Few people outside of Washington have heard of Olympia Snowe, the senator from Maine. But on Tuesday, she became the most important person in healthcare reform. Her vote in the Senate Finance Committee gave the Obama Administration its first bipartisan victory on healthcare. […]
Tag: health policy
Eva Brencicova: A first date to remember
Initially I thought the lady was choking. I was close to rushing towards her to perform some of the jazzy first-aid moves I learnt in medical school (and become the star of the evening). But very soon it became fairly obvious that Heimlich manoeuvre & co. were uncalled-for. Dignity and self-control werewhat this woman was […]
Zosia Kmietowicz: A lesson in diplomacy and persistence
It was hard not to feel sorry for Liam Donaldson on Monday morning. Arriving at a press conference to announce his latest strategies for improving the public’s health 24 hours after the most controversial of his plans was splashed across the Sunday papers, he had the right to feel ruffled and angry. But he showed […]
Matiram Pun: Obama wins – a pretty optimistic outlook for the world
Kenya’s people have shown an enthusiasm bordering on fanaticism over the US presidential election and declared a national holiday after Barack Obama’s win. But it was not only Kenya and the whole of Africa that showed an interest in the election. The whole world did, because Obama was the outsider’s choice. In Iran, Turkey, and […]
Vidhya Alakeson: US presidential candidates’ health reform proposals
Yesterday, the Tax Policy Center released its initial analysis of the health reform plans of the two presidential campaigns. The center is a joint initiative of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, two leading Washington think tanks. […]
Tessa Richards: WHO in Tallinn
Start with Handel’s Alleluia chorus, include a fireworks display, lay on a dinner hosted by government, during which the director general of the WHO makes a cabaret style eulogy. Add addresses from global health gurus, contributions from European health ministers, a scattering of parallel sessions and you have the making of a notable conference. And […]