Viewpoints: IPAB should be 'embraced'; World Bank nominee 'exactly what the doctor ordered'

Bloomberg: Road To Affordable Care Runs Through Medicare Pay Panel
Controlling costs will require a devilish balancing act among practitioners who resist change, consumer demand and best practices, and IPAB should experiment before imposing radical changes systemwide. But given the devastating, and growing, effects of Medicare spending on the federal debt, the U.S. can't afford not to have an IPAB. The board should be embraced, not feared (3/28).

The Fiscal Times: What Dr. Jim Yong Kim Can Do for Healthy Aging
Obama has tapped a health policy expert to head the World Bank – and Dr. Jim Yong Kim, president of Dartmouth University, is a revealing choice. ... As the World Bank lays out its plans to stimulate growth in the coming years, Dr. Kim may be exactly what the doctor ordered − a health-field expert who can prioritize healthy aging. Americans are living well past traditional retirement age, so health and economic policy can no longer be separate enterprises (Michael Hodin, 3/28).

San Francisco Chronicle: Bill To Improve Chances Of Breast Cancer Detection
The message that mammograms save lives has resulted in an increase in early detection of breast cancer. But for 40 percent of women who get mammograms, the technology might not detect early-stage cancer because their dense breast tissue masks the cancer cells…. That's why state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, has reintroduced legislation to require physicians to inform their patients if they have highly dense breast tissue…. Simitian is right to bring back the bill for a second try (3/29).

Minneapolis Star Tribune: Family Caregivers Deserve Fair Pay
When a sibling, parent, child or grandchild of an adult who is physically or developmentally disabled is willing to become that vulnerable family member's personal care attendant (PCA) -- often in order to keep him or her at home -- the state of Minnesota ought to say thank you. The state should not tell the caregiver that he or she deserves a smaller paycheck than a nonrelative would get (3/28).