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Tag: Healthcare

  • Obama Apologizes To Americans Losing Their Health Insurance

    Obama Apologizes To Americans Losing Their Health Insurance

    President Obama on Thursday apologized to all Americans who are now receiving cancellation notices from their health insurers. His apology comes after his assurances that no one would have to give up a health plan they like.

    President Obama told NBC news that he failed to do enough to ensure that the law did not force the termination of insurance policies that people like because they do not meet the requirements. “But obviously, we didn’t do a good enough job in terms of how we crafted the law,” Obama said. “And, you know, that’s something that I regret. That’s something that we’re going to do everything we can to get fixed.”

    Millions of Americans who had purchased health coverage on their own have been receiving cancellation notices from their insurers. Health insurers are now cancelling customer plans because they no longer meet the new minimum standards set under the Affordable Care Act. This comes days after NBC News’ Lisa Myers had reported the Obama administration knew that about 5% of Americans could lose their insurance under the new law, Affordable Care Act. Despite that, Obama has repeatedly told people that they can keep their health plan if they like it.

    Obama said that he regretted any confusion that resulted from the roll-out and said that, “we weren’t as clear as we needed to be in terms of the changes that were taking place. And I want to do everything we can to make sure that people are finding themselves in a good position, a better position than before this law happened.”

    In the NBC News Interview, Obama said that he did not purposely mislead people because it was his intention that no one should lose a plan they like. However, he assured those who had lost their plans that they could find better insurance cover that was cheaper and provided better coverage than what they had before.

    The president has come under increasing pressure from the public, including members from his own party to address the situation. Earlier in the week, he met senate democrats who also vented their frustrations on problems that are plaguing the ObamaCare website.

    (image via NBC)

  • Suzanne Somers Displays “Expertise” on Obamacare

    Suzanne Somers Displays “Expertise” on Obamacare

    The Wall Street Journal, the largest paper in circulation in the United States today at 2.4 million copies, has created a new section of its paper entitled, “The Experts.” This section of the paper contains editorials from people who are an “exclusive group of industry, academic and cultural thought leaders who weigh in on the latest debates in The Journal Report.” Included in this list of “experts” are people such as Pat Sajak, Morgan Fairchild, and Suzanne Somers. According to the WSJ and Somers, she is an expert on healthcare due to having written “24 books mostly on health and wellness and by using my celebrity to get to the best and brightest doctors, scientists and medical professionals in the alternative and integrative health-care world.” As such an expert, the WSJ thought it would be a good idea to ask Somers to answer the question: “What will the Affordable Care Act mean for retirees?” Her response: The Affordable Care Act Is a Socialist Ponzi Scheme.

    As one can guess, the rest of the article plummets downhill faster than Somers acting career. Not only does Somers title her article with simple lie (The Affordable Care Act is neither socialist nor a Ponzi scheme. Funny how Somers never defines how the ACA belongs to either category…), but she continues her blatant misuse of information throughout her editorial.

    Somers begins by sharing anecdotal stories of the Canadian healthcare system, in which her Canadian husband’s cousins serve as medical professionals. According to Somers, the Canadian healthcare system is flawed because 1) A cover of a Canadian magazine from 2008 stated that “Your Dog Can Get Better Health Care Than You;” 2) Canadian doctors are leaving Canada to come to the United States in order to make more money; and 3) Her sister-in-law had to wait to receive medical care.

    First, let’s look at the magazine example. (It’s important to note up-front that the WSJ had to run a redaction stating that Somers had originally put a horse on the magazine instead of a dog, showing her lackadaisical approach to actually looking up her sources.) While the magazine article may have been true, Somers does little to elaborate on why dogs are receiving better healthcare except for the fact that veterinarians can make more money than doctors. One could guess that Somers is equating higher pay with better quality healthcare. However, according to a recent Gallup poll, 52% of Canadians are satisfied with the healthcare they receive, as opposed to 48% of Americans. Lie #1 of Somers’s article debunked.

    Next, let’s turn to Somers’s second claim – Canadian doctors are defecting and coming to the US in alarming rates. According to a recent study performed by The Commonwealth Fund, since 2003 more doctors have been returning to Canada than leaving. Not only that, but Canadian doctors experienced more satisfaction with practicing medicine than doctors in the US, and also had a more positive view toward the healthcare system than American doctors. Lie #2 busted.

    And honestly, who cares if Somers’s sister-in-law had to wait to receive services. Everyone waits; her case was not unique. To add even less credence to Somers’s argument, in a report released by The Fraser Institute, a conservative Canadian think-tank, one of the authors stated that “It’s time Canada adopted some of the policies that allow nations like Australia, Switzerland and Sweden to provide more timely access to quality universal care.” What does the Affordable Care Act offer Americans in order to provide freedom of choice? Oh yeah – access to private health-insurance alternatives.

    Somers’s then goes on to make some pseudo-arguments about how the Affordable Care Act will not actually be affordable. For brevity’s sake, let me just point to this chart which shows that Canadians spend less than half, per household, of what Americans currently spend on healthcare coverage per year. Yes, that is the same county which Somers believes is plagued with enormous healthcare issues.

