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Should the government provide health care for everyone?
- What's your point? Change a mind. Change the future. Get on Current TV.
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- ENDS: 21/10/2008 11:00 PM GMT
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Poland: Doctors in Great Demand
Eight hundred British pounds. This is by how much a doctor's average monthly wage has risen over the last twelve months. In Poland.
(23rd July 2008)
''This is our best year ever'', said Jacek Paszkiewicz, head of the National Health Fund (NFZ), the public agency that contracts medical services. ''Compared with last year, we'll spend 10 billion zlotys more, a 25-percent increase. We also have 4 billion left from last year. And this year we had a planned increase, plus the healthily growing economy. More people are working, wages are growing, so we are receiving more money in healthcare contributions''.
The NFZ has money, so it pays the hospitals. And the hospitals are able to pay more to their medical staff. This situation was anticipated last year by then-PM Jarosław Kaczyński.
Doctors secured wage growth guarantees through strike actions, and EU legislation introducing shorter working hours for doctors did the rest.
On top of that, the strong zloty means that working abroad is no longer such an attractive option. In the UK, an anaesthesiologist can get 5,000 pounds a month. Four years ago, when the pound cost PLN7, it was a staggering sum. Today, it costs PLN4 and 20,000 zlotys is a sum a doctor can earn at a Polish hospital too. Eight hundred British pounds. This is by how much a doctor's average monthly wage has risen over the last twelve months. In Polan... more -
Healthy and Obese are not antonyms
The public-health crusade of the moment is a no-holds-barred war on obesity. Those waging it don’t have time for subtlety. When Senator Christopher Dodd introduced the Obesity Prevention Act of 2008 this summer, he called obesity “a medical emergency of hurricanelike proportions” that is wreaking havoc “on our families, on our society and on our health care system.”
But some activists and academics, part of a growing social movement known as fat acceptance, suggest that we rethink this war — as well as our definition of health itself. Fat-acceptance activists insist you can’t assume someone is unhealthy just because he’s fat, any more than you can assume someone is healthy just because he’s slim. (They deliberately use the word “fat” as a way to reclaim it, much the way some gay rights activists use the word “queer.”) Rather, they say, we should focus on health measurements that are more meaningful than numbers on a scale. This viewpoint received a boost in August when The Archives of Internal Medicine reported that fully half of overweight adults and one-third of the obese had normal blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar — indicating a normal risk for heart disease and diabetes, conditions supposedly caused by being fat.
This is a core argument of fat acceptance: that it’s possible to be healthy no matter how fat you are and that weight loss as a goal is futile, unnecessary and counterproductive — and that fatness is nobody’s business but your own.
Many fat-acceptance activists prefer a new approach to dieting that focuses on nutrition, exercise and body image. A new book out this fall, “Health at Every Size,” by Linda Bacon, a nutritionist and physiologist at the University of California at Davis, outlines this approach, which is less about dieting than a lifestyle change that emphasizes “intuitive eating”: listening to hunger signals, eating when you’re hungry, choosing nutritious food over junk. It encourages exercise, but for its emotional and physical benefits, not as a way to lose weight. It advocates tossing out the bathroom scale and loving your body no matter what it weighs.
The philosophy is migrating slowly into mainstream programs, like a spa in Vermont that focuses on “acceptance of ourselves and our wonderful sizes.” But the spas and other programs have trouble with the bottom line of fat acceptance — rejection of weight loss as a goal. Weight Watchers, for instance, uses some of the same slogans, and while it promotes its program as “not a diet,” it still tracks weight loss down to the decimal point. The public-health crusade of the moment is a no-holds-barred war on obesity. Those waging it don’t have time for subtlety. When Senato... more -
18,000 gather for Obama Rally in Newport News, Virginia
Senator Obama visits Virginia for the sixth time since the end of the primaries. He is greeted by 18,000 supporters. Barack's speech focused heavily on the current state of America's health care system. Senator Obama visits Virginia for the sixth time since the end of the primaries. He is greeted by 18,000 supporters. Barack's spe... more
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Obama attacks McCain on health care
Barack Obama launched a multifaceted attack on presidential rival John McCain's health care proposal Saturday, elevating an issue that has been on the back burner in the White House race but remains a top concern for voters. Barack Obama launched a multifaceted attack on presidential rival John McCain's health care proposal Saturday, elevating an issue... more
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Mental Health Illnesses now covered by Health Insurance
In April 1996, Sen. Pete Domenici stood on the floor of the Senate and told colleagues "now is the time" to pass legislation requiring insurance companies to cover mental illnesses just like other medical conditions.
