Monday, December 06, 2004

The Disparate Consensus on Health Care for All
New York Times story - "In Washington, the phrase 'universal coverage' is rarely mentioned as the way to provide health insurance for the 45 million uninsured Americans. It evokes memories of the Clinton administration's sobering failure to forge a national health care plan. Yet among health care experts there is a surprising consensus that the United States must inevitably adopt some kind of universal coverage..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Medical Costs Likely to Slow, but Not Soon
New York Times story - "Double digit annual increases in the cost of health care cannot go on much longer, industry specialists say, but American consumers will have to wait at least a couple of more years before the increases start to slow. Many health plan members, meanwhile, will again face higher costs in the form of rising deductibles, co-payments and monthly premiums. The insurance companies will continue to thrive, even though they have begun to compete more on prices to gain market share in some localities, Wall Street securities analysts say. To maintain profit margins, they are reducing overhead costs with the help of improved technology..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].