    Perhaps the most egregious error committed by Somers in her article, though, is the fact that she misuses two historical quotations. Well, not misuses, but rather makes them up completely. According to a WSJ redaction, “An earlier version of this post contained a quotation attributed to Lenin (“Socialized medicine is the keystone to the arch of the socialist state”) that has been widely disputed. And it included a quotation attributed to Churchill (“Control your citizens’ health care and you control your citizens“) that the Journal has been unable to confirm.”

    There are many reasons as to why the first quotation has been disputed, mainly because the world’s leading experts on Lenin cannot find anything remotely similar to that utterance, and the policy encouraged in this quotation goes against Lenin’s actual actions.

    The creation of the Churchill quotation is even more confusing. Churchill essentially set-up the national healthcare service that Britain currently operates under, but he was not in power whenever that system was put into place. In fact, it was the rival party, the democratic-socialist Labor party, who actually implemented the socialized healthcare system. When Churchill once again became Prime Minister following his brief departure, he decided to keep the national healthcare system instead of abolishing it due to a study which proved the system to be highly effective. If Churchill wanted to control the masses, wouldn’t he have taken the initiative to install the system himself?

    Perhaps Somers should have used a different quotation to express her true thoughts: “Those who control the present, control the past; Those who control the past, control the future.” — George Orwell, 1984. By blatantly creating false quotations to make her article more rhetorically savvy, Somers attempted to alter history. By creating a fabricated view of the past, Somers hoped to influence the future of US healthcare. Big Brother could not be more proud.

    Image via Facebook

  • Sean Hannity Gives Fired Obamacare Worker $25K

    Sean Hannity Gives Fired Obamacare Worker $25K

    After contributing to the firing of an Obamacare telephone operator, Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity has reached out to help the woman. Not only did he gift the operator, Earlene Davis, a year’s salary, he has offered to help her find another job.

    It’s no secret by now that the Healthcare Marketplace website has been pretty glitchy. In fact, there have been so many complaints about it that President Barack Obama announced a toll-free number earlier this week for people to call to submit an application. Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity decided to put the hotline number to the test on Monday.

    When Hannity eventually reached Davis, the Obamacare hotline operator, he told her who he was and that she was live, and she agreed to talk with him. The host talked to Davis for about 10 minutes and asked her some questions about signing up for Obamacare, politics and the weather in her home state. Unfortunately for Davis, she was let go after she spoke with Hannity.

    After Davis finished her conversation with Hannity, she says she was escorted to Human Resources and was told she was being fired. “I remember her saying, ‘We can’t have this type of stuff going on here, so we have to release you.’ They said no contact with the media. No type of media whatsoever. We’re not allowed to do that at that company,” the mother of two said.

    While Davis could have certainly refused to talk to Hannity when he called in, Hannity felt pretty bad about playing a role in Davis’s firing. Hannity had Davis on his show on Thursday and apologized to her and offered to gift her a year’s salary tax-free–$25,000.

    “First of all, I’m very sorry that you had to go through that. Especially because you were really nice, you were very kind, you were very honest, and I don’t want you to have to pay a price just for taking our phone call and their being punitive in some way, so I want to help you out here,” Hannity told Davis and then offered her the money.

    Davis was very grateful for Hannity’s offer. “I thank God for you and your crew and everybody that’s listening,” she said. “This is really a blessing, I wasn’t expecting all of this.” Hannity has also offered to help Davis find another job.

    Some Twitter users are giving Sean Hannity a lot of praise for helping out Davis financially after she was fired. What do you think of Hannity’s gift? Respond below.

    [Image via Twitter]

  • Obamacare Site Offers Voter Registration

    Obamacare Site Offers Voter Registration

    Republicans now have reason number 10,392 to hate Obamacare: the website offers the option to register to vote while enrolling. With an estimated one-third of applicants on the Healthcare Marketplace unregistered to vote, the inclusion of this option could be the death knell for the GOP.

    (image)

    Many people are wondering why the Obamacare website includes the voter registration option, especially since the site has enough problems already with frequent crashes. Needless to say, quite a few Republicans are outraged that the website offers applicants this option and believe it’s a dirty tactic to gain more voters for the Democrats.

    What do you think about the Obamacare website including the voter registration option? Respond below.

    Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh didn’t mince words on the issue of including the option to register to vote on the Healthcare Marketplace. “The purpose of Obamacare has got nothing to do with your health, and nothing to do with your insurance,” he said. “It’s about building a permanent, undefeatable, always-funded Democrat majority.” Limbaugh also called the Obamacare market exchange plans “voter-registration outreach plans.”

    Tim Miller, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, agrees. “The practice raises longstanding suspicions on the right that the ACA exchanges are designed for political as well as regulatory purposes,” said Miller.

    The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, also called the “Motor Voter” law, says that government agencies must offer people the opportunity to register to vote. The Obamacare website falls under this category, which is why the option is included.

    Democrats believe the outrage over the voter registration option on the Obamacare site is much ado about nothing. They say that the voter registration inclusion could get just as many new Republican voters as Democrats.

