Healthcare

A heavy man races casually without competition

Politics This Week: Corruption Without Competition

By Justin Katz | October 15, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss ways in which corruption thrives without competitive elections.

A water drop and ripples

Are you feeling the wobble in RI’s medical infrastructure?

By Justin Katz | September 24, 2024 |

I find it ominous that one of my children’s dentist just cancelled an appointment for tomorrow due to short staffing. RI’s medical infrastructure feels a bit like we could get the equivalent of an emergency Washington Bridge closure at any time.  Or maybe we’ve been getting them, but the people who run the state are…

A water drop and ripples

Rhode Islanders must ask deeper questions about our healthcare system.

By Justin Katz | July 12, 2024 |

I’ll start with two arising from Ian Donnis’s recent article about the state’s approval of the sale of two hospitals “to an Atlanta-based nonprofit with no experience in managing hospitals.” The first question arises from the description of the institutions as “cash-strapped safety-net hospitals.”  Rhode Island, among all states, dove right into the centralizing forces…

Special interests tug on a fraying rope in tug of war

Politics This Week: Special Interest Tug of War

By Justin Katz | June 24, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz look for the hidden dynamics of local politics.

Of Bake Sales and Nursing Homes Not Saved

By Monique Chartier | June 23, 2024 |

On Thursday, Governor Dan McKee appeared on The News with Gene Valicenti for an “Ask the Governor” segment on WPRO.  (No podcast to link to.)  During the segment, while rattling off accomplishments of the just-passed state budget, Governor McKee said … nursing homes, which we basically have saved … An interesting statement.  In fact, six…

McKee Antoinette serves cake

Politics This Week: Let Them Eat Leftovers

By Justin Katz | June 18, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz review the undercurrents of politics in RI and nationally.

A water drop and ripples

One reason to fear government control of healthcare is the reluctance to reevaluate.

By Justin Katz | April 2, 2024 |

Rich Weinstein’s quip, here, exposes a deadly serious problem with the progressive style of governance: Rhode Island jumped into ObamaCare with both feet, and not only are our hospitals struggling, but people are having a terrible time finding primary care doctors.  Maybe those two things are cause-and-effect, maybe they’re loosely related, or maybe there’s no…

A healthcare panel gives thumbs down.

Politics This Week: Under Their Thumb

By Justin Katz | April 1, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz warn of growing government control and corruption.

A water drop and ripples

Maybe mental illness isn’t the cause of progressivism.

By Justin Katz | March 14, 2024 |

This is an interesting bit of data, and Frank Fleming’s response is humorous, but a question of causation and another bit of information are relevant: The bit of information that’s missing is the percentage of each group who’s asked a healthcare provider to diagnose a mental health condition. No doubt, psychologists and psychiatrists could find something…

A water drop and ripples

The ACLU of Colorado has reached the point of psychosis.

By Justin Katz | February 26, 2024 |

That’s the only explanation for this sort of thing:   The activist-lawyers at the ACLU would have us believe that they are so blinkered by ideology that they can’t see a distinction between a children’s hospital removing unhealthy breast tissue to stop cancer and removing healthy breasts for cosmetic reasons under the assertion that it…