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Will Sicko Change US Health Care?
2007-05-25 23:56:00
Discribed as "exaggerated, biting, unfair", Michael Moore's new documentary "Sicko " about US health care industry, is unlikely to change US health policy. While Moore taps into widespread dissatisfaction with the current system in America, most voters have been listening to similar complaints for a long time and are still not ready to deconstruct the health care system. The film details accounts of insurance companies denying people coverage and, while this makes people angry, I doubt whether the film will have a significant effect on health care policy.The middle class is still being served by things as they are. The documentary makes its U.S. debut on June 29.
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Compare Hospitals
2007-05-25 23:32:00
Visit the new Hospital Compa re Web Site to compare hospital mortality rates for heart attack and heart failure at over 4,000 nationwide. Once closely guarded, hospital mortality rates are coming out in the open. The Hospital Compare Web Site may include information on whether your local hospital's 30-day mortality rates (heart attack and heart failure patients who died for any reason within 30 days of admission) are better or worse than 4,000 other hospitals.
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Voluntary HPV Vaccine Program In New Hampshire Well Received
2007-05-18 20:27:00
New Hampshire has distributed 14,000 doses of Gardasil (Merck) at no charge since January. The HPV vaccination program aimed at girls 11 to 18 has proven to be 100% effective at preventing HPV which is responsible for 70% of new cervical cancer cases. (Search this blog for "HPV Vaccine " to view related articles). In 2007, New Hampshire will spend almost $5 mil (28% of it's immunization budget) on the Gardasil program. Private insurers and the federal government provide all of the funding. New Hampshire never sought to make HPV vaccination mandatory and has avoided the controversy and parental backlash experienced with the mandatory proposals in Texas. Virginia has a mandatory HPV Vaccine law but offers parents an option to decline. South Dakota and Washington, have voluntary programs offering free vaccine.
More About: Women , Health , New Hampshire

Anemia Drugs Dangerously Overprescribed
2007-05-16 01:24:00
Doctors routinely treat cancer patients for anemia with 3 FDA approved drugs - Epogen, Procrit, and Aranesp. The prarmaceutical companies market the drugs to help with fatigue and improve the cancer patients' quality of life. At a $1,000 a dose, there's potential for abuse. Indeed, aggressive marketing to doctors and TV advertising to patients has led to overuse of the drugs and may be contributing to safety problems. Recently the FDA warned that the drugs may speed the growth of cancer and increase the liklyhood of heart attacks and strokes leading to earlier death for some. The increased risks are due to overprescribing to a wide spectrum of patients. As many as 450,000 American patients are taking the drugs, which are covered by Medicare.
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A Coalition of Big US Companies Endorses Schwartzenegger Style Health Care
2007-05-16 00:49:00
A coalition of 36 big US companies including Pacific Gas and Electric, General Mills, PepsiCo, Safeway, Bumble Bee Foods, and health industry giants Aetna, Cigna, Eli Lilly and Blue Shield of California, have joined together to lobby congress for market-based universal health care. The coalition has laid out some core principles that health care reform should follow: Health insurance will be mandatory Low income citizens are to be subsidized Health insurance will cover pre-existing medical conditions Plans will include coverage for preventive care and incentives for healthier lifestyles The self-insured will get tax relief Medical treatment costs will be transparent. What's new here is that big business traditionally oppose health care reform at the national level.
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Illinois Healthcare Reform Meets Stiff Resistance in the Business Community
2007-05-09 23:21:00
Business owners are voicing outrage over Governor Blagojevich's universal healthcare proposal for the state of Illinois . Illinois Covered would tax Illinois businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $2 million from 0.08% to 1.95% of gross sales. "That's more than thes profit fror many of these businesses and some businesses would move out of Illinois if the tax was imposed", says the state Chamber of Commerce who is conducting a campaign in opposition to the plan.
