Affordable Care Act Archives

Social Justice

Our Patient-Harm Problem: One Third in Nursing Facilities Harmed by Treatment

A study by Medicare’s inspector general of skilled nursing facilities says nearly 22,000 patients were injured and more than 1,500 died in a single month—a higher rate of medical errors than hospitals.

Marshall Allen

Social Justice

The Germ Theory of Democracy, Dictatorship, and All Your Most Cherished Beliefs

Is culture just a side effect of the struggle to avoid disease?

Ethan Watters

Social Justice

Epic Fail: Where 4 State Health Exchanges Went Wrong

Oregon, Minnesota, Maryland, and Massachusetts are still struggling to get back on track after a disastrous launch that makes HealthCare.gov look successful by comparison.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

As the Media Gets Bored With Obamacare, Is the Public Finally Starting to Get on Board?

The president of the Commonwealth Fund says the implementation of the act is going pretty well, all things considered. He said it will be a success if five million people enroll in private exchanges by March 31. The 2016 election will be the “ultimate and probably final judgment on the law,” he says.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

Can’t Get Through to Your Health Insurer? Vent on Twitter

Consumers sometimes find that complaints on social media get a faster response than calls or emails.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

After 75 Years of Alcoholics Anonymous, It’s Time to Admit We Have a Problem

Challenging the 12-step hegemony.

Maia Szalavitz

Social Justice

What You Need to Know for When a Health Insurer Denies Your Claim

The chances for getting a denied claim reversed have always been better than you might suspect. But your odds are even better now that Obamacare has standardized the appeals procedure.

Jesse Cheng

Social Justice

How Medicare’s Failure to Track Doctors Wastes Billions on Name-Brand Drugs

The failure to track doctors who shun cheaper generics racks up huge costs for taxpayers in Medicare Part D, which fills one of every four U.S. prescriptions.

Charles Ornstein, Tracy Weber & Jennifer LaFleur