Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Feature Highlights Recent Blog Entries

While mainstream news coverage is still a primary source of information for the latest in policy debates and the health care marketplace, online blogs have become a significant part of the media landscape, often presenting new perspectives on policy issues and drawing attention to under-reported topics. To provide complete coverage of health policy issues, the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report offers readers a window into the world of blogs in a roundup of health policy-related blog posts. "Blog Watch," published on Tuesdays and Fridays, tracks a wide range of blogs, providing a brief description and relevant links for highlighted posts.

Harold Pollack in a post on the American Prospect's Ezra Klein blog writes about strategies to reduce tobacco use, including implementing a national tobacco tax as proposed in SCHIP reauthorization legislation that was vetoed by President Bush.

Igor Volsky from the Center for American Progress Action Fund's Wonk Room enumerates why he believes Texas should not be a national model for health reform, disagreeing with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who recently said that the state has "created greater access to quality health care."

Ellen Andrews of CT Health Notes Blog summarizes updates from lawmakers and officials attending the Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference health policy track meeting about the various health care reform efforts in their states.

Bob Laszewski on The Health Care Blog writes, "Most workers are still sheltered from the reality of health care costs" because their employers provide health insurance. He adds that workers do not have much reason to move away from these "rich employer plans."

Lindsey Tucker from Health Care for All's A Healthy Blog responds to a post (here) by Cato Institute fellow Michael Tanner criticizing Massachusetts' health insurance law.

Health Policy and Communications Blog's Michael Miller discusses a recent Health Affairs article (here) on Massachusetts' efforts to implement a pay-for-performance program, saying that the study "raised more questions than it answered."

Health Populi's Jane Sarasohn-Kahn looks at a recent AARP poll of swing voters in six states, noting "palpable" concerns of insecurity and a desire to know where the presidential candidates stand on "kitchen table issues," such as health care.

Joe Paduda from Managed Care Matters looks at results from a recent survey from the Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University about low-wage workers. He says the results indicate that "most don't 'choose' to be uninsured; the cost: expense equation makes that choice for them."

Ramesh Ponnuru of the National Review Online's The Corner questions whether Americans would support presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama's (Ill.) health plan, saying, "I don't think this issue is the silver bullet Democrats wish it were."

Hannah Graff from the New America Foundation's New Health Dialogue discusses cultural competency in health care and how it relates to health reform.