Cost of Care Archives

Illuminated ChenMed sign with colorful wavy lines against a twilight sky with palm tree silhouettes.

Cost of Care

Coronavirus Conversations: Chris Chen

by Andrew Parrella March 19, 2020December 20, 2024

The challenges of protecting “the old, the poor and the sick” from the coronavirus.

Two teal N95 masks and a beige elastic bandage with metal clips on a red background.

Cost of Care

In Short Supply

by Ryan Levi and Victoria Stern February 19, 2020July 3, 2025

Shortages of basic medical supplies have become a familiar pattern for hospitals around the U.S. What causes them? And how can we prevent them?

Prescription bottles, pills, and inhalers on a tiled surface.

Cost of Care

The Price of Innovation

by Ryan Levi and Victoria Stern January 22, 2020December 20, 2024

Is it possible to lower drug prices without losing out on breakthrough treatments in the future?

Medical items on a wooden table, including a blood pressure cuff, scattered pink pills, inhalers, and prescription bottles.

Insurance

The Good Stuff

by Dan Gorenstein and Ryan Levi December 11, 2019December 20, 2024

Two friends—a doctor and an economist—have spent more than 20 years trying to redesign insurance around one simple but elusive goal: make the good stuff more accessible than the bad stuff.

A close-up of a pre-packaged meal labeled "Winter Squash Hash" from Community Servings, a food service focused on dietary needs. The container has three compartments, with visible green beans in one section. The packaging label indicates dietary suitability for diabetic, cardiac, mild, and soft diets, with restrictions such as "No Fish," "No Red Meat," "Low Lactose," and "No Nuts." Surrounding the meal are additional food items, including a yogurt container, a bag of frozen peas, Cheerios, and plastic-wrapped produce, all arranged on a granite countertop.

Health Equity

Feeding the Sick

by Ryan Levi and Victoria Stern November 27, 2019December 20, 2024

We know good nutrition is tied to good health. But is there evidence that food should be prescribed and paid for like medicine?

The exterior of Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center with signage and a modern building design.

Cost of Care

The Train Has Left the Station

by Ryan Levi, Victoria Stern, Leslie Walker and Sarah Dykstra October 30, 2019December 20, 2024

What have 30 years of hospital mergers meant to the cost and quality of care we receive? And where do we go from here?