#Medicare boss Berwick for Massachusetts governor? Changing what makes sense #hcr #mapoli

Sure sounds like it from the Globe story. Berwick, a Newton pediatrician and longtime Harvard faculty ...has been contemplating a run for the past two or three months, meeting with 40 or 50 people, including political veterans and consultants. ...“I’m strongly considering it,” said Berwick, whose interest in the office was first reported by State …

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Hounded ex-Medicare chief Berwick back in Boston

Donald Berwick, who was hounded out of Washington for saying something nice about the UK health system, is back in town and on WBUR today. Also check out today's NTYimes op/ed by Joe Nocera: Dr. Donald Berwick was already in Massachusetts when I spoke to him Sunday afternoon. He was back in the Newton home where he’d lived for 30 years, being …

Health policy digest takes on reform loopholes and clueless reporters

The latest edition of the roaming digest of health policy blogs; Health Wonks - the SuperHero Edition!!! The deficit battle is on and politicians are in full voice - both in Washington and out on the hustings, where GOP candidates are loudly denouncing health reform as unAmerican and a job killer.  Hipsters and greying hippies …

Occupy Health Care: Boston protesters say Wall Street makes them sick

While health reform may not be at the top of their agenda, some of the Occupy Boston protesters down at Dewey Square had no problem linking the high cost of medical care to their complaints about Wall Street.  Some support Obama’s reforms; others called for a single payer system. But, nearly everyone interviewed had universal health …

NHS: Maybe they fund fruit fly research too

Not to knock  my UK colleagues, but --would it be fair to say that maybe the headlines of some British newspapers are not the best source of information about England's National Health Service?  More demonizing of CMS nominee Donald  Berwick – who has said he “loves” the UK plan -- in a column in today’s Globe, …

Fair pay or bone scam?

Tons of great health reporting in today's Globe, not all of it on the health page. See stories on brain cells, osteoporosis testing, skanky diet pills and vitamin D. BHN takes particular note of the bone scan story and wonders -- Will politics and science ever find common ground? At this point, it is becoming more and …

Berwick: More Dr. Death mongering

The Globe’s Susan Milligan reports today on the attempt by Republicans to tag Harvard professor Donald Berwick as a death merchant.  Berwick runs a research program that looks at ways to cut waste and improve health care services.  He is up for the job as head of The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an …

Rachel Maddow v. Scott Brown and friends

4/1 update: Globe letter-writers defend Maddow, chide staff editorialists. Dan Kennedy, writing in The Guardian, says she would be a good candidate. Note that on Thursday,  the Senate voted down Brown's proposed amendment that would have removed a tax on medical device makers from the reform bill. Now, Maddow isn't running for Senate. She made that …

Scott Brown joins Avatar in fight again health reform devil

A little game of connect the Globe dots. 1)     With Sen. Scott Brown at this side, Arizona Sen. John McCain sought to out-Bible his Tea Party challenger by defining himself as the Senate’s devil hunter. From the Globe: “Scott and I just returned from trying to do the Lord’s work in the city of Satan,’’ …

Still wondering about Scott Brown and health reform

His opposition to the Senate plan was a big factor, possibly a turning point, in his win. Sunday’s NY Times Magazine profile of Sen.Scott Brown gives pretty much zero insight into what our new senator plans to do about health reform.  The story does suggest he didn’t explain his plans very clearly in the campaign. ….If …