Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Blogs
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Will health reform crack down on insurance companies?
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I asked Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, for her take on that question.
Sebelius told me that right now it’s impossible for consumers to find out where their premium dollars are going. In many states, not even state regulators have any say over health-insurance rate increases (which she well knows as a former state insurance regulator herself). Recent hefty rate increases by several high-profile insurers, such as Anthem Blue Cross in California, "so far exceed cost trends we have a right to know what’s going on," she said.After health reform, policies sold in the new exchanges will ...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: ConsumerReports.orgConsumer Reports Health Blog Tags: Health reform Insurance Source Type: blogs
Conservatives and AfghanistanEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Malou InnocentTomorrow, the Cato Institute will be holding a half-day conference titled, “Escalate or Withdraw? Conservatives and the War in Afghanistan.”
One of the many speakers at tomorrow’s conference will be Rep. John Duncan (R-TN). On the House floor this week, he explained why “there is nothing conservative about the war in Afghanistan.”
Watch:
In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a conservative, and neither are many of my Cato colleagues. This event is intended to highlight that leaving Afghanistan is far beyond Left vs. Right, and that anti-war sentiment is not “owned by peaceniks and pacif...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Malou Innocent Tags: Foreign Policy and National Security General Afghanistan anti war sentiment cato institute conservatives john duncan liberty peace Politico war in afghanistan Source Type: blogs
WellPoint Spells Out 2010 Outlook, Using a Lot of CaveatsEmail this article to a colleague.
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Remember that investors meeting that WellPoint had planned in Indianapolis last month? The one that was canceled when CEO Angela Braly was summoned before a congressional committee to explain her companys requested 39% rate hike in California?
Well, it resurfaced in the form of a 15-minute conference call this morning. Heres what happened:
CFO Wayne DeVeydt forecast headwinds and told analysts that WellPoint expects to earn at least $6 a share this year. That would be a total of $2.6 billion, down 11% from last years $2.9 billion.
The caveat, which he mentioned a couple times, is that numbers are subject to our ab...
Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: James A. White Tags: Congress Health costs Insurance Health-Care Overhaul Source Type: blogs
House Procedure–and Transparency in CollapseEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Jim HarperOver on the WashingtonWatch.com blog, I’ve laid out in the simplest terms I could what’s going on in terms of procedure with health care overhaul legislation. The post, called “What is Deeming, Anyway?“, comes in at a mere 900 words… If you’re a real public policy junkie, you might like it.
But what about the transparency oriented processes that President Obama and leaders like Speaker Pelosi promised the public? Recall that the Speaker promised to post the health care bill online for 72 hours before a vote back in September.
There was debate about whether she stuck to her p...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Jim Harper Tags: Health, Welfare & Entitlements Telecom, Internet & Information Policy deeming government transparency health care overhaul health care reform sunlight before signing Source Type: blogs
Test Gallery PostEmail this article to a colleague.
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Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Terry Smith Tags: LIVE Source Type: blogs
A Simple Lesson for the Health IT IndustryEmail this article to a colleague.
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From an Op Ed "Living with the Electronic Car" in today's Wall Street Journal:"A Toyota executive recently explained to a Congressional committee investigating claims of uncontrolled acceleration: "We need to reduce the number of things we ask our customers to do correctly." In fact, the exec was describing the essence of responsible engineering - though perhaps the balance in auto design has gotten out of whack."Considering the feedback from physicians on the needless complexity of electronic medical records and other computerized medical devices for example at "An Honest Physician Survey on EHR's", it seems the healthcar...
Source: Health Care Renewal - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: i Joint Commission healthcare IT regulation healthcare IT safety Source Type: blogs
Gardens, More Good Than EvilEmail this article to a colleague.
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If gardening only required planting a few seeds and periodic watering – and then yielded a huge harvest of heirloom tomatoes – I’d believe in the purported health benefits of flexing one’s green thumb. Higher self-esteem! Lower blood pressure! Soul-satisfying gazpacho! But the idea of weeding, mowing, and watering (repeat, repeat, repeat) makes me want to throw in the trowel.
To the rescue, a crop of brand new gardening products designed to make you reap the most from what you sow.
Husqvarna mower
Husqvarna’s hands-free Automower allows you to sip a gin rickey and watch as the battery-powered gizmo clips your law...
Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Alexa Yablonski Tags: LIVE birdhouses garden gloves garden tools Liberty of London target Source Type: blogs
Will Kucinich’s Vote Help ObamaCare?Email this article to a colleague.
