Opinions

Tradeoffs

Tradeoffs started with a simple idea: There are no silver bullets in health care. Dan Gorenstein learned this covering the business of health care at the public radio show Marketplace. Economists, physicians and researchers taught him even the most well-intentioned plans to fix issues like unaffordable insurance, high prescription drug prices and inequitable care for marginalized patients carried risk and unintended consequences. He struggled to fit all that nuance and complexity into his short radio stories.

It Saves Lives. It Can Save Money. So Why Aren’t We Spending More on Public Health?

Funding for health campaigns is surprisingly low when you consider they’re often so valuable that they pay for themselves.

President Trump is benefiting from single-payer, single-provider health care. We all should

Unlike the vast majority of Americans who get sick, President Trump is reaping the benefits of single-payer, single-provider health care. He doesn’t have to deal with networks, deductibles, or co-pays at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The president will not face the familiar onslaught of paperwork, the confusing “explanations of benefit,” or the ongoing bills that distract so many Americans as they attempt to recuperate from their illnesses.

The Movement Against Psychiatry

The contentious debate of whether to fix—or completely overthrow—the way we treat mental illness.

Maintaining a Healthy Balance of Fair and Balanced

Not all opinions are created equal. So why do news media so often go out of their way to place those hocking scientifically unsupported fringe beliefs on the same footing as those espousing the near unanimity of the scientific community?

A Second Opinion Never Hurts

Just because there are absolutely correct answers does not assure that any one diagnostician or therapist will ever actually be able to find them.

How Reliable Are Psychology Studies?

A new study shows that the field suffers from a reproducibility problem, but the extent of the issue is still hard to nail down.

Jury Nullification: When the Spirit of Justice Should Rise Above the Law

Just about every American knows that juries have the power to rule whether a defendant deserves to be convicted of a crime. What few Americans know is that a jury has legal power to disregard the facts of the case and exonerate a defendant who has broken a law the jury sees as unjust.

Retraction Watch: Providing Information About Bad Information

In a field supposedly peer-reviewed and self-correcting, there is a decided lack of transparency and dissemination when it comes to retractions. Enter Retraction Watch, which aims to change the paradigm.

Second Opinion on Back Pain

Second opinion on back pain can be an excellent tool in a patient''s treatment arsenal. A fresh viewpoint can help to make an accurate diagnosis of the actual condition causing the pain. If at all possible, every patient should get at least 2 medical opinions before beginning ANY treatment for back pain.

Terrorism Is Not as Simple as They Say

Terrorism has been a hot topic throughout the 21st century. But most of that talk is hot air thick enough to obscure more than it clarifies.

The Science of Irresponsibility: Why Even Republicans Shouldn't Stand for Playing Politics with Science

Very few scientists are Republicans. And it's no wonder when you consider how Republican lawmakers are walking and talking when it comes to science. But while this may be politics as usual, it's no good for any of us—including Republicans themselves.

Why Donald Trump Is Good for America

As a diagnostic tool for the health of the American political system, Candidate Trump is just what the doctor ordered.

Women on 20s: Promoting the Value of Gender Equality

The U.S. talks a good game of gender equality, but a new nonprofit org says the country needs to put its money where its mouth is.

Would Money for Mars Be Better Spent on Earth?

Mars is more popular than ever, with pie-in-the-sky talk of manned missions within our lifetime. But such aspirations don't come cheap. Should we really be throwing money into space when there's so much good it could do on the ground?

Handle with Care: Why You Should Think Twice Before Sharing that Article

In today's world it's easy to share information. But that's no excuse for making no effort to ensure the info we pass along isn't bogus.

9 things Americans need to learn from the rest of the world’s health care systems

Universal health care is hard, but it should be possible — and eight more things I discovered from visiting other countries.

Five takeaways from STAT’s investigation of bias in the use of health-cost analytics software

By crunching data on patients, software developers promise to help U.S. hospitals and insurers accomplish a crucial task: identifying those most in need of stepped-up care to manage their chronic illnesses. But a STAT investigation found that these software systems are infusing racism into healthcare...

Care Opinion

An independent site about your experiences of UK health services, good or bad. We pass your stories to the right people to make a difference.

Healthy Debate

Unbiased facts. Informed opinions. Our mission is to provide accurate, accessible information about health care to the public, practitioners, journalists, students, managers and policy makers; to be a forum for thoughtful deliberation about Canada’s health care systems; and to increase the frequency with which health system leaders use evidence and informed public input when making policy and management decisions.

Second Opinion

Ever wonder what doctors whisper about when you're not in the room? Find out each week on Second Opinion.

Dartmouth Atlas Project

For more than 20 years, the Dartmouth Atlas Project has documented glaring variations in how medical resources are distributed and used in the United States. The project uses Medicare data to provide information and analysis about national, regional, and local markets, as well as hospitals and their affiliated physicians. This research has helped policymakers, the media, health care analysts and others improve their understanding of our health care system and forms the foundation for many of the ongoing efforts to improve health and health systems across America.

Debate.org

Debate.org is a free online community and social networking site dedicated to people who like to debate online and read the opinions of others.

Best Doctors

Best Doctors provides an innovative employee health benefit that is improving the quality and cost of healthcare. When faced with important medical decisions, Best Doctors members have access to world-class medical expertise, so they can be absolutely sure they have the right diagnosis and the right treatment.

Imedview

IMEDVIEW, Inc. offers an expansive array of services, including, but not limited to: Independent Medical Examinations (also referred to as an IME, second opinion evaluations, third party exams), disability examinations, physicals, return to work evaluations, record reviews, peer reviews and diagnostic film reviews. All IME and Medical review findings are documented through our distinguished narrative medical reports.

JustAskOurDoctors.com

Are you concerned about the healthcare you or someone you know is receiving or received in the past? If your care was not appropriate and it caused injury, our team of physicians can provide a free review.

MediGuide

A medical second opinion service that significantly improves healthcare outcomes.

Partners Healthcare

When you are faced with decisions regarding a new diagnosis or treatment plan, having another expert opinion is the first step towards getting the care you need.