    “We should all agree that voters should be given the opportunity to participate in the political process,” Eunice Rho, advocacy and policy counsel for ACLU, said. “Why not get at voters when they’re accessing the system in large numbers? It’s a really significant opportunity to expand voting registration.”

    Main image via YouTube; Image in article via FoxNews

  • Birth on Lawn: Clinic Denies Woman, She Gives Birth on their Lawn [GRAPHIC]

    Birth on Lawn: Clinic Denies Woman, She Gives Birth on their Lawn [GRAPHIC]

    Women sometimes give birth in strange places. After labor begins, it can be a matter of minutes before the baby is delivered. And once that ball gets rolling, it usually isn’t going to slow down without medical help, which leads to babies sometimes being born in public places.

    Only in this situation, the mom in labor wasn’t en route to the hospital, having labor pains in the back of a taxi, nor was she stuck in traffic. Instead, she was on the lawn of a medical clinic. No, she didn’t just miss getting inside–instead, she was there because the medical clinic turned her away.

    Irma Lopez, a mom of three, said that she was turned away from the Rural Health Center in Oaxaca, Mexico on October 2 because a nurse said that she wasn’t ready. Lopez was only eight months pregnant, but was fully dilated. The nurse told Lopez and her husband to come back in the morning and a doctor would check on her.

    Having no other options, Lopez and her husband remained on the lawn of the clinic, where the woman’s water broke and she went through labor and delivery. Bystanders caught pictures of the delivery, which show Lopez squatting over the ground as her baby is coming out, still attached to the umbilical cord. Lopez was alone during the delivery because her husband was trying to get a nurse to call for help.

    “I didn’t want to deliver like this. It was so ugly and with so much pain,” Lopez said. Lopez said that she and her husband walked to the medical clinic in the dark, which took them an hour. The mom who lives in a one-bedroom hut in the mountains said that it would have taken even longer to get to a highway and a hospital.

    The nurses at the clinic have blamed the incident on a language barrier and said that Lopez didn’t understand that they were understaffed at the moment.

    As bad as this sounds, Lopez isn’t the only woman to give birth outside the same clinic this year. Another woman gave birth on their lawn in July. According to Mexico’s census, one in five women in Oaxaca give birth somewhere other than a hospital or clinic.

    ‘The photo is giving visibility to a wider structural problem that occurs within indigenous communities: Women are not receiving proper care. They are not being offered quality health services, not even a humane treatment,’ said Mayra Morales, Oaxaca’s representative for the national Network for Sexual and Reproductive Rights.

    The Rural Health Center of the village of San Felipe Jalapa de Diaz in Oaxaca is being investigated and the health center’s director, Dr. Adrian Cruz, has been suspended for the time being.

    Images via Huff Post

  • Obamacare Exemptions: Is Congress Exempt?

    Obamacare Exemptions: Is Congress Exempt?

    So far several rumors have been spread in an attempt to get citizens to take a stand against Obamacare (also known as the Affordable Care Act) and ask their Congressmen to repeal the law. We’ve heard about the death panels that were going to leave the elderly and disabled out to dry and about healthcare rationing, both of which are myths.

    The latest story that is making rounds while the threat of a government shutdown looms (again) is that members of Congress will be exempt under Obamacare, which has certainly riled up some people. After all, if Obamacare isn’t good enough for Congress, it’s not good enough for us, right? As it turns out, that’s not quite the truth, which is a lot less interesting than the rumor that has left many outraged:

    According to Republican Senator David Vitter, “President Obama recently issued a special rule for Congress and congressional staff to get a special subsidy to purchase health insurance on the Obamacare Exchange unavailable to every other American at similar income levels,” said Vitter. “That’s an exemption, plain and simple.”

    There are several exemptions under Obamacare, but Congress members aren’t on the list:

    Individuals who cannot afford coverage.
    Individuals with household income below the filing threshold.
    Members of federally recognized Indian tribes.
    Individuals who experience a hardship.
    Individuals who experience a short coverage gap.
    Members of certain religious sects.
    Members of a health care sharing ministry.
    Incarcerated individuals.
    Individuals who are not lawfully present.

    Vitter is right that there is a special provision for Congress, but calling it an exemption doesn’t fit the bill, especially not in the way most people think when they hear about Obamacare exemptions. According to The Hill, members of Congress and their staff won’t be allowed to get coverage under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan (the insurance plan they’re currently on) under Obamacare. Instead, they will have to purchase their insurance through the Obamacare exchange.

    So, no, Congress isn’t exempt under Obamacare–at least not in the way you probably thought. Should there be any provisions for Congress under the Affordable Care Act? You decide, but at least rest easy knowing that no matter what happens at midnight tonight, that things aren’t quite as bad as you thought.

    Image via YouTube

  • FAQ Obamacare Health Plan: What You Need to Know

    FAQ Obamacare Health Plan: What You Need to Know

    Despite Republican attempts to stop the Affordable Care Act, most commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” some of the major changes the new healthcare law brings about are almost here.

