Last month, I published an article on Ozempic as a weight-loss drug. While medications like this have the potential to help our nation fight obesity, they carry a large price tag: upwards of $16,000 per year. With that in mind, I asked readers to weigh in with their...
Poll: Public healthcare in America?
Countries with world-leading medical outcomes provide universal coverage for all citizens through public hospitals and government-run clinics—at costs far less than in the United States. Although the doctors elsewhere provide excellent care, delays are common for...
Poll: Reading is fundamental
The June edition of Monthly Musings on American Healthcare kicked off with a series of articles and podcasts about current and upcoming books. So, I was curious to know know if readers of this newsletter make time for reading fiction and/or nonfiction. Here are the...
Healthcare lessons from the PEN America Literary Gala
Founded a century ago in 1922, PEN America (the abbreviation short for “Poets, Essayists and Novelists”) champions the freedom to write, and the power of writing to change minds—and even the world. Literary greats Eugene O’Neill and Robert Frost were among the...
Poll: Medical ethics in the age of AI
A recent Pew Research survey found that Americans are worried about the ethical impact ChatGPT will have on medical practice. Last month’s reader survey asked for your thoughts on some of medicine’s biggest ethical questions. For each questions, participants had to...
Healthcare policy leaders make their party’s case at Stanford conference
Thirteen years have passed since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, our nation’s last significant piece of healthcare legislation. Though the landmark law helped reduce the number of uninsured Americans and expanded Medicaid in many states, the bigger...
POLL: Regulators, mount up
My April newsletter (see: Monthly Musings on American Healthcare) led with an article about the role of regulators in healthcare. The April reader survey asked you to weigh in on (a) the industries most in need of tighter regulations and (b) the sectors of healthcare...
Poll: Our government, your healthcare
Republican and Democratic leaders promised to leave Medicare alone as they debate the nation’s debt ceiling. But with 10,000 Americans retiring every day, Medicare costs are quickly outpacing the tax revenue needed to keep the program afloat. Last month’s survey asked...
3 Big Changes Coming To American Medicine
U.S. healthcare costs are rising rapidly while American life expectancy has remained stagnant for two decades. Businesses are facing greater economic pressures and looking for ways to flatten the rate of healthcare cost inflation. As a result, more and more...
Poll: You down with GPT?
ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot from OpenAI, is taking the digital world by storm. This month’s reader survey asks about your experiences with the app and your predictions for its future. My thoughts: Like most Americans, readers of this newsletter...









