Autonomy, paternalism and understanding
I gave a talk Wednesday as part of an ethics series here at Duke. Here is one take on my presentation. See if you can spot the Far Side reference!
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More thoughts on doctors’ offices as campaign offices
In a recent post, I asked for your thoughts on how you would feel if your doctor posted an anti-health reform letter in his waiting room. Link The letter was a direct quote from one posted in Dr. Hal Scherz’s urology clinic in Atlanta. Scherz is president of Docs4PatientCare. For all I know, Scherz is…
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Doctor’s office or campaign office? Your turn to vote!
I need to know what you think of the following situation. You walk into your doctor’s office, turn your insurance information into the clerk, take a seat in the waiting room and discover the following letter sitting on the couch-side table, authored by your very own doctor: “Dear Patient: Section 1311 of the new health…
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Does the Obama Administration Want Your Gas-Guzzler To Give You Sticker-Shock?
Suppose you are at the car dealer and have narrowed your choice down to two automobiles. One is a little nicer looking, and the other has a more comfortable interior. One gets twenty miles per gallon and the other gets twenty five. You typically drive about twelve thousand miles in a year, which means (queue…
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Sarcopenia: Name the disease and let the pill popping begin!
Sarcopenia: a mysterious disorder that causes people’s muscles to shrink away. 25%, 30%, even greater loss of strength… until the victim is struggling to make it up to the second floor bedroom. Would you undergo a treatment for this disorder if it was safe and effective? And do you think your insurance company should pay…
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Economics Behaving Badly
George Loewenstein and I have an Op-Ed in the New York Times today. Check it out, and feel free to add your comments.
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Tax Me Baby: The True Cost of Coke
Taxes are inevitable, or so they say. How much we should tax our citizenry, however, is debatable. Tea party members think we tax too much, and many liberals think we don’t tax quite enough. I’m not going to take a position on the overall tax burden right now. Instead, I’ll point out two things I…
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Gossip and The New York Times
It was a confession, one that was perhaps more revealing than the confessor realized. Mark Leibovich, writing about Politico in The New York Times Magazine in April, felt the need to disclose that he had known Mike Allen, the subject of his essay, for a dozen or so years, and that he was a fan…
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The Audacity of Nope
“No” isn’t an ideology. “Nada” is no way to govern a country. “Nope” won’t turn around the economy, and political rope-a-doping won’t balance the federal budget. Yet if you had to summarize the three top “accomplishments” of the Republican party since Obama took office, they would be no, nada, and nope. Because it is out…
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Abortion, Health Care and the Psychology of Compromise
It is a dangerous time to compromise in the U. S. government. A Republican working with Obama is dead meat in the next primary. A Democrat who works with Republicans? Well, you saw what happened to Joe Lieberman the last time he ran as a Democrat. Politicians are understandably worried that if they collaborate across…