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By Michael F. CannonWhether Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s (D-OH) “aye” vote will help pass ObamaCare depends on whether he asked for something in return.
Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake reports, “Kucinich told Obama that he wants a full ERISA waver [sic] and a public option in exchange for his vote.” If he gets either of those things in the reconciliation “fixer” bill, then that will trigger a backlash. His “support” could undermine the whole process.
It really depends on what kind of a negotiator Kucinich is. If he’s a good negotiator, it hurts ObamaCare. If he’s a lousy negotiator, it helps. (Source: Cato-at-liberty)
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Michael F. Cannon Tags: General Health, Welfare & Entitlements dennis kucinich firedoglake jane hamsher obama Obamacare public option reconciliation vote Source Type: blogs
The secrets of a long-lasting sex lifeEmail this article to a colleague.
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No, this article isn’t about blue pills and unlikely-looking devices. More prosaically, it seems that good health and marriage (or living with your partner) are the most important things when it comes to staying sexually active into your 70s and 80s. That’s according to new research that surveyed more than 6,000 American adults.
The research tells me that I, as a man in my early 30s, can expect my sex life to last another 34.7 years. A typical woman of 30 has 30.7 sexually active years ahead of her.
While the majority of people questioned said they were having sex into their late 50s and early 60s, a substantial mino...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: ConsumerReports.orgConsumer Reports Health Blog Tags: Conditions & treatments Healthy after 60 Healthy living Women Source Type: blogs
AP: Obama Misleads Voters about ObamaCare’s Effects on PremiumsEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Michael F. CannonThe Associated Press reports:
Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print…
The [Congressional Budget Office] concluded that premiums for people buying their own coverage would go up by an average of 10 percent to 13 percent, compared with the levels they’d reach without the legislation…
“People are likely to not buy the same low-value policies they are buying now,” said health economist Len Nichols of George Mason University. “If they did buy the same value plans … the premiu...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Michael F. Cannon Tags: Cato Publications General Health, Welfare & Entitlements Barack Obama benefits budget Congress congressional budget office consumer Coverage economic policies economist expenditures government health care overhaul health econ Source Type: blogs
The Census Asks Too MuchEmail this article to a colleague.
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By David BoazEveryone in America, I presume, has just received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau urging us to fill out our Census forms. Seems like a very expensive way to tell us to watch for the form to arrive in the mail. But I’m particularly interested in why they say we should promptly fill out the form:
Your response is important. Results from the 2010 Census will be used to help each community get its fair share of [federal] government funds for highways, schools, health facilities, and many other programs you and your neighbors need. Without a complete, accurate census, your community may not receive its f...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: David Boaz Tags: Government and Politics census census bureau Congress Constitution federal government highways homeowners House of Representatives liberty mortgage race school taxpayer taxpayers Source Type: blogs
Blisstree Video of the Day: St. Paddy's Day Porno?Email this article to a colleague.
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In honor of shamrocks, shillelaghs, Guinness, and all things green, we give you actress Isabella Rossellini’s “Green Porno”. You can drop your jaw to three full seasons of this insanity for free at the Sundance Channel website.
Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Blisstree Staff Tags: LIVE crazy green porno guinness Isabella Rossellini Robert Redford shamrocks shillelaghs St. Patrick's Day sundance channel Source Type: blogs
Q&A: Do medications lower your levels of vitamin D?Email this article to a colleague.
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Do any medications lower your levels of vitamin D? —W.H.F., Rockville, Md.
Yes. Some drugs deplete vitamin D by interacting with it, and others hinder its absorption. Those include certain corticosteroids such as prednisone (Sterapred DS and generic); the weight-loss medication orlistat (Alli and Xenical); the cholesterol-lowering drug cholestyramine (Questran and generic); and the antiseizure drug phenytoin (Dilantin and generic). Mineral oil, sometimes used as a natural laxative, can also deplete D levels. If you take any of those, try to time them several hours before or after you get your main sources of vitamin D,...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: ConsumerReports.orgConsumer Reports Health Blog Tags: Drug safety Natural health Prescription drugs Source Type: blogs
You Know You're Unwell If...Email this article to a colleague.
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…TLC picked you to appear on tonight’s premiere of its new docu-series “Addicted“. (10 p.m. ET)
Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Blisstree Staff Tags: LIVE addicted alcohol alcohol addiction drug-addiction drugs The Learning Channel tlc Source Type: blogs
Blisstree Quote of the DayEmail this article to a colleague.