More than 12 years and numerous setbacks later, that legislation is finally becoming law, tucked into the administration's $700 billion rescue package.
This success marks the end of an odyssey for Mr. Domenici, for whom the bill is named. It is also an insight into how the business of politics can be intensely personal.
The New Mexico Republican started his quest after his daughter Clare, one of his eight children, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. After 35 years in the Senate, Mr. Domenici, 76 years old, is retiring after being diagnosed with an incurable, degenerative brain disease.
Mr. Domenici's original partner in the mental-health effort, Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, died in a plane crash in 2002. Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, the Democrat who took up the cause after Mr. Wellstone's death, is battling brain cancer and wasn't in the Senate for the final vote on the bill.
"Happy is not quite the right word," Mr. Domenici said Thursday as it appeared the legislation would become law. "I'm glad that we're finished, but it's been such a long ordeal."
In the 1980s, Mr. Domenici began spending time with other parents of people with mental illness. He heard stories of financial ruin that resulted from a lack of insurance coverage. Though they were better off, Mr. Domenici and his wife Nancy "had to pay a lot of money" for their daughter's care, Mr. Domenici remembers. At some points, the Medicaid health program for the poor covered Clare's care as an adult, he says.
Mr. Domenici's memory sometimes fails him now. But he recalls a speech from 1996, when he sought to attach the measure to a health-insurance bill. "You could feel the Senate just throbbing when I was down there giving a speech, about a great country being so far off on mental illness that it's pathetic...like we had no brains," Mr. Domenici said.
Mr. Domenici and Mr. Wellstone won that Senate vote in 1996. But their provision dropped out of the legislation after negotiations with the House, with opposition from insurance companies and their allies in Congress blocking the effort. The two men squeezed a pared-down version into a spending bill later that year that "dramatically reduced our expectations and our hopes," Mr. Domenici said at the time.
The fight stalled for years largely because of opposition from Republicans who controlled the House.
In 2002, after Messrs. Domenici and Wellstone reintroduced their legislation, President George W. Bush came to Albuquerque and endorsed the concept in a speech. In a private conversation, Mr. Bush told Mr. Domenici, "You don't have to talk me into the fact that mental illness is a disease like any other sickness," Mr. Domenici and the White House say.
....more in link In April 1996, Sen. Pete Domenici stood on the floor of the Senate and told colleagues "now is the time" to pass legislation... more -
Obama's Health Care Plan to help John McCain stay alive
For the past few weeks, Barack Obama has benefitted in the polls by talking about the economy. Today his campaign announced on a conference call with reporters that it was moving into a new phase, and will be focusing on health care.
The term “universal health care” has long been radioactive as many conservatives point to the questionably successful socialized care in Canada. But, shaping the dialogue, the Obama campaign says that while Obama plans to build on the system we have, it is McCain who is going out on a limb, describing his health care plan as “radical” and one meant to “restructure health care in America.”
“The point of John McCain’s plan is to drive you out of the insurance you have through your employer and out into the marketplace,” a health care advisor explained. Under McCain’s plan, Obama advisors warn that at least 20 million people will be be forced to abandon their employer based coverage and delve into the individual market.
While McCain offers a $5,000 tax credit for this, the Obama camp says it’s really a “bait and switch.” Obama’s advisors say because private plans cost more than employer based plans, $5,000 just won’t cover it.
And that’s not all. The Obama camp claims to pay for that $5,000 credit, McCain and Sarah Palin will tax people’s health benefit “for the first time in history.” They explained, “Someone who’s earning $40,000 and receives a $10,000 plan from their employer will be taxed at $50,000.”
Essentially a tax increase that “millions and millions” of Americans will face, Obama’s team explained.
Democrats say they are the safe pick, but also boasted to have “the most aggressive plan to make the health care system work for people of anyone who has ever run for president.”