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New Treatment for Hot Flashes Offers Promise
2007-05-09 22:43:00
Bianca Kennedy, age 41, suffered terribly from hot flashes after being treated for breast cancer. Up to 25 times a day, she turned red and sweated uncontrollably. For the last 18 months, she's been completely free of hot flashes after a series of 3 injections of local anesthetic into nerve tissue located in the neck. She calles the treatments "life changing". Stellate ganglion blocks (SGB), have been used safely for over 60 years to treat pain says board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management expert Eugene G. Lipov, M.D., Medical Director of the Chicago area-based Advanced Pain Centers. Nineteen out of twenty patients had at least an 80 percent decrease in hot flashes for a period of two weeks to a year following SGB. The SGB treatment is undergoing clinical trials with breast cancer patients under Dr Lipov's supervision.
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Public Outcry Against HPV Vaccine in Texas Delays Mandated Vaccination
2007-05-02 23:19:00
Back in February 2007, I wrote that the state of Texas was mandating that all 6th grade girls be vaccinated with Gardasil, the Merck HPV vaccine, that promises to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in Texas by 70% within a generation. I applauded Gov. Rick Perry for getting out ahead of the curve with his bold public health policy mandate. In short order, the press questioned Perry's motivation when it disclosed that Merck (who manufactures Gardasil) had donated a total of $10,000 to Perry and eight Texas lawmakers. Then a groundswell of complaints were raised by concerned parents. Some resented the mandated HPV vaccine treatment as contrary to their religious beliefs. Others voiced fears that their daughters might become promiscuous if the fear of cervical cancer was removed. The volume of complaints was surprising even after Perry explained that parents already had the option to opt out of the mandate on an individual basis if they wished. At the end of April, the Texas le...
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Doctors Compliant with Drug Company Marketing Practices
2007-04-30 06:30:00
Drug companies maintain large sales forces that call on doctors and hospitals to promote the companies? pharmaceutical products. The New England Journal of Medicine published a survey recently measuring the extent of the physicians complicity. Of the physicians surveyed, 80% accept free drug samples or free food from their drug reps. Nearly 30% accept payments for services like promotional speeches and consulting. One of the more remarkable activities of the pharmaceutical sales representatives is the promotion of "off label" uses of a drug. That is, influencing doctors to prescribe a drug for uses that do not have FDA approval. Take for example, Gabapentin - a drug manufactured by Parke-Davis and approved only for treatment of a specific type of epilepsy, Parke-Davis reps promoted Gabapentin for the "off label" treatment of migraine and certain psychiatric conditions (a broader market and larger sales potential than the FDA approved use). After the visits, almost half of the docto...
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Wal-Mart Commits to In-Store Health Clinics
2007-04-28 00:38:00
Wal-Mart Stor e s has announced that they will open retail health clinics in up to 2,000 stores over the next five years or so. Wal-Mart already has walk-in medical clinics in 75 stores across 12 states. Retail health clinics provide unmatched convenience. Wal-Mart's clinics offers walk-in appointments seven days a week. Nurse practitioners deliver preventive and routine care for $45 to $65 per visit. I'm sure this is a good business opportunity for Wal-Mart, but there's no denying they are providing a service to customers in an underserved portion of the communities in which they operate. Most retail clinic customers are uninsured and in some cases would have used an hospital emergency room otherwise.
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Big Employees Cost More - Really Big Employees Cost A Lot More
2007-04-26 00:57:00
Workers' compensation insurance claims are more frequent and more expensive for employees who are obese according to a recent Duke University study*. Nearly twice as many claims were filed by the heaviest workers. Most of the claims are for falls, slips, and injuries to the joints. Compared to the cost of the medical claims for those workers with normal BMI, the severely obese cost almost 7 times more, and the moderately obese over 3 times more. The number of work days lost by the very obese is 13 times higher. Companies have more incentive that ever to foster healthy lifestyles for their employees such as healthy options in the cafeteria and in-house gyms. It makes financial sense. * Archives of Internal Medicine, April 23, 2007; Ostbye, T.
