Latest News

Health care, economy top concerns of Bay Area small business, Bank of America survey says

Bay Area small business owners’ greatest concerns center on health care costs, credit availability and a recovery in consumer spending, according to Bank of America’s inaugural survey of small business owners that the bank plans to conduct twice a year.
By Mark Calvey, San Francisco Business Times
May 18, 2012

Medical students embrace Medicare for all

If you ever want to rekindle your hope for American medicine, spend time with medical students. These bright, energetic minds are going into medicine for all the right reasons — to help people, relieve suffering and find new ways to cure illness and eradicate disease.
By Ed Weisbart, STLToday
May 17, 2012

Average annual healthcare cost for a family tops $20,000

Healthcare or a Hyundai?
By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
May 16, 2012

High uninsured rates can kill you — even if you have coverage

There are many health policy studies that link uninsurance to worse health outcomes. A forthcoming paper in the Journal of Health Economics adds an important layer to that relationship: It finds that high rates of uninsurance mean worse outcomes even for those with coverage.
By Sarah Kliff, Washington Post
May 15, 2012

Global push to guarantee health coverage leaves U.S. behind

China, Mexico and other countries far less affluent are working to provide medical insurance for all citizens. It’s viewed as an economic investment.
By Noam Levey, LA TIMES
May 14, 2012

Emergency Room Visits on the Rise Due to Low Co-Pay Costs

Employees and their families are making more trips to the emergency room (ER), urgent care facilities and specialists’ offices as relatively low co-pay costs are narrowing the gap between those and other services – notably primary care physicians.
HighRoads
May 11, 2012

New York and Missouri Introduce Single Payer Legislation

Doctors, nurses, patients, senior citizens, anti-poverty advocates, faith leaders and medical administrators joined Assemblymember Richard Gottfried and Senator Thomas Duane in unveiling an updated and revised single payer legislative proposal for New York State. More than 70 state lawmakers are cosponsors.
Healthcare – NOW
May 10, 2012

Get Ready for Summer Conference 2012!

Organizing for Healthcare Justice in California
Sponsored by the Campaign for a Healthy California
May 9, 2012

How single payer can improve the access to cancer care

One in four families impacted by cancer finds themselves in financial straits. A Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard Public Health study found half of cancer patients use up most or all of their life savings. Studies have found that over half of bankruptcies in the United States resulted from medical bills.
By Aldebra Schroll, MD – KevinMD Blog
May 8, 2012

Nominate a Health Care Hero

The San Francisco Business Times is excited to present our annual Health Care Heroes Awards, honoring those professionals who go above and beyond to make the Bay Area healthier through delivering quality care, advocating for patients, innovating new technology or educating the community about health issues. Heroes can include individuals, businesses, agencies, organizations or coalitions.
San Francisco Business Times
May 7, 2012

U.S. health care spending ‘dwarfs’ that of other countries

The United States spends more on health care than 12 other industrialized countries, a new Commonwealth Fund study finds – but that doesn’t mean this country’s care is any better.
By Kathryn Smith, Politico
May 3, 2012

California’s Fight to Stop Health Insurance Price Gouging & the Single Payer Solution

As California families continue to reel from the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, health insurance premium rates have soared by 153% since 2002, nearly five times the rate of inflation.
By Zack Kaldveer, New America Media
May 2, 2012

Community clinics try to fill in dental care gap

Roughly three million poor and disabled Californians had their coverage for dental services cut three years ago, and community dental clinics have struggled to cover preventative services ever since.
By Callie Shanafelt, California Health Report
May 2, 2012