Regina Holliday prepares her supplies for a day of painting. Photo by Maggie Starbard, NPR.

Regina Holliday has painted a mural on the side of a gas station in Washington DC to tell the story of a day in her husband Fred’s struggle with broken healthcare. At ge 39, Fred was diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer.

Bill Bradley in Aug 29 NY Times makes a pitch for combining health care reform with tort reform. From contacts with Republican prostate cancer patients I know tort reform constantly comes up. Bradley argues:

Since the days of Harry Truman, Democrats have wanted universal health coverage, believing that if other industrialized countries can achieve it, surely the United States can. For Democrats, universal coverage speaks to America’s sense of decency and compassion. Democrats also believe that it will lead to a healthier and more productive country.

Ought doctors to take drug costs into account when they advice advanced cancer patients? Peter Bach at Memorial Sloan Kettering reacts in this phone interview to a cost-conscious commentary “How Much is Life Worth?” in JNCI (Journal of the National Institute).

Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, age 65, announced on Friday that he had prostate cancer, in an early, treatable form. His PSA blood test, taken during an annual physical exam, plus follow up biopsy and treatment are covered by his Congressional health care plan, he said.