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Moms Like Retail Medical Clinics for their Kids
2007-04-25 01:19:00
More parents are taking their children to walk-in retail medical clinics. For one reason the clinics are more plentiful - over 300 now with an additional 2,000 by the end of 2008. You can find them in Walgreens Drug Stores, and at some WalMart and Target stores. Parents who use them say it's more convenient than going to a doctor's office for minor stuff like routine tests and innoculations. Indeed, over 70 percent of parents wfo used the retain walk-in clincs said they wiould return. Health insurance generally covers the cost of these visits. This trend is up for retail clinic care for children according to the National Poll on Children's Health conducted by the University of Michigan. The walk-in clinics are typically staffed by nurse practitioners and physicians assistants, something that worrier Primary Care Doctors and Pediatritions. Most of the kids (89%) using retail walk-ins have an established physician. This does present a challenge to coordination of care. Until we...
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American Workers Like Their health Insurance More Than Ever
2007-04-20 00:58:00
American workers value their health insurance benefits more than ever before. Perhaps realizing that their employers are paying 200% to 300% more that a few years ago, most U.S. workers employed at large businesses consider health coverage to be the most important part of their benefits packages including retirement benefits. In February 2007, the National Business Group on Health surveyed 1,619 employees at mid-sized companies (2,500 employees or more). The majority of those queried said that would sooner take a pay cut than give up any health benefits. Over two thirds said they are satisfied with their health coverage. Even those who didn't like their coverage said that they would not want to purchase their own health insurance. American workers are happy with the status quo when it comes to health insurance, but their employers can't afford to support their habit much longer. Something's gotta give.
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Small Business Need Not Fear Mandatory Health Insurance
2007-04-18 01:22:00
Among the states considering universal health insurance - Massachusetts, Vermont, California, Pennsylvania and Illinois - the impact of mandatory health insurance on small businesses is a big concern. All of these proposals require employers to provide health insurance or to contribute state pools. Opponents of change, say that the proposed plans will hurt small businesses. But when you look closer at these proposals, you see that they can actually help small business by providing an option, the state pool, to either being uninsured of paying for group health insurance. Very small companies - less that 10 employees - and self employed individuals would see the gratest benefit. They make up the the biggest part to the working uninsured because insurance costs too much or because they are uninsurable due to pre-existing health conditions. State sponsored plans will provide them anoption they don't have now.
More About: Business , Health , Insurance , Small Business , Health Insurance

Maine's Pioneering Health Plan to Become Mandatory
2007-04-18 00:32:00
Who cares what's going on with health care in Maine? After all, it's a sparsely populated and relatively poor state surrounded by Canada. But in the world of Universal Health Care, Maine is a leader - the first state to pass universal health care into law. Maine Gov. John Baldacci pushed universal health insurance through the legislature over two years ago. Maine's, DirigoChoice, the state's subsidized insurance program, is open to all residents regardless of pre-existing health conditions. The premiums of low income residents are subsidizeed by the state. Even so not enough people signed up for the program. Now Gov. Baldacci, is proposing making health insurance mandatory. Those who can afford to pay (incomes more than 400% of the federal poverty level) would have to buy health insurance. The premiums of lower income individuals would be susudized by the state. Employers could either pay - offer group health insurance to employees - or play - contribute to a state fund. The...
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We're Not Ready for Mental Health Parity Mandates
2007-04-17 23:05:00
Politicians are once again beating the drum for "mental health parity". Basically they want insurance companies to be required to provide similar health insurance benefits for mental health care as they provide for physical health care. For example, insurance should cover a psychotherapy office visit with a nominal copayment. It's the kind of feel-good issue that politicians love because it enjoys widespread support and after all, who's going to speak against it? ....I will. Too much of what passes for mental health care is untested or faddish. For instance, family interventions for drug addiction and alcoholism, while currently popular with the media (there's a TV show called "Intervention"), are totally without statistical evidence of success. In fact, less confrontational treatment modalities are more successful. Insurance mandates that give money to mental health practioners with virtually no strings attached are not going to help the tens of millions of Americans with drug...
