Source: Gearlog Optimists predict that media coverage of Senator Kennedy’s death will shame Republicans into changing their opposition to health care reform. Nicholas Lemann, writing in the New Yorker, says, “Kennedy’s death … will cost Obama a vote in the Senate, but this may be outweighed–is it too much to hope?–by the good feeling that…
Source: Canadian Family Physician If you’re a middle-class family and you learn that your beloved spouse is going to require long-term care, do you know what hospital social workers recommend? Get divorced. Otherwise you’ll go bankrupt. And do it as soon as you can. It takes five years after a divorce before your assets are…
Source: Teachers.net Documentaries, such as Sicko and Sick Around the World, visit other countries and ooh and ahh over their rational, effective, and equitable health care systems. Why is it that France, Italy, Japan, the UK, Canada – all the major developed countries – have managed to solve the problem of guaranteeing affordable health care…
Source: The AV Club “Obama surely has made mistakes, among them focusing so heavily on how reform would reduce the cost of medicine. Had he spent more time reminding voters that reform would provide them with the security they now lack–security from financial ruin and medical catastrophe, the type private insurance too rarely provides–he probably…
Source: WTRF Some tributes to Senator Edward Kennedy and some honest recollections and assessments. Ezra Klein in The Washington Post: “Year after year, decade after decade, he labored to pass health-care reform. He sought deals with Republican presidents, with Democratic presidents, and even pursued the office himself. He tried to cut out the health-care industry…
Source: The Washington Post Dan Roam’s visual presentation of the issues involved in health care reform lists three possible options for health insurance: Private insurance, non-profit insurance exchanges or co-ops, and a government insured plan (the “public option”). There’s been much media speculation lately that the public option is now out of the picture. There…
One reason it’s so hard to make progress on health care reform is that it’s an extremely complex problem. Although President Obama does an excellent job of articulating the issues simply and clearly, it appears his message is not getting through clearly enough. Dan Roam, a business consultant and the author of The Back of…
Source: Artie Wayne on the Web Since shortly after Michael Jackson’s death, the powerful anesthetic propofol has been suspected as the cause of death. Details of Jackson’s final hours were released today by the Los Angeles coroner’s office. Although the final injection of propofol may have been the immediate cause of death, it’s only one…
Additional stories related to health. Categories include: More articles on Health Care Reform, History of Medicine, Medical Journalism, Medical Technology, Medical News, Pharmaceuticals, Pop Culture, Social Media and the Internet, and The So-Called Obesity “Epidemic.” HEALTH CARE REFORM A ‘Common Sense’ American Health Reform Plan (The New York Times – Uwe Reinhardt) After studying this…
Source: Everything Changes I was planning to include a category called “The So-Called Obesity ‘Epidemic’” in the next Daily Dose, so I thought I should first explain what I mean by that. Back in June, there was an article in The Washington Post called “Judging Fat People.” Here are some excerpts: “Be honest: What’s your…
Here are some things I’ve come across recently. Categories include: Aging/End of Life/Death, Doctors, Influenza, Genetics, and Health Care Reform. AGING, END OF LIFE, AND DEATH End-of-Life Care: Where Ethics Meet Economics (The New York Times – Uwe Reinhardt) Health spending in the United States has doubled every 10 years during the last four decades….
Source: flickr Imagine you’re a doctor flying back to the US from Singapore with a medical colleague. Shortly after your first class lunch, the Korean man across the aisle groans and regurgitates his meal. The flight attendant announces: “Could I have your attention, please. Is there a doctor on board?” Moments later a female passenger…
Source: The Associated Press Sharon Begley, science writer for Newsweek, has written one of the best articles I’ve seen so far on the acrimony of the current health care debate. It’s not about the politics, which are unpredictable. It’s an analysis of the underlying psychology, which will not easily be changed. I recommend reading the…
Source: National Geographic Kids When you breathe recirculated airplane air, do you expose yourself to the coughs and sneezes of everyone onboard? Well, not quite everyone. Most airlines do not circulate air along the length of the cabin, allowing it to interact with every passenger. Air is circulated from side to side in discrete sections…
Source: Salvation Army “After I had berated the patient for his obvious failure to comply with my recommendations to correct his ‘misbehavior,’ he said, ‘You know, doctor, there is more to life than good health.’ These words have helped me rein in my sometimes overzealous attempts to force patients into that glorious state of wellness…
Source: The Insider The current emotional polarization around health care reform is not so much about specific issues – rising medical costs, reprehensible insurance industry practices, the number of uninsured. It reflects a deep division in American culture that began in the sixties. Forty years after Woodstock, it’s clear that a major shift happened in…
