OpEds: Palin on the Ryan Roadmap, Seniors and primary care docs, Arizona transplant controversy

Dec 10 2010

The Wall Street Journal: Why I Support The Ryan Roadmap
[The president's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform's report] implicitly endorses the use of 'death panel'-like rationing by way of the new Independent Payments Advisory Board—making bureaucrats, not medical professionals, the ultimate arbiters of what types of treatment will (and especially will not) be reimbursed under Medicare. ... In my view, a better plan is the Roadmap for America's Future produced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wisc.). ... On health care, it would replace ObamaCare with a new system in which people are given greater control over their own health-care spending (Sarah Palin, 12/10).

The Washington Post: Seniors Lose Out With Payment Cuts To Primary-Care Doctors
The temporary fix that Congress has passed to stave off the looming 23 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements to physicians is better than nothing - but the long-term problem remains unsolved. Lawmakers have for years kicked down the road tough choices on a critical issue - and those who stand to suffer the most should physician pay be cut are elderly Americans. ... These days I can no longer promise my patients that I will be there when they need me (Dr. Jerald Winakur, 12/9).

The Arizona Republic: They're Pawns In Death Panel's Game Of Chess
The governor's death panel will save roughly $1.4 million this year by cutting transplant services. That's $1.4 million in an overall budget of roughly $9 billion (E.J. Montini, 12/10). 

San Francisco Chronicle: BPA Ban Is Overdue
Sacramento failed its duty in September followed by Washington last month. Lobbying by the chemical industry has fought off a well-deserved ban on bisphenol A, a synthetic estrogen linked to cancer, obesity and other health issues, and used in food and beverage containers (12/9).

San Jose Mercury News: Marriage Equality Is A Matter Of Health As Well As Rights
Stigma and prejudice lead many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to face significant barriers when accessing health care. The LGBT communities suffer from greater rates of obesity, adult and adolescent mental health disorders, chronic diseases, intimate partner violence and sexually transmitted diseases (Dr. Gabriel Garcia, 12/10).