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photo: Thinkstock
It’s not that easy bein’ green.
– Kermit the Frog
Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Blisstree Staff Tags: LIVE blisstree quote of the day green jim-henson kermit-the-frog Muppets the-muppets Source Type: blogs
Putting a Dollar Figure on a Doctor’s Worth to a HospitalEmail this article to a colleague.
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What’s a doctor worth to a hospital in terms of annual revenue? And what specialties average the most and the least in hospital revenue generation?
The answer to the first question averages about $1.54 million a year, based on 114 U.S. hospital responding to a survey by physician recruiters Merritt Hawkins. That’s up slightly from the $1.5 million a year per doc that hospitals averaged in revenue in 2007, the last time the recruiting outfit took the survey. (Revenue here means net inpatient and outpatient dollars derived from referrals, tests and procedures done in the hospital.)
Merritt Hawkins also asked abo...
Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: James A. White Tags: Drugs Source Type: blogs
Illinois Legislature to Consider Bill to Ban Electronic CigarettesEmail this article to a colleague.
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An Illinois state Senator has introduced legislation that would ban the sale of electronic cigarettes in Illinois. Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is sponsoring Senate Bill 3174, which makes it illegal to sell or distribute electronic cigarettes in Illinois.According to Senator Hunter: "Electronic cigarettes have not been approved by the FDA and we don’t know what is in them or if they are safe. Until these types of products are deemed certified or legal to sell by the FDA, they should be banned throughout Illinois."The Rest of the StoryActually, electronic cigarettes have been extensively studied in the laboratory and...
Source: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs
The Spark: Fear and Begorrah!Email this article to a colleague.
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Watch out for Leprechauns! (Andwhatever you do, don't cross them!)(Photo by Joe Cashin )
Today is St. Patrick's Day, a time for drinking Irish beer (or green beer -- or any beer really: the important thing is that you're drinking), wearing green, watching parades, and celebrating your Irish heritage (whether real or invented). I like to celebrate my own Irish heritage by watching the greatest Irish movie of all time. No, I'm not talking about "The Quiet Man" or "My Left Foot." I refer, rather, to "Leprechaun," that monument to B-movie horror/comedies (emphasis on the comedy) that just might be the greatest of its kind.The...
Source: The Spark of Yahoo! - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs
The Big DigEmail this article to a colleague.
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(Source: drugwonks.com > Blog)
Source: drugwonks.com > Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs
The Top Ten Immediate Benefits Americans Will Receive When Health Care Reform PassesEmail this article to a colleague.
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Today, the Democratic Caucus of the House listed the
provisions of the health reform bill that will take effect “as soon as
health care passes,”
The legislation would:
Prohibit pre-existing condition
exclusions for children
in all new plans;
Provide immediate access to
insurance for uninsured Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing
condition through a temporary high-risk pool;
Prohibit dropping people from
coverage when they get sick
in all individual plans;
Lower seniors prescription drug
prices by beginning to close the
donut hole;
Offer tax credits to small
businesses to purc...
Source: Health Beat - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Maggie Mahar Source Type: blogs
3 Things We Think Are CoolEmail this article to a colleague.
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photo: Thinkstock
From Blisstree to you, three things we like, in no particular order:
1. Crowdrise: A philanthropic social-networking site for hipsters? You had us at “philanthropic”.
2. Natural Wines: Different than organic wines. Cloudy, funky, unfiltered, sulfite-free, and weirdly delicious.
3. Milk Paint: Beautiful, old-timey, and environmentally friendly. What’s not to love?
Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Blisstree Staff Tags: LIVE biodynamic wines Crowdrise hipsters house paint milk paint natural wines organic wines Philanthropy Uva Wines Brooklyn Source Type: blogs
Health 2.0 Europe speaker : Ségolène Aymé, OrphaNetEmail this article to a colleague.
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Video interview of Ségolène Aymé, founder of OrphaNet, who has by the way, added Google Translate to its already multilingual pages. Ségolène will be speaking at Health 2.0 Europe April 6 2010, Paris. Can't imbed this channel ;-( but you can click here to see the interview on YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/user/eurordis#p/a/u/0/p-bB30q_Yzk (Source: Denise Silber's eHealth)
Source: Denise Silber's eHealth - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Denise Silber Tags: eHealth Health 2.0 Quality of healthcare Source Type: blogs
Game Show General PracticeEmail this article to a colleague.
