Viewpoints: How Media Missed Ryan AARP Story; Romney And Women Voters; The Price Of Medical Mistakes

The Wall Street Journal: Ryan At The AARP
The headlines this weekend were all about the boos Paul Ryan elicited on Friday when he addressed the AARP, the self-styled seniors' lobby. The herd of independent media minds missed the real story, which is that the Republican Vice Presidential nominee went into the heart of the entitlement culture, told some hard truths, and even won applause for doing so (9/23).

USA Today: Column: Mitt Misunderstands Women Voters
Simply put, female voters have more enthusiasm for the kind of government support that Romney characterized as dependency when speaking to his wealthy donors. ... Romney has spent his campaign trying to woo female voters by talking about opportunities, but in making these statements of disapproval for a social safety net, he likely turned off female voters who want both (Amanda Marcotte, 9/21).  

The Wall Street Journal: How to Stop Hospitals From Killing Us 
As doctors, we swear to do no harm. But on the job we soon absorb another unspoken rule: to overlook the mistakes of our colleagues. The problem is vast. ... The human toll aside, medical errors cost the U.S. health-care system tens of billions a year. ... It does not have to be this way. A new generation of doctors and patients is trying to achieve greater transparency in the health-care system, and new technology makes it more achievable than ever before (Dr. Marty Makary, 9/21).

The Wall Street Journal: Leslie Michelson: Doctor to the 1% (and Maybe Someday to You)
The rich are different than you and me. Not only—yes, yes—do they have more money, but they've also heard of, and many have hired, Leslie Michelson. He's their de facto primary-care doc, though he holds no medical degree. Mr. Michelson is the CEO of Private Health Management, an ultra high-end company that borrows from concierge medicine, managed care, applied-sciences research and information technology while fitting into no neat category (Joseph Rago, 9/21).

Dallas Morning News: Lack Of Affordable Health Care Leading To Homelessness
Along with a handful of other state executives, Gov. Rick Perry has stated that Texas will not participate in the federal health care program. With 6 million uninsured residents (and the highest rate of uninsured in the nation) Texas stands to lose $70 billion in federal funding during the first six years of the program. ... For Texas families, the biggest losers may be those struggling in poverty who will be pushed over the edge into homelessness (Tim Thetford, 9/23).

Modern Healthcare: Blog: Can NIH Inspire Cure For Budget Woes?
In Washington, the National Institutes of Health is special. But is it super special? That is, will the research agency's unique bipartisan appeal inside the Beltway produce both an agreement to avoid looming cuts to the agency under a deficit-reduction law and show the way to broader deficit deal? At least one member of Congress who sits on an influential committee thinks it can (Rich Daly, 9/21).