California announced recently that they're taking major steps to be a part of the change needed by the US healthcare system. They're launching a new "telehealth" system that will connect people in the state to the best healthcare regardless of location.

The more doctors you have in your area, the higher the cost of care. That is the case for many US cities according to Dartmouth Atlas data. Some states are addressing this problem by what appears to be the "calorie is not a calorie" rule.

Support for health care reform is growing. The current bill would end denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and to help curb costs, it would also require all Americans to get coverage and it has measures to try to reduce overall medical costs. The news is abuzz with new-found support for the bill.

Should there be more transparency in the health care reform debate? If so, did the Health Care Summit make a difference?

Charlie Rose is having a panel discussion about today's Health Care Summit. Members of the panel include: Dona Shalala, Bill Frist, Joseph Califano, Mark Halpern, and Ezra Klein.

A recent report published by Reuters indicates that the line between the haves and the have-nots is expanding beyond just those that have health insurance. The article describes disparities in where doctors locate and illustrates the point with the scenario of White Plains, NY. This city has doctors a plenty lining up to provide care to a population of people with the highest national income (approximately $77,000 per year). This is not the case for economically struggling Bakersfield, CA. The article describes how diabetic patients have to take a 2-hour bus ride to Fresno to get the care they need.

You might be surprised to learn that our health care system is rife with gender-oriented discriminatory practices such as, “gender rating, the exclusion of health care services that only women need, and pre-existing-condition denials.” This is according to Marcia Greenberger of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) in her testimony before the Senate.