Part of that aggressive plan will include ensuring those with preexisting conditions - like John McCain - will have coverage. “Senator McCain would have a very difficult time under his own plan given his status,” an advisor told reporters. For the past few weeks, Barack Obama has benefitted in the polls by talking about the economy. Today his campaign announced on a confe... more -
Factcheck.org: loose with the truth in St. Louis
According to the nonpartisan researchers at Factcheck.org (a NEWSWEEK partner), Biden and Palin "were not 100 percent accurate [in St. Louis last night] - to say the least." Here's how the cookie crumbled:
* Palin mistakenly claimed that troop levels in Iraq had returned to "pre-surge" levels. Levels are gradually coming down but current plans would have levels higher than pre-surge numbers through early next year, at least.
* Biden incorrectly said "John McCain voted the exact same way" as Obama on a controversial troop funding bill. The two were actually on opposite sides.
* Palin repeated a false claim that Obama once voted in favor of higher taxes on "families" making as little as $42,000 a year. He did not. The budget bill in question called for an increase only on singles making that amount, but a family of four would not have been affected unless they made at least $90,000 a year.
* Biden wrongly claimed that McCain "voted the exact same way" as Obama on the budget bill that contained an increase on singles making as little as $42,000 a year. McCain voted against it. Biden was referring to an amendment that didn't address taxes at that income level.
* Palin claimed McCain's health care plan would be "budget neutral," costing the government nothing. Independent budget experts estimate McCain's plan would cost tens of billions each year, though details are too fuzzy to allow for exact estimates.
* Biden wrongly claimed that McCain had said "he wouldn't even sit down" with the government of Spain. Actually, McCain didn't reject a meeting, but simply refused to commit himself one way or the other during an interview.
* Palin wrongly claimed that "millions of small businesses" would see tax increases under Obama's tax proposals. At most, several hundred thousand business owners would see increases. According to the nonpartisan researchers at Factcheck.org (a NEWSWEEK partner), Biden and Palin "were not 100 percent accurate [... more -
Schwarzenegger vetoes universal health care in California
"For the second time in three years, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have established a government-run universal health care system.
Senate Bill 840 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, would have set up a single-payer system in which the state would assume the role that private insurance companies now play.
In his veto message, the governor said he could not support "a bill that places an annual shortfall of over $40 billion to our state's economy."...
...The veto came nine months after Kuehl, the chair of the Senate Health Committee, and other Democrats joined Republicans in voting against the governor's health care expansion program, which would have required most employees and employers to contribute to the cost of their health care...
...The governor did sign a companion measure - Assembly Bill 2569 by Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon -- that will require insurers to continue covering the family members of people whose policies have been rescinded
But he vetoed Senate Bill 981 by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, which would have prohibited hospital emergency room physicians from billing patients directly when there are billing disputes with their HMOs, a practice known as "balance billing."
In his veto message, the governor said SB 981 would have rewarded "non-contracting physicians by assuring their continued financial slice of the pie" without fixing California's "broken health care system."
In a statement, Perata, D-Oakland, said he was surprised "that a governor who aggressively pushed for health care reform would veto a measure that would have ensured a fair, uniform standard for handling disagreements over emergency room bills.""
It's a shame since, if this could get pushed through in California, the rest of the country would likely start to follow suit. "For the second time in three years, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have established a gover... more -
94 percent of nursing homes violate health and safety standards
Among for-profit nursing homes, 94 percent were cited for health and safety standard violations last year. The majority, two-thirds of nursing homes, are owned by for-profit companies.
And 17 percent had deficiencies that caused “actual harm or immediate jeopardy” to patients.
Problems include infected bedsores, medication errors, poor food, and abuse and neglect of patients. About 20 percent of the more than 37,000 complaints inspectors received last year concerned abuse or neglect of patients.
Non-profit owned homes, about 27 percent included in this survey, did not fare much better. 88 percent were cited for violations, and 91 percent of government operated homes were cited.
The best care can be found in homes that have a high ratio of nursing staff to patients.
Rhode Island had some of the fewest violations at 2.5 deficiencies per nursing home. Delaware was at the other end of the spectrum with 13.3 per home.
More than 1.5 million Americans live in nursing homes and as a condition of housing Medicaid and Medicare patients, the nation’s nursing homes must meet federal standards. The federal program costs taxpayers more than $75 billion a year. Among for-profit nursing homes, 94 percent were cited for health and safety standard violations last year. The majority, two-thirds o... more -
If my memory is correct, I remember laying the man in this picture off...
