Envisioning 2.0

Amy Tenderich of Diabetes Mine has compiled a nice round up of Health 2.0-related posts for the latest edition of Grand Rounds.  Hurry over and take a look.

Last week, I asked readers of Grand Rounds to submit posts about consumer-driven healthcare. One of the reasons I decided to focus on this issue was because President Bush made healthcare a major focus of his State of the Union address last week. In what some might call a policy wonk’s dream speech he made a proposal that (if it became law) would begin the long and difficult process of decoupling health insurance from employment. One potential consequence of providing tax breaks for health insurance would be that some uninsured individuals may be encouraged to purchase it.

Focusing on tax policy is just one of the tactics employed by those would like patients or “consumers” to take more responsibility for managing their care. Over the past decade or so, healthcare economists, policy analysts and others have touted “consumerism” as the solution to the United States’ health cost woes. The country currently spends a significant percentage of its gross domestic product on healthcare. Proponents of consumerism argue that one of the reasons that healthcare spending continues to rise is that patients are shielded from the “real” costs of care and often utilize more medical services than they need.

Unfortunately, the conversation about consumer-driven healthcare has been largely limited to the ivory towers of government, academia, corporations and the media. Many Americans are not aware of healthcare consumerism and need to learn more about it. This was one reason why I decided to make this topic the theme of this week’s Grand Rounds. Given that some regular contributors have said they do not like themes, I was worried that my request would result in a very bare bones edition of this well-respected blog carnival. I needn’t have worried. I received more than 35 submissions for this edition and the vast majority dealt with healthcare consumerism. Following are the 25 posts I selected. Happy reading!

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Next week’s Grand Rounds will be hosted here at Envisioning 2.0 on Tuesday, January 30.

I’m pleased to announce that I will be hosting the venerable and well-regarded blog carnival Grand Rounds next week. I’m very honored that Nicholas Genes provided me with the opportunity to highlight some of the best writing in the healthcare blogosphere.

From reading Grand Rounds, I understand that some people love themes while others hate them. Despite this, I’ve decided to focus on a theme because I’m very interested in hearing from the blogosphere about healthcare consumerism or consumer directed healthcare. As many of you may know, President Bush will be unveiling a new healthcare proposal during his State of the Union speech this evening. Early reports indicate that he is interested in encouraging people to purchase individual insurance plans via tax breaks. Whether his proposal lives or dies, it is clear that consumerism – asking patients to take greater control of their medical spending and decision making – is alive and well.

So, fellow healthcare bloggers, I’d like to hear from you on this subject. Please submit posts that address:

-Your views on the healthcare consumerism movement
-Whether you think it will solve the economic, treatment and societal problems associated with healthcare
-Your experiences with it as a patient, provider, policy wonk, student or otherwise

Adhering to this theme, of course, is not required. I’ll find a way to include your submission. Please note: I’ll be choosing 25 posts to include in this edition. Following are directions on how to submit your post:

-Submissions are due by midnight (EST), Sunday January 28
-Please do not submit any posts promoting a product or service
-Please use Grand Rounds as the subject of your e-mail
-Include the link to your post in your e-mail and a short 2-3 line description of your submission
-Please review the Grand Rounds guidelines prior to submitting your post
-E-mail your posts to envisioning AT envisionsolutionsnow DOT com

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you all.

here.  Ves, thanks for mentioning the healthcare blogger survey!

at the Harversian Canal.

. . . at Doc Around The Clock.

at Aetiology.

at a health wonk’s blog . . . The Health Business Blog.  Click here to view it.

at Fat Doctor.

at Anxiety, Depression and Addiction Treatments.