http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm en-us James Lott, Executive Vice President of the Hospital Association of Southern California, comments on current trends in healthcare. Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:19:00 GMT Medicare is vastly over-promised and under-funded.&nbsp; If it is to remain financially viable, the program needs contraction, not expansion.&nbsp; Congress should reject the Senate Democrat's plan to allow persons aged 55-64 to buy into Medicare. Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:19:00 GMT http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=254932 http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=254932 Healthcare Financing and Universal Coverage Make no mistake about it; the Obama Administration gets it! Without reform, including cost containment, health care will grow from 16 percent of our nation's gross domestic product to 25 percent over the next 15 years. This makes reforming health care an integral part of our nation's economic revival effort. So, to help bring the annual rise in health care costs down from an average of 6.7 percent to 5.2 percent, the Obama Administration wants to include a lower-cost public (government) plan as a competitive option to private health plans. Many believe this to be a concerted effort to move to a government-run, single payer health insurance system through the back door. Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:47:00 GMT http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=247962 http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=247962 Healthcare Financing and Universal Coverage Welcome to the 2008 edition of my must-read book recommendations.&nbsp;I hope you will enjoy these, and thanks again for the support and feedback I've received over the years for my previous editions.<br>&nbsp; Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:39:00 GMT http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=235221 http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=235221 Book Recommendations More women are entering the healthcare delivery system, either on the clinical side, as physicians, or into the executive suite. Despite their increasing numbers and success, they face challenges such as childcare issues, occasional sexist attitudes, and significant - though narrowing - pay gaps. Their management styles are not dissimilar from men, but what differences they have may become less distinct as they climb the career ladder. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:32:00 GMT http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=207855 http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=207855 Healthcare Administration Few regions in the United States have the appropriate hospital surge capacity to cope with a major disaster, according to a recent report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Funding on the national level has been relatively low: "The federal government spends less than $5 per person annually to pay for health systems and agencies to be prepared for a disaster. More money is now spent to stockpile drugs and supplies than to hire and train health providers to treat disaster victims," the report states.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The study notes that California received far more federal disaster preparedness funding than any other state - $143.2 million in 2007. Yet that works out to $3.93 per capita, significantly below the nationwide average of $4.30. By contrast, rural - and far less populated - states such as North Dakota, Alaska and Wyoming received $11.24, $10.73 and $13.40 per capita, respectively. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:46:00 GMT http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=172445 http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=172445 Emergency Medical Services