Internal Medicine PGY-2 @UCSF | Single payer advocate | Formerly @ucsfmedicine @harvard @HMRLab

Joined February 2012
Isabel Ostrer retweeted
What to do? We need to stop incentivizing buy-outs with tax loopholes, FFS billing schema; increase federal scrutiny of mergers, acquisitions; enhance our understanding of the impact of PE ownership (greater transparency, urgent research) bit.ly/3VovocK
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Isabel Ostrer retweeted
*NEW Tyan et al study: >10% of oncologists now work in Private Equity owned clinics. This is not an anomaly! PE-backed health care is now truly cradle to grave in the US. In our commentary, @iostrer, FJ Crosson & I discuss: bit.ly/3VovocK #medtwitter *THREAD: (1/n)
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“There is no shortage of innovative ideas to tie cancer drug price to value.”
"Getting what we are (Prohibited from) bargaining for" Efficacy of new #cancer drugs is disconnected from their efficacy. Excited to work with @iostrer on piece accompanying excellent new @JAMAInternalMed study @milijko @VPrasadMDMPH bit.ly/3E1w8fA
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Isabel Ostrer retweeted
59% of those in the Medicaid "coverage gap" are people of color. They are uninsured with incomes below poverty, and have no affordable coverage options because they live in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA. kff.org/policy-watch/taking-…
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Abortions performed by trained providers are safer than child birth. When the U.S. legalized abortion in 1973, the number of abortion-related deaths dropped drastically. Texas' new law prohibiting most abortions is a threat to health.
Texas’ near-total ban on abortion is a huge hit to Roe v. Wade & to health care justice. "We must ensure access to health care for all — including the full-spectrum of reproductive care, which encompasses abortion care." -@iostrer & Jim Kahn Read more: bit.ly/3BENhJm
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“The sick individualism at the heart of American healthcare insists that we ensure as many people as possible are responsible for their own healthcare costs; that’s how we end up with cancer patients going bankrupt and people skipping expensive prescriptions.”
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“…Delta’s new premium surcharge has the potential to backfire. It is likely to price some employees out of coverage entirely, cutting off their access to family physicians and other primary care providers who can be trusted sources of information about the vaccine’s benefits.”
Delta Airlines' premium surcharge for unvaxxed workers may be legal, but it's not good policy. chirblog.org/delta-airllines…
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Medicare Advantage (aka privatized Medicare) is booming. What's the problem? As @bobjherman writes, spending is soaring. bit.ly/3g3SKB9 But beyond spending, access to care is severely limited thru narrow networks. More on @HealthJustMon: bit.ly/3AOEzaU
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The U.S. is an outlier among high-income countries when it comes to health care: 1) we spend more 2) our outcomes are worse We're also the only high-income country that doesn't provide universal coverage. More on HJM: bit.ly/3ArcpCH
In @commonwealthfnd's new report comparing health care system performance in 11 countries, the U.S. ranks last with: ☑️ Worse access ☑️ Poorer outcomes ☑️ Higher costs What do the other countries have in common? #UniversalCoverage More from @iostrer: bit.ly/3ArcpCH
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Too many Medicare beneficiaries lack dental coverage. As @DrSriram recently said, "Your teeth are not luxury items." It's time to fight for a Medicare program that recognizes oral health is part of overall health. #MedicareForAll More on HJM: bit.ly/3ymYE7x
According to a recent @KFF report by @KrutikaAmin et al: ◽️ 24 million Medicare beneficiaries lack dental coverage. ◽️ 68% of Black Medicare beneficiaries & 73% of those w/low incomes didn't visit a dentist in the past year. Why is this a problem? (1/2)
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After a month on the hospital wards, two lessons stick out most: 1) Life-saving meds should be affordable to patients. 2) Insurance barriers shouldn't dictate who has access to long-term services.
"An insurance system that focuses on patient well-being over profit is one that meaningfully negotiates drug prices." Today on HJM, @iostrer recounts two patient stories to exemplify how insurance constrains access to necessary care. Read more: bit.ly/3iyLFsF #M4All
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“Ultra-expensive” drugs = drugs w/avg annual per beneficiary spending in excess of the annual US per capita GDP ($62,996 in 2018). Not only is the # of these drugs is skyrocketing, but their therapeutic benefit isn't always well demonstrated. The US needs #DrugPriceReform now.
Replying to @HJMSinglePayer
Some quick facts about Medicare Part D spending for ultra-expensive brand-name drugs in 2018: • 122 - Total number of drugs • 278,000 - Total number of beneficiaries • $24,550,000,000 - Total spending • $175,513 - Average spending per beneficiary per drug
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"We know that insurance coverage both improves survival & reduces racial disparities in outcomes, not only for cancer but also for other medical conditions – chronic & acute. It’s time to assure that all Americans have high-quality insurance." My latest post up on @HealthJustMon.
A recent @Health_Affairs study finds that being uninsured is deadly. This time it’s adults just years shy of Medicare eligibility… dying of cancer. If only they'd waited to age 65. Spread the word: #SinglePayer will save lives. Read more from @iostrer: bit.ly/3gA5Wgj
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Take a listen to the first episode of @thenocturnists Stories from a Pandemic: Part II that I helped produce with @papazog, @ESilvermanMD, & Molly Rose-Williams. I learned so much about the power of storytelling from this unbelievable group. Excited for our upcoming season 🎉🎧
Episode 1 of Stories from a Pandemic: Part II is out today! How are #healthcare workers holding up mid #pandemic? How has the #hero trope helped or harmed us? What can we learn from Star Wars and The Force? 👂: bit.ly/2SlxI8r 🎺: @DrMcInnisDIT 🎨: nazila jamalifard
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Check out my first post for @HealthJustMon about why the recent pandemic-era bumps in ACA insurance enrollment show just how sorely #MedicareForAll is needed in the U.S.
COVID-era boosts in unemployment payments nudged many Americans to income levels which qualify them for subsidized ACA plans, bumping enrollment per @xpostfactoid. But millions remain ineligible for health insurance. What's the real fix? Read more bit.ly/34MA2I2 #M4A
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Millions of the workers losing their jobs are losing their health care, too. We need #MedicareForAll now.
Another 3.8 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total claims since mid-March to more than 30 million cnn.it/2zKfbZQ
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We must rise to the moment COVID demands. In our new op-ed @ChristopherLCai and I make the case for bold legislation by @RepJayapal and @SenSanders to insure all Americans. kevinmd.com/blog/2020/04/ris… @kevinmd @PNHP
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#SecKerry restore PEPFAR from deadly cuts, demand big increase in #budget from #WhiteHouse to #endAIDS thndr.it/1f7zXMR
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