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Dan Brett asks: are you playing the QoF game? (Source: OnMedica Blogs)
Source: OnMedica Blogs - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs
The Era of Big Pharma Fraud Cases May Be EndingEmail this article to a colleague.
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A recent interview with former US Attorney Michael K. Loucks noted that although “The Era of Big Pharma Fraud Cases Is Ending,” it “May Go Out With A Bang.” During The RPM Report interview, Mr. Loucks said that the pace of whistleblower cases and investigations against Big Pharma companies are winding down. We previously wrote about a book that discussed such cases, Three Felonies a Day.
Although recent headlines suggest that many cases are still pending and may dominate headlines for months or even years to come, the change is happening for one reason: “Big Pharma is finally coming into compliance.” He ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
Senate Aging Committee Hearing: Rising Drug PricesEmail this article to a colleague.
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Today (Wednesday March 17, 2010), at 2:30 p.m., the Senate Special Committee on Aging will be holding a hearing in the Senate Dirksen Building, room 562. The title of the hearing is: "Seniors Feeling the Squeeze: Rising Drug Prices and the Part D Program." Committee Member Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) will be chairing the hearing.
To view the hearing on line click here to see the webcast.
The hearing stems from six letters that were sent to the following pharmaceutical companies (click each to read the letter): AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis. The le...
Source: Policy and Medicine - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
Health Care Reform: Will the House Pass the Senate BillEmail this article to a colleague.
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A recent memo from Ranking Republican of the House Rules Committee David Dreier (R-San Dimas, CA) asserted how “the Democratic Majority has a problem with their efforts to pass healthcare legislation, and it’s political: they simply do not have enough Members in the House willing to vote for the Senate-passed healthcare bill.” As a result of this predicament, the so called “Slaughter Solution” was offered as a way for Democrats to move the Senate-passed healthcare bill and a reconciliation “fix-it” package by “seriously bending the rules.”
Consequently, the Democratic Majority’s strategy is to ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
Methamphetamine Harms Fetal BrainsEmail this article to a colleague.
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No surprise here. Methamphetamine use during pregnancy harms fetal brains. Washington, DC Children whose mothers abused methamphetamine (meth) during pregnancy show brain abnormalities that may be more severe than that of children exposed to alcohol prenatally, according to a study in the March 17 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. While researchers have long known that drug abuse during pregnancy can alter fetal brain development, this finding shows the potential impact of meth. Identifying vulnerable brain structures may help predict particular learning and behavioral problems in meth-exposed children. "We know tha...
Source: FuturePundit - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Tags: Brain Development Source Type: blogs
Andy Wiesenthal, Kaiser PermanenteEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Matthew Holt Those of you with really long memories may remember that Kaiser had a little kerfuffle with a guy named Justen Deal. As part of that incident, I did a rather unorthodox interview with Andy Wiesenthal from The... (Source: The Health Care Blog)
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Matthew Tags: Consumers Electronic Medical Records Health Plans Matthew Holt Technology Source Type: blogs
George Clooney Was Onto SomethingEmail this article to a colleague.
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By JESSIE GRUMAN In the Oscar-nominated movie “Up in the Air,” Ryan Bingham (aka George Clooney), travels around the country firing employees for company bosses who don’t have the stomach to do it themselves -– the ones who prefer to... (Source: The Health Care Blog)
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Matthew Source Type: blogs
Price controls do not workEmail this article to a colleague.
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By PAUL LEVY If there is anything about economics that has been proven over and over, it is that price controls do not work. The unintended consequences are usually worse than the problem that led to the solution in the... (Source: The Health Care Blog)
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 17, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Matthew Source Type: blogs
Blisstree's Random Poll of the DayEmail this article to a colleague.
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photo: Thinkstock
Today we’ve been thinking a lot about crystal balls, tarot cards, and fortune-tellers predicting the future. And we wonder what you think about the concept of clairvoyance. Take our poll below. (Of course, if we were psychic, we’d already know your answer.)
#MicroPollDiv_240950 { width: 250px; margin: 0px auto; }
Post from: BlissTree (Source: Healthbolt)
Source: Healthbolt - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Blisstree Staff Tags: FEEL clairvoyance clairvoyant crystal ball fortune tellers magic 8 ball psychics tarot cards Source Type: blogs
Funemployed, Or Alone and Miserable?Email this article to a colleague.
