Bad News from Oregon - We'll Have to Wait

A few hours after my optimistic posting yesterday about what I hoped would be an educative debate about health care as a right, I learned f...

Health Care as a Right in Oregon

Everyone interested in medical ethics and health policy should thank Oregon. In the 1980s-1990s Oregon brought rationing out of the closet a...

Topping-up: Medical Ethics, Equity, and Rationing, in the National Health Service

The British National Health Service is facing an important moment in the global debate about medical ethics, rationing, and equity. Yesterda...

Teaching Medical Ethics (Informed Consent)

This spring I have the privilege of teaching in the required first year “Medical Ethics and Professionalism” course at Harvard Medical Schoo...

The FDA's Latest Giveaway to Pharma

The FDA has posted a policy draft : “Good Reprint Practices for the Distribution of Medical Journal Articles and Medical or Scientific Refer...

Collaborating to Control Health Care Costs

In the losing battle to contain health care cost increases, employers and insurers are getting some black eyes. In previous posts I discusse...

A Tough Medical Ethics Problem for Health Insurance

WellPoint, the company that operates California Blue Cross, is in a battle with California physicians over the pre-existing conditions claus...

Assessing the Real Cost of Health Care in America

Assessing the Real Cost of Health Care in America We can’t measure the real cost of any public program, unless we consider the economic fact...

The Ethical Health of our Organizations - 2007 National Business Ethics Survey

Today I finally read the Ethics Resource Center's 2007 National Business Ethics Survey . Don't read it at bedtime. It's scary! I...

New Edition of Setting Limits Fairly

This is an advertisement. "Setting Limits Fairly: Learning to Share Resources for Health" (Second Edition), written with Norman Da...

More Ethics/Less Jail

If ideals don’t motivate organizational leaders to care about touchy-feely matters like “ ethical culture ” and “ethical climate,” prudence ...

Crib Notes on Health Care Platforms for Clinton, Obama, and McCain

Leading Presidential Candidates-Clinton, McCain, Obama Proposals for Health Care Reform This week’s column analyzes the leading presidential...

Assisted Suicide

Jane Brody has a moving argument for the ethical acceptability of assisted suicide in today's New York Times . Most arguments for assist...

Top Three Presidential Candidates Health Care Reform Proposals

Leading Presidential Candidates-Clinton, McCain, Obama Proposals for Health Care Reform Two weeks ago I wrote an article about the five fund...

A Ridiculous use of Medical Ethics Teaching

Dr. John A. King, a 49 year old osteopathic physician who has practiced in at least nine different states, is in trouble again. The Charlest...

Is there a Right to Practice Medicine?

On October 11, 2002, Dr. Martin H. Stein, a prominent Virginia psychiatrist, surrendered his medical license to the Virginia Board of Medici...