... Because his health prevented him from being able to do his job. I gave him what I thought was a favorable severance package at the time. I was wrong. Now I see what happened to him, and to others like him, and I find myself in the same boat. Our priorities are all mixed up. I HOPE that Barack Obama will be elected, and that all of US will reorganize our priorities, and provide preventive health care for all of US who are US Citizens. Our health care system is an abomination. It is time to change that. ... Because his health prevented him from being able to do his job. I gave him what I thought was a favorable severance package at th... more
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Health care costs are directly related to our economy (duh)
When we talk about our health care system and the uninsured, we often talk about them in philosophical or even moral terms. But for the moment, let's set aside personal beliefs about the kind of society we want and just focus on why this issue should be important to business.
• First, the lack of health insurance reduces productivity, within the workforce and in the broader context of our national economy. Research tells us that people without health insurance have more health problems than do people with coverage. When people are not able to work to full capacity, business suffers -- and our tax burden increases as we care for those who cannot participate in the labor force.
• Second, high numbers of uninsured cause financial instability in our health system. Those who are uninsured -- or underinsured -- tend to seek care only when their situations become dire, often ending up in hospital emergency rooms. In Michigan, as elsewhere, this is reflected in the increased rate of uncompensated care assumed by hospitals, physicians and other providers. The rapid growth of this cost destabilizes the entire health system and limits the availability of care for all, even those with insurance. It also threatens the solvency of health care providers, often major employers in their communities.
• Third, health insurance is an issue of global competitiveness. As auto companies can attest, many of our competitors are headquartered in countries that provide universal coverage. In the United States, most health insurance for those under 65 is funded through employment. U.S. auto manufacturers estimate that $1,500 of the cost of every car is related to health care benefits. This cost significantly affects the ability of U.S. companies to compete in the global market.
more at link When we talk about our health care system and the uninsured, we often talk about them in philosophical or even moral terms. But for th... more -
McCain, Palin interviewed by Couric
For the followup interview, McCain accompanied Palin, apparently for damage control. Their talking point du jour was "gotcha journalism". When confronted about a comment Palin made to a voter that was strikenly similar to Obama's view on Pakistan, McCain interrupted Couric's line of questions and said Palin was a victim of "gotcha journalsim."
"Gotcha journalism" is frighteningly simplistic and dismissive of Palin's incoherent answers to many if not most of Couric's questions. Clearly the campaign is shifting blame from Palin's severe lack of knowledge and experience, to the media, a move politicians love to make when they are in trouble. They argue, "It's not my fault, it's the media... big bad evil liberal media." I'm not fooled. Are you? For the followup interview, McCain accompanied Palin, apparently for damage control. Their talking point du jour was "gotcha jou... more -
Florida Couple Divorces After Nearly 50 years to get Cancer Care for Wife.
It's been easier for a single person to get help under the Bush domestic doctrine. That is, until recently. Now, as of July 1 of next year, it won't even help to go to this drastic measure because of cuts to the state budget.
The Florida Legislature plans to discontinue Medicaid payments to the medically needy, excluding pregnant women and children, and the elderly and disabled — a group that contains 40,000 individuals — effective July 1, in order to save the state nearly $700 million. It's been easier for a single person to get help under the Bush domestic doctrine. That is, until recently. Now, as of July 1 of ... more -
Tell congress you want a new New Deal
Yesterday we had a great discussion going on about a new New Deal to help Main street. Now that the $700 Billion bail out is defeated, we can look forward to a new set of rules to help our economy. Check out these proposals from True Majority. If you you like them, tell you congressmen and women that you are ready for change that matters.
What we want:
* Putting real regulations back on runaway financial corporations, and taking an ownership stake in exchange for any taxpayer support
*Providing mortgage relief so ordinary Americans stop losing their homes
* Putting millions to work by investing in new green jobs and infrastructure
* Investing in a health care plan to cover everyone Yesterday we had a great discussion going on about a new New Deal to help Main street. Now that the $700 Billion bail out is defeated... more -
McCain's Health Plan...Go To Walmart!
