Issue 12: Health Care

Featured Response: Brian Bethea, M.D. || Dept. of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Brian Bethea, M.D.

The election of Obama means the first hard look at large scale health reform since 1993. I believe Obama will emphasize expanded coverage, improved quality, lower costs and an increased emphasis on information systems. Information technology will get less attention than expansion of coverage. However IT solutions can lead to more uniform care, less duplication, better quality checks (like avionics systems on airplanes) and less duplication of services. Thus the last 3 items on his agenda are all tied to informatics. If the political process is handled better this time, it could mean substantial positive changes for both consumers and healthcare providers.

Brian Bethea, M.D., was recently featured on ABC News ‘Hopkins’, a seven-part documentary series on Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

Recent Responses

Brian is awesome. Go Hopkins!

—Anonymous from Brooklyn, NY US

44 Issues in 44 Days

Explore and respond to the issues that matter to you.

# 27: Poverty

Featured Response: Kristina Scott || Alabama Poverty Project

# 10: Immigration

Featured Response: Annie Lai || American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona

# 40: Women

Featured Response: Jina Bolton || Sushi & Robots

# 32: Sports

Featured Response: Will Leitch || Deadspin

# 38: Child Advocacy

Featured Response: Chris Newlin || National Children's Advocacy Center

# 4: Foreign Policy

Featured Response: Steve Clemons || New America Foundation

Inaugural Insight

  • The inauguration for the first U.S. president, George Washington, was held on April 30, 1789 in New York City.
  • Should January 20 be a Sunday, the President is usually administered the oath of office in a private ceremony on that day, followed by a public ceremony the following day.
  • Immediately following the oath, the bands play four ruffles and flourishes and "Hail to the Chief", followed by a 21-gun salute from howitzers of the Presidential Salute Battery.
  • The inaugural celebrations usually last ten days, from five days before the inauguration to five days after.
  • Since Thomas Jefferson's second inaugural on March 4, 1805, it has become tradition for the president to parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.
  • According to tradition, in the first inaugural, President Washington added the words "so help me God" when reciting the oath, although there is no contemporary evidence of this.
  • In 1977, Jimmy Carter started a new tradition by walking from the Capitol to the White House, although subsequent presidents have only walked part of the way for security reasons.
  • The War of 1812 and World War II forced two swearing-ins to be held at other locations in Washington, D.C.
  • The new President assumes power at noon on January 20th, regardless of whether or not he has actually taken the oath of office.
  • There is no requirement that any book, or in particular a book of sacred text, be used to administer the oath, and none is mentioned in the Constitution.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Updates for this project + more from Crush + Lovely

Subscribe to RSS