More About: Health , Mental , Mental Health , Anda , Menta

Herbal Extract Can Reduce 90% 0f Bladder Infections
2007-04-13 01:10:00
Bladder infections infect women 400% more often than men. E. coli bacteria causes virtually all urinary tract infections in the bladder. It's a pesky infection to get rid of. More often than not, the infection returns after antibiotic treatment. Repeated antibiotic use is expensive, can cause liver and kidney damage, and could lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, so a successful treatment would be welcomed. Researchers* at Duke University found that some bacteria hide in tiny niches in the baldder lining, where the antibiotics can't get at them. They come out again and multipy a few weeks after antibiotic treatment. But forskolin, an extract of the coleus plant, flushes out the imbedeed E-Coli colonies from their hiding places and into the urine, where the antibiotic kills them. Forskolin has been used for centuries to treat a wide variety of symptoms including urination pain. Forskolin, a common herbal treatment, is available in health food stores. * Soman Abraham, Ph.D. a mi...
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Some Docs Don't Like UnitedHealthcare Telling them Where to Refer Patients
2007-04-13 00:23:00
Some doctors are complaining about a recent UnitedHealthcare letter that says that they may fine providers $50, reduce their fees, or kick them out of the UnitedHealthcare network if they regularly refer patients to out-of-network labs. UnitedHealthcare says they will use the penalty only for the worst offenders after first speaking with the physicians. UnitedHealthcare wants doctors to use LabCorp, its national in-network laboratory. Some physicians prefer Quest Diagnostics - previously contracted with UnitedHealthcare nationally. UHC says they want to prevent members from paying higher out-of-network costs. Indeed, consumers are often blindsided with big out-of-pocket expenses (as much as seven times more than in-network costs) if their doctor refers them to an out-of-network lab - whether by inattention, habit, or his or her own agenda. Most health plan members won't know what happened when they get the bill.
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Pioneering Health Care Proposal from Pennsylvania
2007-04-10 07:44:00
Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell has proposed innovative health care legislation dubbed a "Prescription for Pennsylvania" that would enable non-physicians to provide basic medical services, like recording medical histories and giving routine physical exams. Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners would be included in all provider networks and could be selected as primary care physicians. Midwives could prescribe drugs. Dental hygienists could provide dental services independent of dentists in schools or clinics.
More About: Health , Health Care , Proposal , Care , Pennsylvania

Innovative California Health Care Program Gets $540 Mil in Federal Funds
2007-04-10 07:04:00
Ten California counties will get $540 million in federal money over the next 3 years to cover 180,000 low-income adults who don't qualify for "Medi-Cal". This program targets adults because virtually all California children have health insurance - through either private coverage or public programs. Governor Schwarzenegger helped negotiate the deal with federal officials with a promise of new approaches for providing care to people who would otherwise get health care at emergency rooms. The counties will provide preventive care and follow-up treatment for chronic conditions like diabetes.
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Lack of Health Insurance Increaes Risk of Stroke
2007-04-09 06:40:00
The uninsured generally don't have routine physical exams, As a result, high blood pressure can go undetected leading to higher rates stroke and death. Sound logical? Yes. And now there's data to back it up. The Journal of the Society of General Internal Medicine published a study (April 2007 issue) that found people with no health insurance are less likely to be aware of having high blood pressure and if they were disgnosed they were less likely to be well controlled than people with health insurance. The study found that people who lack of health insurance don't use primary care resources, The health disparity between the haves and the have nots seems likely to dontinue to grow.
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Migraine Combo Meds Work Better
2007-04-09 06:11:00
A combination of two different migraine medications - sumatriptan and naproxen sodium - and releives migrain symptoms better than taking eother one alone. Combining two different types of treatment for migraine results in better symptom relief than taking either one of the medications, according to a study in the About 3000 migraine patients at 118 U.S. clinical centers recieved a single tablet containing both sumatriptan (85 mg) and naproxen sodium (500 mg), or sumatriptan alone, or naproxen sodium alone or a placebo. The meds were used at the start of a moderate to severe migraine. The sumatripan-naproxen sodium combination was more effective than placebo for headache relief at two hours after dosing. The rate of nausea was the same between sumatriptan-naproxen sodium and placebo. For sustained releif up to 24 hours, sumatriptan-naproxen sodium was superior to momotherapy.drug; NSAID) compared with placebo and single therapy with either of the drugs. ); or placebo, to be used ...
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