Julie Sneider

Recent Articles

Health reform’s future: Less government, but more pain?
Health reform’s future

Less government, but more pain?

Wisconsin’s new prescription for health reform will involve less government, more tax breaks and cuts in public programs and services.

The View from Here: Health care industry not recession proof
The View from Here

Health care industry not recession proof

Even an industry that relies on the predictability of people getting old and sick couldn’t escape the recession’s impact on hiring.

Getting value for our health care dollars

Getting value for our health care dollars

The View From Here: Milwaukee's Aurora Health Care tests pay-for-performance in a QUEST to produce healthier outcomes for patients.

The View From Here: Innovation won’t wait for health reform
The View From Here

Innovation won’t wait for health reform

Jerry Theis can’t reform the entire American health care system. But as an entrepreneur, he has come up with one solution to help patients help themselves.

“Backward” – Wisconsin’s new motto for health care?

“Backward” – Wisconsin’s new motto for health care?

The View From Here: At least one prominent Republican, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, thinks his party should rethink its plan to repeal health reform.

The View From Here: ACO — the new buzz word in health care
The View From Here

ACO — the new buzz word in health care

A new type of reform holds doctors and hospitals accountable, and some experts say it can help fix our health care system. But will politicians it "rationing?"

The View From Here: No simple answers in academic R&D
The View From Here

No simple answers in academic R&D

How do you measure the economic benefits of academic research? When the NIH invests $20 million, are the benefits enough to justify spending public resources?

The View From Here: Beware of health reform scare tactics
The View From Here

Beware of health reform scare tactics

Tea Party Republicans Rebecca Kleefisch and Ron Johnson’s doomsday rhetoric on health reform might win some votes, but it won’t help people live longer.

View from Here: State, local offices need more women
View from Here

State, local offices need more women

Progress toward gender diversity in Wisconsin government remains mixed. Though the number of women in elected office has increased, growth has been marginal.

The View from Here: Lodging needed on the road to recovery
The View from Here

Lodging needed on the road to recovery

Heather Byron and the American Cancer Society are looking for a few Milwaukee-area hoteliers willing to help out some cancer patients.

View from Here: Repealing health law won’t help Americans
View from Here

Repealing health law won’t help Americans

Any American who has faced serious illness should fear the GOP's “Pledge to America” -- it does not look out for you.

View from Here: Women leaders make a difference
View from Here

Women leaders make a difference

When businesses involve women in large numbers, quality has been shown to improve. But there is still a long way to go before the glass ceiling is shattered.

View from the Waiting Room: Seniors struggle to make ends meet
View from the Waiting Room

Seniors struggle to make ends meet

About one in four Wisconsin senior citizens have only their Social Security income to live on – far short of what they need to support themselves.

View from the Waiting Room: Walker camp vague on health care
View from the Waiting Room

Walker camp vague on health care

Walker's health care agenda calls for “market-based solutions like competition and tax incentives,” but goes into little detail beyond those generalities.

View from the Waiting Room: Neumann – No ObamaCare, cut BadgerCare
View from the Waiting Room

Neumann – No ObamaCare, cut BadgerCare

It’s sketchy on details, but Republican Mark Neumann’s health reform agenda is more thorough than what other gubernatorial candidates have out there.

View from the Waiting Room: Feds should monitor insurance, John says
View from the Waiting Room

Feds should monitor insurance, John says

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Tim John sees access to health care as a right, and the need for more government involvement in monitoring insurance rate increases.

View from the Waiting Room: Barrett would bring ‘adult leadership’ to health reform
View from the Waiting Room

Barrett would bring ‘adult leadership’ to health reform

The next governor will determine how health care reform unfolds in Wisconsin. The first of four interviews with the state's gubernatorial hopefuls on the subject.

View from the Waiting Room: Pink Room a careful approach to cause-based marketing
View from the Waiting Room

Pink Room a careful approach to cause-based marketing

In tastefully pink rooms, guests are encouraged to share their personal stories of breast cancer, which fits ABCD’s mission of supporting survivors beautifully.