    The bill was signed by President Obama in March 2010 and open enrollment begins October 1. While information about the law has been around for a while, there are still a lot of questions about what Obamacare will actually change, as well as some misconceptions. Read below for a few FAQs regarding Obamacare.

    Q: What are some changes that are already in effect as a result of Obamacare?

    A: One big change people with insurance have seen so far is that parents can keep their children on their health insurance plans until they turn 26. Another major change already into effect is that insurance companies aren’t allowed to drop you if you get sick.

    Q: Am I going to lose my current health insurance plan and be forced to purchase a different plan?

    A: No; most people who already have insurance won’t see any changes. People will have the option, however, to shop around for a different health insurance plan.

    Q: Am I required to purchase health insurance, even if I’m young, healthy and don’t need it?

    A: Everyone is required to have health insurance, per the Affordable Care Act. Since it’s impossible to foresee emergency situations that can bring about high hospital bills, everyone must have health insurance. Otherwise, according to HealthCare.gov, “everyone else ends up paying the price.”

    Q: Where do I purchase health insurance under Obamacare?

    A: Through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Fifty-one online health exchanges (one from every state and the District of Columbia) will offer enrollment from different insurance companies. While enrollment doesn’t begin until October 1, people can start reviewing their options now.

    Q: What kind of penalties will I pay under Obamacare if I decide that I don’t want health insurance?

    A: In 2014, the yearly penalty is $95 for an adult, $47.50 per child and up to $285 per family or one percent of family income, whichever is greater. Penalties will rise over the years, with the maximum set for $695 per family or 2.5 percent by 2016.

    Q: How much will Obamacare cost me?

    A: This depends on your age, location, family size and income. While some people will see drops in what they’re currently paying, according to Forbes, it “is estimated to run an average family of four between $650 and $1,000 per year over the next decade.”

    Q: How long is open enrollment for Obamacare?

    A: Open enrollment through the Health Insurance Marketplace is from October 1st, 2013 to March 31st, 2014.

    Image via YouTube

  • Mitch McConnell & Ted Cruz: How Do We Defund Obamacare?

    Mitch McConnell & Ted Cruz: How Do We Defund Obamacare?

    The Washington Examiner reported on Monday that Kentucky Senator and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he would not support Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee in their efforts to filibuster a resolution that would defund Obamacare. Consequently, because House Republicans sponsored the resolution that Cruz and Lee want to filibuster, a distinct possibility exists that the government will shut down by next week.

    The filibuster efforts weren’t helped by Minority Whip John Cornyn, who joined McConnell in siding against Cruz and Lee. The move is politically unusual, mostly because McConnell, Cornyn, Cruz, and Lee all want the same thing: funding for the government, but no funding for Obamacare.

    The Wall Street Journal reported McConnell saying, “I just don’t happen to think filibustering a bill that defunds Obamacare is the best route to defunding Obamacare. All it does is shut down the government and keep Obamacare funded. And none of us want that.”

    McConnell believes that the final vote, scheduled by Harry Reid for today, would be the primary test of Democrats going face-to-face with an unenthusiastic electorate. “If five Senate Democrats vote against the Majority Leader, Obamacare will be defunded. That’s a vote we should want to have,” McConnell said.

    Across the aisle, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid charged Republicans to back down and give up fighting a law that was passed three years ago. Reid went on to suggest that if a government shutdown takes place, Republicans will be to blame. Then, he quoted Confucius: “When an anger rises, think of the consequences… It is time to stop obsessing over old battles.”

    A spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Matt Canter, told the Wall Street Journal that McConnell is fighting an uphill battle against both parties. “Mitch McConnell is terrified of Ted Cruz and the tea party… Regardless of his rhetoric, voters know that McConnell is the reason for gridlock and dysfunction in Washington, and if there is a shutdown, he will shoulder the blame,” Canter said.

    If you’re interested in reading quotes from other politicians about the filibuster, Fox News collected some from the talk show circuit.

    [Image via a YouTube video of McConnell trashing Harry Reid]

  • FDA Sounds-Off On Mobile Medical Apps

    FDA Sounds-Off On Mobile Medical Apps

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week issued guidance on mobile medical apps, a group of increasingly popular mobile applications that take the place of more traditional medical devices. The agency will “exercise enforcement discretion” in its regulation, ignoring the vast majority of medical apps that pose little risk.

    The FDA will, however, heavily regulate a small number of medical apps that it sees as being high-risk for patients. These apps, if they fail to work, could pose health risks to consumers. In particular, the FDA will provide oversight of apps that function as “an accessory to a regulated medical device” or apps that perform the functions of regulated medical devices.

    “Some mobile apps carry minimal risks to consumer or patients, but others can carry significant risks if they do not operate correctly,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the FDA. “The FDA’s tailored policy protects patients while encouraging innovation.”

    As smartphone technology progresses, the capabilities of the devices have enabled hundreds of uses for medical practice. For example, the FDA states that apps now exist to detect abnormal heartbeats, use mobile devices as ultrasound machines, track glucose levels for diabetics, and operate mobile devices as electrocardiography (ECG) machines. The FDA will regulate such apps using the same standards it applies to stand-alone medical devices. The agency stated it has already approved around 100 mobile medical apps for use in the U.S.