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These days, getting laid off almost feels like a collective condition. NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday” reports a new “recession slang” born within the past 12 months; and panels like “Funemployment: Success Stories From the Laid-Off Community” at this year’s SXSW conference and festival make the topic feel like just another band on the music scene. Jobless? You’re practically a rock star! But, much like life on the road, this reality has its downsides.
In a recent New York Times “Well” blog post, Tara Parker-Pope faces this dilemma head on: “The Isolati...
Source: Healthbolt - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Briana Rognlin Tags: FEEL Al Martinez alone funemployment isolated isolation laid off layoffs lonely NPR NPR's Weekend Edition recession SXSW Tara Parker-Pope The Los Angeles Times The-New-York-Times Source Type: blogs
Nissen Picks Out the Wrong Red Dress in Criticism of Industry TiesEmail this article to a colleague.
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The Cleveland Clinic’s Steven Nissen took aim at tight ties between professional medical groups and Big Pharma today and came away with a bit of a red face over a red dress.
Here’s the tale: During a session at the American College of Cardiology, Cardiologist Nissen charged that the American Heart Association issued a tepid statement on a study linking a prediabetes condition called metabolic syndrome with consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as those from Coca-Cola. The reason, he said, was Coke’s participation in the heart group’s red-dress campaign (see the logo above), intended to raise...
Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Ron Winslow Tags: Drugs Ethics Public Health Source Type: blogs
Health Bill: From Reconciliation to DeemingEmail this article to a colleague.
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This post by WSJ’s Naftali Bendavid also appears on the Washington Wire blog.
Were not doing anything wrong. And besides, the Republicans did it more.
That was much of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyers message today as he struck back at critics of the legislative tactics Democrats are using to push through their health overhaul bill. Dismissing the criticism as an inside-the-Beltway fixation, Hoyer said the American public cares about whats in a bill, not the process by which it passes.
So what? says the American public, Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, told reporters. What theyre interested in is what...
Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: James A. White Tags: Congress Drugs Health costs Health-Care Overhaul Source Type: blogs
Questions for Thoughtful ObamaCare Supporters, Part IIIEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Michael F. CannonI’ve already posted two series of such queries. But every day brings new questions to mind. So here are a few more:
What does it say that pharmaceutical-industry lobbyists are meeting with House Democrats to write this legislation behind closed doors? Or that the pharmaceutical industry is preparing to spend millions of dollars on advertisements in support of the legislation?
Does it trouble you that a former federal judge writes, “Under Article I, Section 7, passage of one bill cannot be deemed to be enactment of another“?
Does it trouble you that Speaker Pelosi says of the pro...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Michael F. Cannon Tags: General Health, Welfare & Entitlements health plan house democrats legislation pharmaceutical industry senate bill Source Type: blogs
The Bill Is Deemed PassedEmail this article to a colleague.
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By David BoazToday’s question at Politico Arena is:
Should Democrats be worried that health care could be subject to a successful court challenge?
My response is:
I’m the first in my family not to be a lawyer. But Mike McConnell’s article seems compelling to me. As he notes, Article I, Section 7, of the Constitution requires that a bill must pass both houses of Congress to become a law. Duh. And for those who have trouble with that concept, he goes on: “As the Supreme Court wrote in Clinton v. City of New York (1998), a bill containing the ‘exact text’ must be approved by one house; the ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: David Boaz Tags: Government and Politics Health, Welfare & Entitlements Law and Civil Liberties Constitution deem and pass health care bill slaughter rule Source Type: blogs
Massachusetts Treasurer Blasts RomneyCare and, Equivalently, ObamaCareEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Michael F. CannonMassachusetts state treasurer and recent Democrat Timothy Cahill has harsh words for the health plan foisted on his state and the identical plan that President Obama is trying to foist on the nation. From The Boston Globe:
“If President Obama and the Democrats repeat the mistake of the health insurance reform here in Massachusetts on a national level, they will threaten to wipe out the American economy within four years,” Cahill said in a press conference in his office.
Echoing criticism leveled by congressional Republicans in recent weeks, Cahill said, “It is time for the president, the Dem...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Michael F. Cannon Tags: Cato Publications Health, Welfare & Entitlements competition health care reform health insurance health plan hospitals mandate Massachusetts state Source Type: blogs
How to Prevent a Fort Hood ShootingEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Jim HarperI wrote some posts a few months ago (1, 2, 3) about the difficulty of discovering and preventing essentially random events like the Fort Hood shooting. I was pleased by the compliment security guru Bruce Schneier paid them in his recent post, “Small Planes and Lone Terrorist Nutcases.” (Such happy subject matter we get to write about!)
