Invited commentary - the role of government in spurring innovative health care technology - biomed 2009.

I am optimistic about the enormous potential technology holds for improving America's health care system. Thanks to the hard work being done by the nation's talented corps of biomedical researchers and engineers, we are making unprecedented progress in expanding the frontiers of medicine and finding new and better ways to deliver care. In addition to recognizing that our nation is home to the world's greatest medical and scientific research minds we must also acknowledge that America's free market economy is the engine driving our nation's ability to develop modern and innovative technology.

A call to action.

Objective: To summarize the challenges facing the U.S. health care system between now and 2013.

Advocating for medical diplomacy: a conversation with Tommy G. Thompson.

Health Affairs founding editor John Iglehart interviews HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, who calls for closer integration of health policy and foreign policy, with the aim of improving the lives of vulnerable populations and serving the best interests of the United States. Thompson also discusses the indelible impressions of his travels to Afghanistan, Africa, and Iraq; the Medicare drug discount card program; and more.

From vision to action: hospitals for a healthy future.

As great as the American health care system is, it can be even better. America has a vision for health care that builds on its strength: competition in a free economy. In the American vision, physicians can focus on the quality of their care, not the quantity of their paperwork.