    “We have worked hard to strike the right balance, reviewing only the mobile apps that have the potential to harm consumers if they do not function properly,” said Shuren. “Our mobile medical app policy provides app developers with the clarity needed to support the continued development of these important products.”

  • Healthcare Law, Is Everyone Ready For It?

    Healthcare Law, Is Everyone Ready For It?

    It’s rapidly approaching. That time when laws within the United States force a change in the healthcare payment structure. Are we all ready for it? What were the steps that led to this change?

    President Obama shared his reasoning behind promoting an overhaul of the United States healthcare system. In a speech presented to the American Medical Association President Obama explained his decision to continue pressing for reform within the complex system. “The cost of our health care is a threat to our economy. It’s an escalating burden on our families and businesses. It’s a ticking time bomb for the federal budget. And it is unsustainable for the United States of America. If we fail to act, one out of every five dollars we earn will be spent on health care within a decade. So, to say it as plainly as I can, health care is the single most important thing we can do for America’s long-term fiscal health. That is a fact. That’s a fact,” President Obama said.

    Regarding opposition to such a reform, the president claimed that the result for health care programs would eventually, “swamp our federal and state budgets, and impose a vicious choice of either unprecedented tax hikes, or overwhelming deficits, or drastic cuts in our federal and state budgets.”

    The healthcare reform will begin on October 1st of this year where millions of uninsured Americans will have the opportunity to receive governmental subsidies in order to purchase health insurance. Though the possibility of technical glitches occurring is possible, the likely outcome of a complete shutdown is unlikely. According to Paul Van de Water from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “The effects of a government shutdown on the implementation of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) are likely to be pretty small.”

    Government officials are bracing for the activity next month by monitoring the Twitter account, Healthcare.gov and posting frequent updates.

    Not everyone is convinced that his reform will do what is says. Many hope further improvements are on the horizon.

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy Of Elizabeth Cromwell]

  • Healthcare Law: Republicans Threaten to Shut Down Gov if Obamacare Isn’t Defunded

    Healthcare Law: Republicans Threaten to Shut Down Gov if Obamacare Isn’t Defunded

    After the fiscal cliff crisis talks in late 2012 to early 2013, another budget crisis is the last thing anyone wants to hear about as we near the end of 2013. Unfortunately, House representatives are talking of a partial government shutdown (again) that could happen in less than two weeks. This possible shutdown depends on one thing: stopping the new healthcare law, Obamacare.

    House Republicans signed legislation on Friday that pulls funding from the healthcare law in order to keep the government funded from October 1 to December 15. This is yet another attempt by House Republicans to halt Obamacare. The House vote on the legislation was 230-189 in favor of keeping the government afloat as long as the healthcare funding is stripped. While the bill had majority support in the House, it is expected to be shot down in the Senate.

    “In case there’s any shred of doubt in the minds of our House counterparts, I want to be absolutely crystal clear: Any bill that defunds Obamacare is dead, dead. It’s a waste of time,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. However, Republican Senator Mike Lee says otherwise: “We have support in the Senate. All forty-five Republicans in the Senate in March voted to defund Obamacare. We’ll keep those and add a forty-sixth, Jeff Chiesa…I hope that a few Senate Democrats…will consider joining us. This is what the American people asked us to do.”

    President Obama has also said that he will not consider any proposals to amend or remove funding from the healthcare reform law. “We’re hearing that a certain faction of Republicans, in the House of Representatives in particular, are arguing for government shutdown or even a default for the United States of America…if they don’t get 100 percent of what they want,” Obama said.

    After Obama said he wouldn’t negotiate on healthcare law, Speaker John Boehner released a video on Thursday bashing Obama for being unwilling to negotiate with Republicans on the healthcare law while being willing to work with Russians regarding Syria:

    Obama further said that House Republicans aren’t concerned about the people, but are instead obsessed with messing with him. “They’re not focused on you,” Obama said at a Ford plant in Liberty, Missouri. “They’re focused on politics. They’re focused on how to mess with me.”

    A lot of people are critical of Republicans for continuing to pursue pulling funding from Obamacare. Discuss your opinions on the healthcare law issues below.

    Image via YouTube

  • U.S. Falling Behind on Health Outcomes, Shows Study

    U.S. Falling Behind on Health Outcomes, Shows Study

    Though it hosts the best medical research in the world and spends more money on healthcare than any other country, a new study shows that the U.S. is falling behind other countries when it comes to actual health outcomes.

    The study shows that traffic injuries, self-harm, cirrhosis, and drug addiction are rising as causes of premature death, along with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and kidney cancer. Years of life lost due to drug addiction are rising particularly fast, up 448% from 1990 to 2010.

