For the Media

In this election year, the catchphrase has been “Change,” and for good reason. By most measures, the past eight years have not been banner ones for this country as a whole, and we have gotten to this point through a combination of complacency, self-interest, and gridlock among our country’s decision makers. The problems are systemic and are not restricted to healthcare, but as this is a healthcare blog, I will try not to stray too far.

Healthcare now consumes over 16% of GDP, an astounding amount of money, but as consumers, we are not getting value for our money. Private insurance covers less than half of those insured, but still generate enormous profits for these companies. There are approximately 45 million uninsured persons in the country. We all pay for the uninsured, as their costs are passed on to the rest of us. A majority of healthcare in our country is now paid for through public moneys. Most individuals receive private health insurance through their jobs. If you are too sick to work, then eventually you become too sick to have private health insurance.

Over the course of the next few weeks leading up to this year’s presidential election on November 4th, I will be writing about health and healthcare related issues on UCLA’s Election Blog. My goal will be to highlight the factual basis of the issues and to offer insights into the party platforms, candidates’ proposals, and timely national and statewide healthcare news. My comments will be informed by my experience as a primary care physician, as a researcher in quality of care and health policy, and as a professor representing UCLA, a public university. I will not shy away from stating the obvious or extrapolating from a combination of current trends and historical data. Where appropriate, I will use other issues to contrast how we make (or don’t make) decisions in healthcare.

Let me know if I am missing the mark or touching where it hurts!

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On-topic comments that add to the discussion are welcome. Please respect each other and the forum by using your real name and a civil tone. Spam and comments judged by UCLA to be libelous, offensive or abusive may be deleted without notice

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