Category Archives: Uncategorized

I have previously posted a number of blog pieces on the legal challenges to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as the Affordable Care Act) since its enactment in March of 2010. To understand the basis for the latest challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), one needsContinue reading “The Affordable Care Act Survives Another Challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court”

A number of hospitals and health systems have announced that their employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID. Among the first to make this requirement was Houston Methodist, a large and well-respected health system in Houston, Texas. A group of employees facing loss of their jobs sued Houston Methodist making a number ofContinue reading “Can A Hospital Require Its Employees to Be Vaccinated Against COVID?”

One of my Twitter followers asked me for my reaction to the CDC’s welcome, though surprising to many of us, new guidance that fully vaccinated individuals need no longer wear masks in most settings. At the time of the tweet, I was still trying to determine what led the CDC to take this step muchContinue reading “Thoughts on the New CDC Guidance”

For the past two months, I have been warning of a likely 4th surge of coronavirus cases in Idaho, likely to occur by late March or sometime in April. I have been pleading with our local school districts not to bring back more students to school than can be successfully distanced given the CDC’s predictionContinue reading “It Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better”

Dr. Marty Makary is a brilliant physician and communicator. I am a fan. However, he just wrote an Opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal entitled, “We’ll Have Herd Immunity by April.” He could not be more mistaken. He points to the significant decline in cases, his projection that 55 percent of Americans have naturalContinue reading “No, We will not have Herd Immunity by April”

Should I get the vaccine? For most people, the answer is yes. For this first vaccine, you will have to be at least 16 years of age. Those who have had severe allergic reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis) to any components of this vaccine in the past will not be eligible to receive the vaccine. We don’tContinue reading “Commonly Asked Questions about the New (Pfizer) COVID Vaccine”

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, people long to get together with extended family, and surveys indicate that more than half of all Americans plan to travel for this Thanksgiving. However, we are also seeing record numbers of COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Given this uncontrolled disease transmission throughout most of the United States, theContinue reading “How to Have a Virtual Thanksgiving”

Some of you are aware that I am helping some schools with their pandemic operational plans. In my work with one school district, it became clear that we needed to rewrite their operational plan. We have taken a unique approach to this plan. First of all, most plans are written for school leaders, staff andContinue reading “School Operational Plans”

There is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has been a divisive issue prompting political, ideological and medical debates. No matter our views and beliefs, though, one thing that we should all agree on is that our hospitals, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, laboratory scientists, pharmacists and all the many health care workers that it takesContinue reading “Showing our Appreciation to Health Care Workers”

Last night, the President and First Lady were diagnosed with COVID, and today, the President was flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in an abundance of caution and for closer observation and monitoring. Today, the President reportedly received at least one, and potentially two, therapies that are neither FDA-approved or authorized under compassionateContinue reading “The President of the United States has been hospitalized with COVID – What are the Lessons for us and What should we do?”