    “The United States has spent a good amount of time and money on finding successful solutions for cardiovascular diseases and even some cancers, but like a lot of countries, it has yet to make that same kind of effort with these leading causes of disability,” said Dr. Alan Lopez, co-author of the study and chair of Global Health and Burden of Disease Measurement at the University of Melbourne in Australia. “That’s a real problem with a population as large as the US has, and there are few good options for dealing with a massive amount of health loss.”

    Though the U.S. has lowered disease burden rates for all childhood diseases and lowered mortality rates for all people since 1990, it is not improving at the same rate as other industrialized countries. Of the study’s 34 peer countries, the U.S.’ death rate ranking has fallen from 18th to 27th in the past two decades, and its life expectancy at birth ranking has fallen from 20th to 27th. It’s healthy life expectancy ranking has fallen from 14th to 26th.

    The top five risk factors in 2010 for U.S. deaths were all attributable to personal health factors: dietary risks, smoking, high blood pressure, high body mass index, and physical inactivity. The study’s authors believe that poor diet choices and little physical activity are the factors holding Americans back from better health outcomes.

    “If the US can make progress with dietary risk factors, physical activity, and obesity, it will see massive reductions in death and disability,” said Dr. Ali Mokdad, head of the U.S. County Health Performance team for Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. “Unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity in the US cause more health loss than smoking, alcohol, or drug use.”

    The study, called “The State of US Health, 1990-2010: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors,” is the first comprehensive analysis of U.S. disease burden in over 15 years. It was published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study covers death and disability estimates for 291 diseases and injuries, and 67 risk factors. Its findings were presented today at a Lets’s Move campaign event hosted by U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.

    (Image courtesy capl@washjeff.edu under Creative Commons License)

  • Obamacare Starts Next Year, Opposed by Over Half of Americans

    Obamacare Starts Next Year, Opposed by Over Half of Americans

    Major segments of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – known colloquially as “Obamacare” – are set to go into effect by January 1, 2014. Programs such as health insurance exchanges; insurer prohibitions against pre-existing medical condition discrimination and annual spending caps; and an expansion of medicaid eligibility are all scheduled to roll out.

    Over half of Americans, however, seem wary of the changes coming to the country’s healthcare system.

    A new poll conducted by CNN and ORC International earlier this month found that 54% of Americans generally oppose Obamacare. 35% of survey respondents opposed the legislation for being “too liberal,” while 16% opposed it for being “not liberal enough.”

    The survey polled 923 adult Americans by telephone. Of those polled, 648 were interviewed through a landline telephone, and 275 were reached through a cell phone. 24% of respondents described themselves as Republicans, 33% described themselves as Democrats, and 43% described themselves as either independent or a member of another party.

    Though Obamacare was signed into law in 2010, conservatives have since used the bill as a rallying point for their stated opposition to larger government programs. The legislation has most famously been opposed by retiring U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, who has filed multiple bills to repeal the act, and once hyperbolically stated that it should be repealed “before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens.”

  • Hip Implants Can Cause Tissue Damage, Says FDA

    Hip Implants Can Cause Tissue Damage, Says FDA

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week issued a warning about certain types of hip implants. Metal-on-metal implants have been found to cause soft tissue damage, leading to pain or the failure of the device.

    The devices, made of cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys, slide against each other when patients walk or run using them. With enough of that sliding, small bits of metal particles can wear off the cup or other parts of the implant where components connect. The particles can then cause damage to soft tissue and bone around the implant and joint.

    In addition to the pain caused by what doctors call an “adverse reaction to metal debris” (ARMD), the process can loosen the implant. In extreme cases this can cause the hip implant to fail, meaning more surgery would be required to replace it.

    The FDA also stated that metal ions can be released into the bloodstream, traveling to other parts of the body where they can cause symptoms or illnesses. However, reactions to the metal wear particles seem to be specific to patients, and the FDA does not have enough data to say just how high the concentration of metal ions is in a patient’s body.

    As a result of the warning, the FDA is recommending that surgeons consider alternative hip implants, such as metal-on-polyethylene, ceramic-on-polyethylene, ceramic-on-ceramic, or ceramic-on-metal, depending on a patient’s age, sex, weight, diagnosis, and activity level. It is also recommended that patients with metal-on-metal hip implants receive yearly or biyearly physical exams and radiographs.

  • Justice Sonia Sotomayor Allows Contraceptive Mandate to Begin Next Week

    Justice Sonia Sotomayor Allows Contraceptive Mandate to Begin Next Week

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an in-chambers opinion denying Hobby Lobby Stores Inc an injunction it had requested to prevent a birth control mandate from beginning on January 1. The mandate is part of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), colloquially known as “Obamacare.”

    Hobby Lobby is arguing that the mandate to provide employees with healthcare coverage that includes preventive care ,such as birth control, conflicts with its first amendment right to freely exercise religion. Many religious Americans believe that birth control, specifically the morning after pill, is in conflict with their beliefs about sex, abortion, and reproduction. The PPACA already has exemptions for churches and other houses of worship, but highly religious business owners are arguing that they should be able to refuse contraceptive coverage for their employees as well.

