“I just finished reading your book You’re Stronger than You Think and felt compelled to write you. I found it tremendously enriching from both a personal and professional point of view.”
That was the opening sentence from a recent e-mail I received from a complete stranger. Truth be told, it is impossible to get too many e-mails like this!
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Researchers at USC recently published a study designed to find out how much people are willing to pay for better drug coverage from their health insurance plan.
According to a new study, daycare will increase your child’s health, intelligence and social development. But do you think the study is scientifically rigorous enough to justify this conclusion?
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“Doctor Talk: Technology and Modern Conversation” – The American Journal of Medicine
“Beyond Costs and Benefits” – The Oncologist
“Promoting Population Health through Financial Stewardship” – The New England Journal of Medicine
A couple of years ago I was invited to speak at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association in Chicago, to discuss the morality of whether physicians should ration care from their patients.
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Imagine for a moment that you are an oncologist caring for a 53-year-old man with metastatic cancer, a person whose tumor has spread to lung and liver. With standard chemotherapy, this man can expect to live around 12 months. That standard treatment isn’t all that expensive in today’s terms, only $25,000 and his insurance company will pick up the entire tab since he is already maxed out on his yearly deductible and co-pays.
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Imagine for a moment you are suffering from an illness that makes you feel like your soul has been run over by an angry defensive lineman, a disease that interferes with your desire to sleep, eat and make love. Oh, and this illness will continue to make you feel this way for the rest of your life. How much would you be willing to pay for a treatment makes you feel normal again?
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Here is a news story on a new study I collaborated on with Dylan Smith, which shows that even when people realize how terribly awful it can be to suffer from depression, they don’t want to spend much money on treatments that would rid them of depression. A strange and disturbing finding!
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