McCain talks about the costs of emergency room health care, and how a fine establishment like Wal-Mart should have walk-in health clinics. I wonder if we would ever see John and Cindy waiting in line at the local Wal-Mart for health care.
"Get a duraflame log, a new dvd player and a !@#$ing bypass" - Tim McCain talks about the costs of emergency room health care, and how a fine establishment like Wal-Mart should have walk-in health clin... more -
America needs a new New Deal
Katrina Vanden Heuvel and Eric Schlosser argue that what American really needs is a Roosevelt style new New Deal that invests strongly in programs that will help the regular citizens such as a national health care system, an investment in renewable energy products, and a program to help the nearly 4 million people facing eviction. How would you like to spend $700 billion? Katrina Vanden Heuvel and Eric Schlosser argue that what American really needs is a Roosevelt style new New Deal that invests strongly... more
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Direct to consumer drug advertising banned in other countries
What are the benefits and risks of direct to consumer drug advertising?
R. William Soller
"UCSF's School of Pharmacy to learn about the legal and regulatory basis for drug advertising ... " What are the benefits and risks of direct to consumer drug advertising? R. William Soller ... more -
Vermont woman w/ one arm against pharmaceutical giant,'Wyeth vs.We the People...
Diana Levine - won a suit in a Vermont court four years ago against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals... After a routine drug injection left her disabled. The company appealed the ruling all the way up to the US Supreme Court... And some worry if Wyeth wins. Consumers could pay the price with their lives.
She speaks about her musical career in the past tense because that's when it was at its peak. It Happened eight years ago-- tragically and unexpectedly. it all started with a headache. Levine, who had suffered many migraines before, went to a nearby clinic.
Diana "I went in expecting treatment - which I got: Demerol for the pain, and Phenergan to curb the nausea that goes with the headache."
Phenergan is typically administered by intramuscular injection. But this time clinicians used a method called an "iv push"-- to send the drug directly into her vein and give her faster relief. The needle, however, penetrated her artery-- and gangrene set in over time. Doctors tried to save her arm.
But couldn't.
Diana "6 weeks later, 2 amputations later, I left Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital with no arm and no identity."
Levine got in touch with an attorney. And they started building a case - first, against the clinic, with whom she settled - and then against Wyeth pharmaceuticals, the maker of Phenergan.
In 2004 .. The case went to trial in Montpelier... And a jury awarded Levine almost 7-million dollars.
So far .. Levine has not seen a penny from Wyeth... She says she's still learning how to get by with one arm... Though doing the things she loves - making pottery, baking pies... And, of course, playing music - is much less fulfilling.
She heads into this potentially precedent-setting trial, she says, as one woman- with a universal story.
Diana"I'm trying to impress on people- I know you don't think it can happen to you - and maybe *this* won't - but something could - just as drastic, the result of a drug gone awry."
Diana: "It's almost like it's way bigger than me." The big picture is vastly more important- because I don't want this to happen to my daughter, my daughter's kids, friends of hers... and for her to be told 'Don't bother suing- remember Wyeth vs. Levine? Well, Levine lost, you're out of luck.' Diana Levine - won a suit in a Vermont court four years ago against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals... After a routine drug injection left her d... more -
Health Insurance Costs to Spike an Average 8 Percent
Health insurance premiums for federal employees will jump almost 8 percent, on average, in 2009, a sharp increase over the 2.9 percent increase this year and the 2.3 percent increase in 2007, the Office of Personnel Management announced yesterday.
Premiums for most workers, however, will climb even more next year -- about 13 percent -- which is the increase for enrollees in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Sixty percent of federal workers are enrolled in one of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Health insurance premiums for federal employees will jump almost 8 percent, on average, in 2009, a sharp increase over the 2.9 percent... more -
Nationalizing health care
Nationalizing any sector of society is a bad idea, but nothing makes me cringe like the idea of government-run health care. I’m old enough to remember when Bill Clinton was in office and the nation expelled a breath of relief when Hillary’s attempts at universal health care were abandoned as impractical and unwanted. Well, a decade and a bit later, not much has changed. Hillary is still pushing for government mandated healthcare, and it’s still impractical and unwanted. Nationalizing any sector of society is a bad idea, but nothing makes me cringe like the idea of government-run health care. I’m old e... more
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