    Sotomayor has not dismissed Hobby Lobby’s case against the contraceptive mandate, and stated that she was not deciding whether the company’s claims had any merit. Instead, she concluded that the “applicants do not satisfy the demanding standard for the extraordinary relief they seek,” referring to the injunction. This means the mandate will take effect at the beginning of the new year.

    A Hobby Lobby spokesperson has stated that the company will not be providing the morning after pill for its employees. Hobby Lobby and its affiliated companies face fines of $1.3 million per day if they do not comply with the mandate.

  • Multiple Sclerosis Drug ‘Reboots’ the Immune System

    Multiple Sclerosis Drug ‘Reboots’ the Immune System

    New trials show that a cancer drug can be an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) by ‘rebooting’ patients’ immune systems. The results of two phase III clinical trials were published today in the journal The Lancet.

    The trials, sponsored by Genzyme and Bayer Schering Pharma, found that for patients who recently relapsed, using a drug called alemtuzumab saw new episodes reduced by 49% over standard treatment and 65% of them remained relapse free compared to 47% of those on standard MS treatments. In addition, alemtuzumab was found to reduce the risk of acquiring disability by 42% over standard treatments.

    “Our research shows the transformative effect that alemtuzumab can have for people with MS,” said Alastair Coompston, principal investigator on both studies and professor at the University of Cambridge. “Patients who continue to show disease activity while on their initial therapy are especially difficult to treat. Now, we have shown that alemtuzumab works where first-line drugs have already failed. It not only reduces the chances of disability associated with MS but may even result in long-term clinical improvements.”

    The CARE MS II trial looked at 840 MS patients who had previously been treated but relapsed during therapy. They received either alemtuzumab or interferon beta-1a treatments. They had check-ups every three months for two years and yearly brain scans.

    The CARE MS I trial looked at 581 patients who were not previously treated for MS. As in the other trial, the patients received either alemtuzumab or interferon beta-1a treatments and were monitored for two years. It found that alemtuzumab reduced MS relapses 55% over the standard treatment.

    “Although alemtuzumab causes potentially serious side-effects, these can be identified and treated provided a monitoring schedule is carefully followed,” said Dr. Alasdair Coles, lead author of the study based on the trials and a clinician at the University of Cambridge. “Additionally, we think that we can identify which patients are at risk of autoimmune disease after alemtuzumab, and we are currently recruiting for a clinical trial which will explore whether we can use a drug to reduce the risk of autoimmunity in those at highest risk.”

  • Medicare Rule Could Increase Hospitalization, Shows Study

    Medicare Rule Could Increase Hospitalization, Shows Study

    A new study shows that a medicare rule that blocks some nursing home residents from receiving simultaneous reimbursement for hospice and skilled nursing facility (SNF, a medicare-certified nursing home) care may be responsible for those residents receiving “more aggressive” treatment or hospitalization.

    “This study is the first, to the knowledge of the authors, to attempt to understand how treatments and outcomes vary for nursing home residents with advanced dementia who use Medicare SNF care near the end of life and who do or do not enroll in Medicare hospice,” said researchers, whose study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

    According to the study, around half of all nursing home residents with advanced dementia who are also dying have Medicare SNF care in the last 90 days of their life. However, those residents are not allowed under Medicare to receive hospice reimbursement for the same terminal illness. As a result, only 30% of residents with advanced dementia who have SNF care use hospice, compared to 46% of residents without SNF.

    Researchers also found that residents who receive hospice care were far less likely to die in a hospital. Residents who received SNF and hospice at the same time were 87% less likely to die in a hospital, while residents who received hospice care after SNF were 98% less likely to die in a hospital.

    “Unfortunately, given the high use of Medicare skilled care near the end of life and policy that prevents simultaneous Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing and hospice care, aggressive treatments that may not be the preference of families or their loved ones are common,” said Susan Miller, lead author of the study and professor of health services policy and practice at Brown University. “What I’ve heard from physicians is that families may be advised about hospice, but when the family learns that by choosing hospice and thus giving up SNF they’d have to pay for the entire nursing home stay, they will choose SNF over hospice. One physician told me a story about a significant other who wanted hospice for their family member. It was cheaper for that person just to quit their job, stay home and care for the person and get hospice rather than to pay for nursing home care because the nursing home cost more than they were making.”

    The study looked at the Medicare records of 4,344 SNF residents who had advanced dementia and died in 2006. Of those residents, only 1,086 received hospice care.

    The Medicare Hospice Concurrent Care demonstration project mandated by the Affordable Care Act (colloquially known as “Obamacare”) will be investigating the issues raised by the study.

  • Cholesterol Levels Dropping Among Americans, Study Says

    Cholesterol Levels Dropping Among Americans, Study Says

    While Americans continue to grow obese, a new analysis of U.S. health data shows that between 1988 and 2010, average cholesterol levels for U.S. adults have been declining.

    The study, published this week in The Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and total cholesterol (TC) have declined over the past two decades. According to the study, all of these types of cholesterol are risk factors for heart disease.

    They also found that from 1988 to 2010, there was an increasing trend in the percentage of adults who were taking lipid-lowering medications. Among Americans age 50 or older the percentage using lipid-lowering medications increased 35%.