Now comes Radley Balko with a great column illustrating what you get when authorities try to “get ahead” of this problem. “Pre-Crime Policing” tells the story of a gun buyer who had been tagged with the adjective “disgruntled.” ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Jim Harper Tags: Law and Civil Liberties Telecom, Internet & Information Policy bruce schneier fort hood gun rights radley balko Security terrorism Source Type: blogs
Discourse AnalysisEmail this article to a colleague.
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I contribute to the long-running blog Iraq Today, which used to be Today in Iraq. (We had to move due to a very weird episode involving a psychopath who accidentally was given administrative privileges. It kind of reminded me of an episode in my youth when, due to a psycho housemate, we all had to secretly organize to move out simultaneously on a Tuesday while Bob was at work.) Anyway, as you may know if you've been frequenting the blogosphere for the past few years, there's no troll like a pro-war troll. They're kind of like soccer hooligans, and during the Emperor Chimpoleon the First administration, when they were all g...
Source: Stayin' Alive - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs
A Culture of Fear and Intimidation: Reforming Medical EducationEmail this article to a colleague.
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Even as we set out to reform U.S. health care, we continue to train medical students as if they were going to work in the old, broken system. Today, everything about medical education needs to be re-thought, from how we select students for admission to med schools to what we teach them about how to provide safe, patient-centered care.A shocking new report from the Lucien Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation reveals how today’s medical schools fail their students as it lifts the curtain on a culture of “abuse, shame and blame” that undermines professional morale, inhibits teamwork--...
Source: Health Beat - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Maggie Mahar Source Type: blogs
Tuesday LinksEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Chris Moody
Gene Healy on the “Al-Qaeda Seven”: Republicans who assail President Obama for his allegedly “soft-on-terror policies” are running a campaign that is based on phony charges, and is a dangerous distraction from the fight for limited government.
Doug Bandow on the costs of war.
This week, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn) discussed imposing massive new regulations on the financial sector. Mark Calabria explains the potential impact.
If the House enacts the Senate health care bill without voting on it, are we under obligation to obey it? The answer may be no.
Podcast: “Reagan and th...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Chris Moody Tags: Cato Publications General Source Type: blogs
Can Health Care Investments Stimulate the Economy?Email this article to a colleague.
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Conclusion
While macroeconomic evidence suggests that the Great Recession has ended or is close to ending, reemployment statistics remain bleak, and states could be facing even deeper budget problems than last year. Thus, discussions about economic stimulus and job creation remain high on the congressional agenda.
There is substantial, if not complete, evidence that federal investments in health care can stimulate economic growth, and that recent efforts funded under ARRA were well targeted to areas in greater distress. From a financial perspective, the federal investments help preserve or increase business activity and j...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Leighton Ku Tags: All Categories Health Reform Medicaid Policy Politics Spending States Source Type: blogs
The President Comments on Sunshine WeekEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Jim HarperIt is “Sunshine Week,” a time for attending to government transparency issues. And the president issued a statement today commemorating the occassion. Norm Eisen, the president’s special counsel for ethics and government reform, put a more detailed “Happy Sunshine Week” post on the Whitehouse.gov blog today as well.
The administration has done some good things, and there is no doubt that it means to do well. My pet transparency issue is one on which the news is not so good, however: the “Sunlight Before Signing” promise to post bills received from Congress for five day...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Jim Harper Tags: Government and Politics Telecom, Internet & Information Policy Corporation for Travel Promotion Norm Eisen sunlight before signing sunshine week transparency Source Type: blogs
Lots of Bark, Little Bite in State Efforts to Block Health ReformEmail this article to a colleague.
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Last week, Virginia became the first state in the nation to pass a law that aims to block the individual mandate for health coverage, a key element of President Obama’s health reform plan. Virginia has a history of defying federal action—most notoriously when the state failed to follow school desegregation orders in the 1950’s. But this time the state is not alone in launching legislation to challenge key elements of federal health reform. On March 9, Utah and Idaho both passed bills through their state assemblies that would invalidate the individual mandate that people buy health insurance. Similar “health ...
Source: Health Beat - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Naomi Freundlich Source Type: blogs
A drink a day to keep excess weight away?Email this article to a colleague.
