Today's OpEds: States must take on public health challenges; Placing blame for high health costs

Out With Rationing, In With Price Controls The Wall Street Journal
Britain's 'reform' will do little to improve access to life-extending drugs (5/25).

Blog Watch: A Conservative Conundrum Kaiser Health News
Bloggers found a lot to occupy their thoughts today-ranging from conservative beliefs about government health care spending to the future of health savings accounts and a study that found increasing out-of-pocket spending among the insured (Kate Steadman, 5/24).

Mass. Health Meltdown Is Your Future New York Post
The future of US medicine under ObamaCare is already on display in Massachusetts. The top four health insurers there just posted first-quarter losses of more than $150 million (Sally Pipes, 5/25).

Closing A Gap The (Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel
And if more people gain access to dental care, as seems likely when provisions of the recently passed national health care reform bill take effect, then more dentists will be needed to treat those patients. But there will need to be incentives to lure those dentists into poorly served rural areas (5/24).

State Must Renew Efforts To Curb Smoking Knoxville News Sentinel
Elected officials can blame the poor funding of anti-smoking programs on the current state of the economy, but that argument goes only so far. Tennessee brings in about $400 million in tobacco taxes and payments from a settlement agreement involving dozens of states and tobacco companies (5/24).

Blame Liberals For Higher Costs The Wheeling News Register
It is likely West Virginia public employees and retirees will pay more for health insurance next year. If so, they can blame President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid - and members of Congress who voted for the new national health care law (5/24).