    However, the lower colesterol seen in the study was “similar” in those not taking lipid-lowering medications and a decline was even seen among the obese.

    “The favorable trends in TC, non-HDL-C, and LDL-C may be due in part to a decrease in consumption of trans-fatty acids or other healthy lifestyle changes, in addition to an increase in the percentage of adults taking lipid-lowering medications,” said the study’s authors. “They are unlikely to be the result of changes in physical activity, obesity, or intake of saturated fat,”

    The researchers noted that the intake of saturated fat as a percentage of calories did not decrease from 1999 to 2008 and “little progress was made” regarding the leisure-time physical activity level of adults.

    The study looked at three U.S. cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys: one from 1988 to 1994, one from 1999 to 2002, and one from 2007 to 2010. From 1988 to 2010, average levels of TC dropped from 206 mg/dL to 196 mg/dL. These results were the same for age-adjusted average levels in both men and women.

  • Medicare Open Enrollment Now Available

    Medicare Open Enrollment Now Available

    Open enrollment for Medicare officially began this week, allowing those eligible to choose their medicare health and drug plan. The open enrollment period lasts until December 7, so there’s no rush for seniors to choose a prescription drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan that’s tailored to their needs.

    Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), this week provided some tips to help people choose which plan is best for them. Tavenner posted her tips to The Medicare Blog, saying:

    In my work with Medicare, one of the questions people ask me often is which plan is the best one. That’s not something I can answer, because picking a plan is an important and personal decision. Each person has a unique set of priorities. How do you weigh your options? Now’s the time to think about what matters to you, and pick the Medicare plan that meets your needs.

    Travenner highlighted four specific things people should keep in mind while shopping for a Medicare plan: costs, coverage, convenience, and quality of care. The cost of coverage can be balanced by a person’s financial situation and treatment needs, while the “convenience” aspect can touch on everything from pharmacy locations and mail-order prescriptions to personal mobility. Travenner suggests that people try and predict what services they are likely to need in the coming year, and choose a plan accordingly.

    As for quality of care, Travenner states that 5-star performance rating plans could help speed recovery or improve outcomes for those who pay for them. The Medicare Plan Finder can be used to compare plans and enroll.

    In other Medicare news, the U.S. Justice Department and Health and Human Services recently announced a huge Medicare fraud crackdown that nabbed 91 doctors, nurses, and others.

  • Immunizations at Walmart to Expand Nationwide

    Immunizations at Walmart to Expand Nationwide

    Walmart this week announced it will expand its immunization offerings to more than 2,700 Walmart stores across the U.S. It will work with Mollen Immunization Clinics to offer ten of the immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at events from August 27 through November 15.

    “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many adults are not up-to-date with recommended life-saving immunizations. Vaccinations may not be top-of-mind while the weather is still warm, but they are a critical part of public health, especially in light of recent outbreaks of whooping cough and shingles,” said John Agwunobi, a doctor and president of Walmart U.S. health and wellness. “We are making it easy and affordable for our customers to receive their vaccinations – while on their normal shopping trips they can simply stop by immunization events, which will accept thousands of insurance plans and offer low price options for our cash paying customers.”

    Just this week the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported the death of a Forsyth County two-month-old to whooping cough. Immunization relies on herd immunity to protect those who are not immune to a particular disease, or cannot yet be immunized. Herd immunity requires that a large portion of the population be immunized.

    The immunizations at Walmart will be available to anyone three years or older. The vaccines available include ones for pneumonia, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Chickenpox, HPV, MMR, meningitis, shingles, tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough, though specific offerings may vary by store. This year’s flu shots will also be available for $25.

  • HIV Tests to Become More Routine

    HIV Tests to Become More Routine

    A recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is expected to suggest that HIV screenings become routine. The USPSTF is an independent panel of physicians who are experts in preventive medicine. The task force uses evidence-based medicine to make recommendations about preventive services to primary care physicians. A Reuters report cites anonymous health officials close to the panel as saying the suggestion could change the current procedure, which allows doctors to decide whether to screen a patient for HIV. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as “Obamacare,” insurance companies are required to cover services recommended by the USPSTF.

    While the CDC already advocates HIV testing for nearly all Americans, the USPSTF has stayed cautious on the issue, unsure of whether more testing should become a primary care method. The Reuters report quotes the USPSTF co-chair Dr. Michael LeFevre as stating new evidence has come to light in the last seven years. More specifically, there is now evidence that treating people infected with HIV can help prevent the spread of the Virus.

    Though nowhere near as widespread as in some places, such as Haiti or parts of Africa, HIV still poses a significant health risk to Americans. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1.2 million Americans have HIV, and one-fifth of those people (20%) don’t know they have it. The CDC estimates that 47,129 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in 2010.

    As methods for testing patients for HIV improve and become less expensive, more widespread testing is likely. The FDA just last month approved an over-the-counter HIV test. Dubbed the OraQuick, the test uses an oral swab and takes 30 to 40 minutes to produce results. The test could retail for as little as $60.