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While a daily drink is said to help the heart, it’s also thought to pack on the pounds. After all, a glass of wine has about 120 calories, a beer about 150, and a frozen margarita can reach 340. But a study in the March 8th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine seems to suggest that moderate drinking actually helps prevent weight gain. So does that mean a glass of wine a day can help you lose weight? Not so fast.That study looked at just over 19,000 healthy women who drank moderately, (no more than 1 glass a day). The women gained less weight over 13 years than women who drank nothing at all, because they tended to ...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: ConsumerReports.orgConsumer Reports Health Blog Tags: Exercise & fitness Healthy living Heart Women Source Type: blogs
Compost, DomesticatedEmail this article to a colleague.
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Blisstree is all for composting: It’s a great way to reduce waste, nurture your garden, and school the kids. (Ever met a five-year-old who didn’t like worms?) But when it comes to storing rotten food in or near the house, we prefer to keep things under good-looking, odor-free wraps. So whether you’re transferring your slop to a garden or just being ecologically mindful indoors, here are five comely compost containers that we would allow to live in our kitchens.
Ceramic Compost Pail from Williams Sonoma
This low-profile bucket is small (one gallon) and keeps compost from smelling funky with replaceable ch...
Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Briana Rognlin Tags: LIVE all seasons indoor composter kit Bamboo Compost Pail bokashi bokashi composting Ceramic Compost Pail compost bin compost bucket compost canister compost kit honeypot compost crock indoor composting Nature Mill Pro XE Compost B Source Type: blogs
Acupuncture for Kids? Sort Of.Email this article to a colleague.
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photo: Thinkstock
Sticking kids with needles usually doesn’t go over too well. And traditional acupuncture for adults involves tiny, skin-puncturing needles. (They don’t go deep.) However, Shonishin (show-NEE-shin) is an ancient Japanese therapy that’s completely non-invasive. Without a single needle, Shonishin allegedly strengthens the developing organ systems of newborns to ten-year-olds. Pediatric specialists in Asia have been using Shonishin on children for hundreds of years, but its practice emigrated to U.S. within the last two decades.
Using small metal tools, a practitioner painlessly and gently t...
Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Sarah Peregoy Tags: LIVE A.D.D. acupuncture ADHD health-insurance Japan Mindful Mama needles oriental medicine shonishin Source Type: blogs
Kathleen Sebelius on health reform and your job-based coverageEmail this article to a colleague.
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Most Americans under 65—61 percent, to be exact—get their health coverage through someone’s job. So it’s no surprise our readers had questions for Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, about what happens to employment-based coverage under health reform.
Will my good employer-based coverage get worse?One reader worries that the good coverage she gets through her employer would somehow become more expensive or less comprehensive because of the cost of providing health insurance to Americans who don’t have it now. In fact, Sebelius told us, insured Americans are already pay...
Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: ConsumerReports.orgConsumer Reports Health Blog Tags: Health reform Insurance Source Type: blogs
Wyden-Gregg Tax PlanEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Chris EdwardsSenators Ron Wyden and Judd Gregg recently introduced the “Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act.” There is alot of interest in this plan, so I’ve put together some “pros” and “cons” from my small-government, flat-tax perspective.
INDIVIDUAL TAX CHANGES – PRO
Scraps the alternative minimum tax.
Cuts the number of rates from six to three.
Reduces the tax subsidy for municipal bonds.
Creates Lifetime Savings Accounts (LSAs)–like Roths IRAs except better because all withdrawals are tax-free. This is a very important reform, and by the way, one th...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Chris Edwards Tags: Tax and Budget Policy national academy of sciences paul ryan taxes Wyden-Gregg Source Type: blogs
Higher Education SubsidiesEmail this article to a colleague.
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By Tad DeHavenA battle over higher education loans is coming to a head as Democrats consider including the ill-titled Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act in reconciliation legislation. In one corner, we have private education loan lenders who enjoy the generous subsidies and loan guarantees provided by Uncle Sam. In the other, we have policymakers who want to cut out the middleman by having the Department of Education provide direct loans.
Critics of SAFRA correctly point out that the alleged savings of nationalizing student loan subsidies are a sham. The Congressional Budget Office has scored the nationalizing porti...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2010 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Tad DeHaven Tags: Education and Child Policy Tax and Budget Policy CBO Score department of education pell grants SAFRA subsidies Source Type: blogs
