Health Care Law

[Groundhog]

Lately, I find myself attracted to the field of Health Care Law, possibly to put my UG training in Ethics & Public Policy to use. I know that Penn has a cool Master of Bioethics program that I'll be applying to come September, but what kind of jobs do people get after finishing such a program, or after specializing in health care law? I don't really want to work a firm job, but I'd love to work at a hospital or university. Anyone have any knowledge on what kind of jobs people can get and what the pay/competition is like? What exactly do lawyers in these jobs do, and is the Master's really a help or not? Similar programs include Master of Public Health, for what I can tell.

[Slow Blues]

I work at a health care consulting firm. The lawyers we have here advise on HIPAA and ERISA issues mostly. They're pretty sharp and I imagine their pay is decent, but their hours are pretty rough and I sincerely doubt they make what they could've made if they were at a firm. My firm is fairly sizable and they both went to very good schools too.

I suppose other avenues for a health law concentration are working in DC (perhaps pertaining to HIPAA and other statutes?) and firm/government work in health care fraud and abuse litigation.

You should consider how the health care landscape may change in years to come. I think we are headed toward nationalization of health care here in the US. I don't know what effect this will have on employment prospects.

[D. Pro]

You should consider how the health care landscape may change in years to come. I think we are headed toward nationalization of health care here in the US. I don't know what effect this will have on employment prospects.

I think that there are too many political, social, and economic forces lined up against the creation and implementation of a national electronic medical record system, let alone a national health care plan. It is a huge underataking that can be met with huge opposition by the powers that be in many industries (see Patients Bill of Rights)

[D. Pro]

I hope that it does come to that fabled breaking point. I am currently working with the California Endowment on trying to get every child in California insured, and you'd be amazed at how much resistence there is...

[D. Pro]

I have hope that the sociology and politics surrounding gauranteed health insurance for children (and later focusing on other groups, ie young adults) will eventually change as well. If it be God's will, some law school will help me work on this issue on a higher level with a JD 

[D. Pro]

While I cannot speak to the issue in terms of national resistence to universal coverage for children, I do know that in California, there is quite a debate as to whether undocumented children should also have these protections...

Proponents of universal coverage argue that a  child, regardless of their citizenship status, should have access to the health care system, especially while they are at risk for vaccine preventable diseases, asthma, juvenile diabetes, and other adverse health outcomes typically associated with childhood, most of which can be controlled or prevented entirely with early intervention.

Opponents argue that universal coverage on the taxpayers tab facilitates problems of moral hazard, especially for illegal and undocumented immigrants in the southern parts of the state, and particularly in San Diego and Los Angeles (where I work). It is further argued that the state budget cannot consistently fund such a program as the population is growing at such a large rate.

In my humble opinion, the moral hazard argument, while shaky at best for adults, is largely false for children, who, on their own, cannot access, and thereby abuse their healthcare benefits. I hope I answered your question

[Groundhog]

I'm glad to see my question has sparked such an interesting discussion, although the answers are what I feared. I was looking for maybe some sort of staff attorney position at a hospital. I'm not greedy-if it made 6 figures, it'd be great in my book.

[D. Pro]

http://www.calendow.org/foundation/opportunities/Staff_Attorney.stm

That's a solicitation for a staff attorney for the California Endowment, that participates inthe activities described earlier in this thread, as well as sponsor a myriad of other programs that do great work throughout California. I have also seen opportunities listed with Kaiser Permanente, and other HMO and PPO plans...

It seems that they do interesting and important work, generally speaking... but, of course, I biased... good luck searching. Lemme know what you find.

[Slow Blues]

You should consider how the health care landscape may change in years to come. I think we are headed toward nationalization of health care here in the US. I don't know what effect this will have on employment prospects.

I think that there are too many political, social, and economic forces lined up against the creation and implementation of a national electronic medical record system, let alone a national health care plan. It is a huge underataking that can be met with huge opposition by the powers that be in many industries (see Patients Bill of Rights)

Perhaps and I hope you're wrong, but I know public frustration is mounting. When you work in health care, you realize how much of a bad joke the whole system is and how much money is wasted just on administration. I know I'm disgusted.

You may recall automobile companies, certainly no pushover in the lobbying area, resisted the seat belt, resisted the air bag, and resisted the VIN, and eventually had to accept all three. When Americans realize more people die each year as a result of medical errors that were probably preventable by a national med. record system than terrorism, I think we'll get one. States will probably take the lead, as they often do and eventually Washington will follow.