

On Corporate Medicine: A Response To Brian Klepper, and His Reply - Maggie Mahar

Maggie Mahar, the former Barron's journalist, author of Money Driven Medicine, and Health Policy Fellow at The Century Foundation and frequent THCB contributor chewed on my piece about Walgreen's recent acquisition of worksite clinic firms, and wrote a strong response...
April 2, 2008 in Brian Klepper, Economics, Maggie Mahar | Permalink | Comments (18)

CDC officials blocked public health report by Maggie Mahar

The Center for Public Integrity, a public interest investigative journalism organization, has obtained copies of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of environmental and health data in eight Great Lakes states that was scheduled for publication in...
February 12, 2008 in Maggie Mahar | Permalink | Comments (7)

WSJ Editorial on Liver Transplants Cherry-Picks the Numbers - Maggie Mahar

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a resident fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal last week that returned to the much-exploited story of Nataline Sarkisyan, the 17-year-old Californian who died before receiving a liver...
January 16, 2008 in FDA, Maggie Mahar, Policy | Permalink | Comments (11)

THCB Reader Mail: Maggie Mahar on that checklist decision

Frequent THCB contributor Maggie Mahar did a little detective work on the Office of Human Research Protection's (OHRP) mysterious decision to suspend a trial designed to reduce medical errors by requiring that hospitals follow standardized safety and infection control procedures,...
January 3, 2008 in Maggie Mahar, Reader Mail | Permalink | Comments (0)

Health Care Reform: What Do Americans Want? (Or Think They Want?) by Maggie Mahar

On the surface, it seems that American voters have made their will clear. Poll after poll shows that they are calling for a major overhaul of our health care system. But when you look closer, their responses bristle with contradictions...
November 30, 2007 in Maggie Mahar, Policy | Permalink | Comments (22)

Why Aren’t More Students Applying To Medical School? By Maggie Mahar

Did you know that there are only two applicants for every place in U.S. medical schools? In Canada, surprisingly, close to four students apply for each opening. The training in the two countries is very similar; indeed, the Association of...
November 6, 2007 in Maggie Mahar | Permalink | Comments (16)

Massachusetts Health Care Reform : The Canary in the Coal Mine By Maggie Mahar

Advocates for health care reform have been keeping an eye on Massachusetts, hopeful that its new health reform law will serve as a pilot program for the nation. I’m much less hopeful than I was two days ago. Yesterday I...
October 23, 2007 in Maggie Mahar, Policy | Permalink | Comments (4)

POLICY: Clinton and Edwards open the back door By Maggie Mahar

Frequent THCB contributor and healthcare rockstar Maggie Mahar is back today with her reaction to the health care plans recently released by the Clinton and Edwards campaigns. What does Maggie think? Read on, but the title should give you a...
September 25, 2007 in Maggie Mahar, Policy | Permalink | Comments (24)

UPDATE: Medicare, SCHIP and Kids by Maggie Mahar

Last night the Senate voted 68 to 31 to renew and expand the State Children'€™s Health Insurance Program SCHIP). A day earlier the House voted 225-204, largely along party lines, to approve a larger expansion of the SCHIP program. As...
August 3, 2007 in Maggie Mahar, Medicare Advantage, SCHIP | Permalink | Comments (2)

HEALTH PLANS: SCHIP and Medicare Advantage by Maggie Mahar

You'll be seeing more and more of Maggie Mahar here as she works blogging into her new role at The Century Foundation. But of course, she's not the only one who's made this connection. If you want to see more...
August 2, 2007 in Health Plans, Maggie Mahar, Medicare Advantage | Permalink | Comments (50)

POLICY: A roadmap for reform by Maggie Mahar

Maggie Mahar is an award winning journalist and author. A frequent contributor to THCB, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Barron's and Institutional Investor. She is the author of Money-Driven medicine: The Real Reason Why healthcare costs...
June 29, 2007 in Maggie Mahar, Policy | Permalink | Comments (13)

POLICY: In Defense of the VA system By Maggie Mahar

Like fellow contributor Eric Novack, THCB alum Maggie Mahar has been following the Walter Reed story closely. Maggie doesn't buy the criticism that the problems at the facility are due to the fact that Walter Reed is a government run...
March 5, 2007 in Maggie Mahar, Policy | Permalink | Comments (24)