August 3rd, 2010

Congress fought crack disparity-- it's our turn

Keith Humphreys - President Obama will sign landmark legislation this week rolling back the infamous 100-to-1 disparity that guides federal sentencing for crack versus powder cocaine. The social justice benefits and economic savings of this new law will be greatly magnified if the states - most especially California - quickly follow suit.

• » SF Gate: "Congress fought crack disparity - it's our turn"

October 9th, 2009

In Economist debate, SHP director Garber focuses on value of comparative effectiveness research

Stanford Health Policy director Alan Garber offers his take on comparative effectiveness research in the Economist's online debate forum. Garber writes that our current system of "ignoring value ... has failed to limit expenditures or to deliver superior health outcomes." Part of the series "Economists Debates," Garber is the featured guest in the most recent online version of Oxford style of debating. Read more »

June 8th, 2009

In Washington Post op-ed Alain Enthoven lays out steps necessary to improve health care value

In their June 6th opinion piece, core faculty member Alain Enthoven and Mayo Clinic CEO Denis Cortese point to two fundamentals for cost savings in health care reform. They write that the President and Congress must focus on organized health-care delivery and aligned incentives to bring value to the health care system. Read more »

January 18th, 2008

Humphreys guides consumers in navigating the latest health studies

CHP/PCOR associate Keith Humphreys discusses in this San Francisco Chronicle Op/Ed piece how to sift through all the media-provided health advice and guidelines. Read more »

October 28th, 2007

Humphreys writes of lack of evidence in use of "brain enrichment" videos for infants

CHP/PCOR associate Keith Humphreys writes in this San Francisco Chronicle Op/Ed about infant enrichment through DVDs and videos. He cites a recent study published by the Journal of Pediatrics that found a lack of evidence that brain enrichment DVDs and videos for infants did much in the way of helping them learn about shapes, words, patterns, and more. Read more »

September 2nd, 2007

Humphreys stresses importance of sleep

In an article, The More You Sleep, The Longer You Live, by CHP/PCOR associate Keith Humphreys, he discusses the importance of getting enough sleep. Humphreys gives an overview of leptin and ghrelin in regulating appetite and the effect of these levels on other important daily activities, such as working out and immune system health. He cites one study in particular that found that almost 7,000 Alameda County residents who routinely slept six or fewer hours a night had about a 70 percent higher risk of dying than did people of similar age who slept seven or eight hours a night. Read more »

August 6th, 2007

Obesity epidemic more of a "private health affliction" than public health crisis, Bhattacharya says

CHP/PCOR core faculty member Jay Bhattacharya argues that the obesity epidemic should not qualify as a public-health crisis. The article appears in a recent issue of the Hoover Digest. An analysis of Bhattarcharya's piece appears in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

• » Hoover Digest: Dollars to doughnuts
• » Chronicle of Higher Education: "A glance at the current issue of the Hoover Digest: The obesity non-crisis"

July 1st, 2007

Humphreys comments on health, adopting two French habits

In this San Francisco Chronicle Op/Ed piece, CHP/PCOR associate Keith Humphreys describes how Americans could improve their health by adopting two French habits.

• » San Francisco Chronicle: "A toast to your heart"

May 28th, 2007

Track money flow to stop movement of addictive drugs

In this Op/Ed piece published in the San Jose Mercury News, CHP/PCOR associate Keith Humphreys writes about the merging of drug dealing and the Internet that results in non-medical use of prescription drugs.

• » San Jose Mercury News: "Track money flow to stop movement of addictive drugs"

January 6th, 2006

Children's health gains at risk, Wise warns in Mercury News op-ed

In a Dec. 22 op-ed piece, CHP/PCOR core faculty member Paul H. Wise writes that children with chronic illness require two key things -- comprehensive health insurance and access to specialty care -- and that both of these are in jeopardy in California, due to policy changes that fail to adequately consider the health needs of children. Read more »

January 28th, 2005

Tackle addiction through policy changes, not genetic research, asserts Humphreys in essay

No one can dispute the high cost of and the harm caused by alcohol and drug addiction. But is genetic research the best way to reduce it? Probably not, according to an essay co-authored by CHP/PCOR associate Keith N. Humphreys, published in the New York Times on Jan. 18. The essay asserts that "environmental approaches may not be as sexy as high-tech gene-based solutions, but they work," citing a 10 percent reduction in smoking rates in California due to policy changes such as anti-smoking laws and higher cigarette taxes. Read more »

May 6th, 2004

Wall Street Journal Op-Ed advocates free-market solution for U.S. health care

A lengthy opinion piece co-authored by CHP/PCOR fellow Daniel P. Kessler, published May 4 in the Wall Street Journal, argues that the U.S. healthcare system is "in deep trouble" due to rising costs and the expanding ranks of the uninsured. The piece advocates a free-market solution that would promote nationwide insurance, make all medical expenses tax-deductible, ease barriers to entry, and subsidize care for the cronically ill. Read more »

November 21st, 2003

The universal cure

In this co-written opinion piece published in the New York Times Nov. 18, CHP/PCOR core faculty member Victor R. Fuchs and bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel assert that the current employment-based health insurance system should be replaced by universal health-care vouchers. All families or individuals would be given a voucher to buy a private health-insurance policy covering basic health services and catastrophic coverage. Read more »