Peter Ubel is a physician and behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan, and author of Free-Market Madness: Why Human Nature Is at Odds with Economics -- and Why It Matters. See full bio
If I told you that neighborhoods cause people to develop diabetes, would you believe me? And would that make you more or less willing to see your tax dollars spent researching ways to treat and prevent diabetes?
That is essentially the question my colleagues and I posed to a wide swath of Americans, and a question, we discovered, that polarizes people along political party lines. Read More
One of the greatest joys of practicing medicine is for me to understand where my patients are coming from, so I can best help them through their medical journey. I was reminded of this fact recently, when talking with a patient who had just come back to my primary care clinic after visiting the liver clinic to discuss his chronic Hepatitis C infection. Read More
Did you know that Adolf Hitler had three testicles? You didn't? You're right—I just made that up. By mentioning the myth of his three testicles, I increase the odds you'll mistakenly believe it. Therein lies the brilliance of Sarah Palin's death panels. Read More
American presidents have been trying to reform our healthcare system since at least the Nixon era, but with only limited success. Past reform efforts have failed for many reasons. For starters, the U.S. healthcare system is complex, with the medical industry making up almost 1/6 of our economy. Read More
Last summer, New York City made a great stride toward promoting public health, by requiring chain restaurants to prominently publish calorie counts alongside their menus. This type of regulation holds the promise of improving people's eating habits, without restricting their freedom to order whatever they want. Read More
With jobs disappearing faster than a major league fastball, the public is understandably irate at the damage that greed has wrought upon our economy. Financiers destroy their companies, and our retirement portfolios, and then complain when their bonuses are less than 7 figures. Read More