View from the Waiting Room: Sixteenth Street finds success with a new model of care
View from the Waiting Room

Sixteenth Street finds success with a new model of care

The new Centering Pregnancy site within the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center is at the forefront of health care system reform.

View from the Waiting Room: National health reform is here
View from the Waiting Room

National health reform is here

Wisconsin is ahead of many other states in putting the new federal health care reform law to work.

View from the Waiting Room: Troubling trends seen in teen drug use
View from the Waiting Room

Troubling trends seen in teen drug use

After a decade of consistent declines, national data for 2009 reflect noticeable increases in teens’ alcohol and drug use.

View from the Waiting Room: Midwives seek answers to infant mortality trends
View from the Waiting Room

Midwives seek answers to infant mortality trends

An upcoming conference in Madison will explore how midwifery services can be used to improve the health and wellness of new mothers and their babies.

View from the Waiting Room: Cure ailing schools to improve kids’ health
View from the Waiting Room

Cure ailing schools to improve kids’ health

Better education is related to better health.

View from the Waiting Room: Changing hearts and minds for better health
View from the Waiting Room

Changing hearts and minds for better health

Scientists at UW-Madison are leading groundbreaking research into how transforming the mind can change the brain and body.

View from the Waiting Room: How far will the boss go to make you shape up?
View from the Waiting Room

How far will the boss go to make you shape up?

Some companies are using tough love to convince workers to get fit.

View from the Waiting Room: Women can’t afford to put off cancer screenings
View from the Waiting Room

Women can’t afford to put off cancer screenings

Doctors and scientists may disagree over what age and how often women should get mammograms. But everyone agrees early detection of breast cancer saves lives.

Agency sees progress – and more work – in AIDS fight

Agency sees progress – and more work – in AIDS fight

The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin opened 25 years ago to help AIDS patients die with dignity. Today, the center helps people with HIV live long and healthy lives.

So long, Midwest Airlines. You’re already missed.

So long, Midwest Airlines. You’re already missed.

Air travel has evolved from an experience where passengers were treated as “guests” to a budget-focused, miserable ordeal.

View from the Waiting Room: MPTV campaigns for a Fit Generation
View from the Waiting Room

MPTV campaigns for a Fit Generation

MPTV has been airing healthy programming for kids for decades. Their new campaign goes one step further

View from the Waiting Room: Lessons from the global south
View from the Waiting Room

Lessons from the global south

A health system that doesn’t guarantee primary or preventive medicine as a basic human right – can it really be called "the best?”

View from the Waiting Room: Cutting through the red tape
View from the Waiting Room

Cutting through the red tape

Wisconsin has consumer advocates for seniors covered by Medicare, why not have advocates for younger people who need coverage and can't find it?

New law gets Wisconsin close to health care for all

New law gets Wisconsin close to health care for all

Particularly disingenuous about the “you-can’t-make-us-buy-insurance” mentality is the fact that most people already have coverage.

UCC’s Healthy Latino Families initiative targets childhood obesity

UCC’s Healthy Latino Families initiative targets childhood obesity

Michelle Obama should call Milwaukee's United Community Center for advice on her campaign to end childhood obesity.

The hidden health tax: Why your uninsured neighbor costs you money
The hidden health tax

Why your uninsured neighbor costs you money

When patients can’t afford to pay their medical bills, doctors and hospitals pass along those uncompensated fees through higher prices on individuals and businesses with private health insurance.

View from the Waiting Room: Mental health “parity” is serious business
View from the Waiting Room

Mental health “parity” is serious business

What the state’s mental parity bill really boils down to is fairness. A person who needs treatment for bipolar disease is no different than a person who needs treatment for heart disease.

Have you visited your death panel today?

Have you visited your death panel today?

The real problem with the “death panel” rhetoric is that it preys on some people’s fears that advance directives are part of a sinister plot to ration medical care for the elderly.

View from the Waiting Room: Where’s the consumer’s voice in health care?
View from the Waiting Room

Where’s the consumer’s voice in health care?

Of all the health reform ideas out there, nothing exasperates Andy Serio more than “consumer-driven health care.”