Author Archives: merilee

The way to save Medicare, some TV pundit said recently, is to cut Medicaid. Lots of people will die before they reach Medicare age. It was said only about half in jest. If low-income people can’t afford health care, some … Continue reading →

Of all the demonstrations of Americans’ political hypocrisy, what we’ve done about the slaughter of horses is right up there. We can thank our governor for a recent example, though she is hardly alone. Like other public figures, Governor Susana … Continue reading →

A charming young man from South America, whom I met at a party, was a graduate student in engineering at UNM. He said he wanted to stay in New Mexico and start a business. He was exactly the kind of … Continue reading →

“In America, we don’t leave people bleeding in the doorway of the emergency room.”  I wrote that line for a presentation I used to give, some 25 years ago, about medical care in workers’ compensation. There had been a time … Continue reading →

When Bill Richardson started flirting with a plan to run for president, some of his actions as governor looked suspiciously as if he were using New Mexico to advance his political ambitions. It’s hard to avoid the same suspicion about … Continue reading →

Post-publication update:  The legislation discussed here did not pass. I came home from dinner one evening and found my dog lying on the kitchen floor. She couldn’t get up.  After I helped her up, she couldn’t walk. My dog was … Continue reading →