tagged w/ Health Care System
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Think the House health care reform bill's too long? Not after the Senate whittles away at it.
The thing to worry about the House health reform bill isn't what the Senate will add but what it will take away.
http://www.slate.com/id/2234864/Think the House health care reform bill's too long? Not after the Senate whittles away... more
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A House leader says Democrats haven't yet lined up enough votes to pass their health care overhaul bill.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland says the vote that House Democrats had scheduled for Saturday could slip to Sunday or early next week.
Hoyer acknowledged to reporters Friday that Democratic leaders don't yet have the 218 votes needed to pass President Barack Obama's historic health overhaul initiative.
He said he still expects passage Saturday night. But he added that some Democrats are still "looking to get a comfort level" with the bill.
Republicans are unanimously opposed to the sweeping legislation.
Voting was set for Saturday on the 10-year, $1.2 trillion legislation that embraces Obama's goals of extending health coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and putting tough new restrictions on insurance companies.
Obama was scheduled to make a personal appeal to the Democratic rank and file in a visit Friday to Capitol Hill. That was called off late Thursday after the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, and rescheduled for Saturday.
Action on health legislation was slowed as senators waited for the Congressional Budget Office to weigh in on a bill written by Majority Leader Harry Reid in consultation with the White House and key committee chairmen. Senate votes could slip until next year.
As recently as Thursday, House leaders expressed optimism that when it came time to vote, they'd have the majority needed to prevail in the 435-seat House.
The House effort picked up two major endorsements Thursday, from the powerful seniors' lobby AARP and the American Medical Association.
The bill would cover 96 percent of Americans, providing government subsidies beginning in 2013 to extend coverage to millions who now lack it. Self-employed people and small businesses could buy coverage through the new exchanges, either from a private insurer or a new government plan that would compete. All the plans sold through the exchange would have to follow basic consumer protection rules.
For the first time, almost all individuals would be required to purchase insurance or pay a fine, and employers would be required to insure their employees. Insurance companies would be barred from denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions or charging much higher rates to older people.
More @ link
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33717968/ns/politics-health_care_reform/A House leader says Democrats haven't yet lined up enough votes to pass their health... more
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Systematic despair
from a manufactured effect,
Delivered in a pretty pill
near impossible to reject,
Gained from Doctors
for their profit,
Now people are dieing
why don't we stop it?
An easy win
for the War on Drugs,
These pills aren't natural
just pull the plugs,
Of the FACTORIES
that push them out
(Enough so none
Will be without).
If this were food
for the poor,
Instead of poison
that is at WAR,
With human life
and human health,
Making the makers
masses of wealth,
Then sell some more-
up production,
But we KNOW
this pill is the destruction,
Of home and life
parent and child,
The ones dieing
all the while,
CEOs sit back
to observe,
How THEIR profits
are ahead of the curve,
The lesson they learn:
Make more pills,
No matter how many
humans it kills.
10/15/09Systematic despair
from a manufactured effect,
Delivered in a pretty pill
near... more
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This is just another outrageous end result of a MAFIA run Healthcare system in it for profit!This is just another outrageous end result of a MAFIA run Healthcare system in it for... more
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On the campaign trail last year, President Obama laid out several specific promises for health care -- both during the Democratic primaries and during the general election campaign. And in his first year in office, President Obama has made comprehensive health care reform the centerpiece of his domestic agenda.
But what happened to those promises?
To his credit, Mr. Obama has come closer to achieving many of those promises than many may have expected him to. For instance, the Congress is well on its way to facilitating health care coverage for nearly all Americans, providing subsidies for people who cannot afford insurance, implementing consumer protections, boosting federal funding for prevention and wellness programs, giving tax credits to small businesses that provide their employees with health coverage and implementing health information technology systems.
However, even though there is plenty of work left for Congress before it can put a health care bill on Mr. Obama's desk the bills in development indicate that some of Mr. Obama's promises may be long gone. Here is a look at five of Mr. Obama's health care campaign promises that are unlikely to come to fruition.
1. No Individual Mandate
2. Complete Transparency
3. Enable the Government to Directly Negotiate Drug Prices
4. Allow Drug Importation
5. Lower Premiums by $2,500 for a Family of Four
More @ linkOn the campaign trail last year, President Obama laid out several specific promises... more
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Excerpt:
"There is a proven way to control costs, however, and one that would be credible to all. Switzerland's consumer-driven health care system shows the way."
(All the rest at link. )Excerpt:
"There is a proven way to control costs, however, and one that would be... more
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Cigarette smokers know the risks of smoking.They can read the warning ! Why should I have to pay for healtcare for them ? These people are Inhaling Carcinogens. How can they fix this.?
I know how ! If you smoke cigarettes, you dont get coverage !Cigarette smokers know the risks of smoking.They can read the warning ! Why should I... more
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"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." M.L. King Jr.
This is a study done by University of Maine on our health care system vs. other around the world. Check it out.
If you put aside all the "dealth panel", "socialism", "don't kill my grandma" crap thats out there distracting us from the real debate, whats left is the most expensive and one of the most disfunctional systems in the world.
Those who don't want their money going to "socialized health" seem to forget that their paying higher premiums to cover those without insurance, and on top of that, those without insurance are still being charged, with interest!"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and... more
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The child psychiatrist of Rebecca Riley, a 4-year-old girl who died of an overdose of psychiatric drugs, will not be criminally prosecuted in her death, clearing one of several legal hurdles that the doctor faces in connection with the child’s death.
Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced yesterday that a grand jury has declined to indict Dr. Kayoko Kifuji of Tufts Medical Center. Kifuji had treated the Hull girl for bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder since she was 2.
When the girl died on Dec. 13, 2006, she was taking three psychotropic medications.
MORE IN LINKThe child psychiatrist of Rebecca Riley, a 4-year-old girl who died of an overdose of... more
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The latest cost estimates for health care legislation in Congress are about $1.6 trillion over 10 years, according to two Senate sources.
Two Senate staffers, one Democratic and one Republican, said the Congressional Budget Office made the estimate for the Finance Committee version of the bill. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee version would cost $1 trillion over ten years, but would only cover about one-third of the nearly 50 million uninsured.
The staffers who disclosed the latest estimates spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations over the legislation.
A Finance Committee Democratic aide, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated committee members are working to lower the cost to less than $1 trillion over 10 years, a level preferred by the Obama administration.The latest cost estimates for health care legislation in Congress are about $1.6... more
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The Obama administration and Senate Democrats are debating a health care reform outline that will insist upon a public option for insurance but leave open the possibility for it to be kicked in via triggers.
Multiple Democratic sources tell the Huffington Post that the White House and key members of the Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committees are in the process of hammering out key principles on health care reform -- with a meeting scheduled at the West Wing this afternoon. One of the components will be music to progressive ears: that any bill includes an option publicly run health insurance coverage. But it also comes with a caveat that could engender opposition from that very same constituency.
A trigger would pave the way for public option to come into place only after certain market conditions are met -- mainly if private insurance companies are unable to achieve various metrics for coverage within a certain time frame. The proposal would placate many of the private health care actors who consider a public plan the first step towards a single-payer system. Progressives, however, view it as reform in name and not substance.The Obama administration and Senate Democrats are debating a health care reform... more
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President Barack Obama warned on Thursday that if health care reform didn't take place this year, it won't be completed during his presidency.
"We need health care reform legislation that works, that preserves what works about health care, that fixes the things that are broken. And I think the status quo is unacceptable " said the president, on a conference call with volunteers for his leftover campaign arm, Organizing for America. "And we have to get it done this year. If we don't get it done this year we are not going to get it done."
Underscoring the high stakes of the debate, Obama called on his supporters to make the same organizational effort on behalf of health care that they did during the election. There were, he said, few more important issues facing his administration.President Barack Obama warned on Thursday that if health care reform didn't take place... more
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150,000 Nurses push for HR 676 to create Single Payer Healthcare
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Collapses, waits 45 minutes for response
KINGS COUNTY (WABC) -- A 49-year-old woman who was brought to the psychiatric ward at Kings County Hospital died after collapsing in the waiting area. She was found unresponsive on the floor 45 minutes later, despite being surrounded by other people who did nothing to help her.
The whole incident was caught on a hospital surveillance camera.
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation reported the incident surrounding the woman's death to a number of health oversight agencies and law enforcement authorities.
While the case is under further review, HHC President Alan Aviles directed the suspension or termination of six hospital employees, including staff involved with the direct care of the patient, as well as managers of security and clinical services.
The woman was brought to the Psychiatric Emergency Department at the hospital by EMS on the morning of June 18 suffering from agitation and psychosis. Officials say she refused medical review and was involuntarily admitted. She was in the Psychiatric ED waiting room, waiting for a bed in the inpatient unit to become available.
Early in the morning on June 19, she was found unresponsive on the floor. The video shows her falling out of the chair and onto the floor, thrashing about and kicking her legs. There were at least three other patients in the waiting area at the time, and several employees of the hospital are seen looking at her on the floor and walking away.
A preliminary review conducted by Kings County Hospital and HHC staff has determined the patient remained on the floor for 45 minutes before she received medical attention.
"We are all shocked and distressed by this situation," Aviles said. "What our investigation so far determined violates the basic principles of the compassionate healthcare practiced every day here at Kings County and across our public hospital system. We express our deep regrets to the patient's family and will ensure a thorough investigation to answer any questions that remain."
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation released the following statement:
"It is clear that some of our employees failed to act based on our compassionate standards of care. Immediately after the incident was discovered on June 20, and following a preliminary investigation by HHC staff, HHC President Alan D. Aviles directed the suspension and termination of those involved. The case and video surveillance tapes were immediately turned over to a number of health oversight agencies, medical misconduct boards and law enforcement.
****please read my comment towards the bottom. The same thing happened in LA last month!*****Collapses, waits 45 minutes for response
KINGS COUNTY (WABC) -- A 49-year-old woman... more
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So the argument goes Cigna effectively killed this young lady. What happened that the hospital and physicians didn't step up? The insurance company is being blamed (and they do seem to be culpable) but there are many links which seem to have broken here.So the argument goes Cigna effectively killed this young lady. What happened that the... more
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Hey remember this?
Why wasn't the press all over this instead of the garbage it covers?
Where is the follow up on this crucial information about that affects our safety.
This type of profound news that affects Murdoch's bottom line seems to mysteriously disappear into the back pages.
Could it be that having billions of drug ads could be some sort of...conflict of interest with producing unbiased news?
HMMM
This is one reason I love this Current blog. Why should we rely on these strangers to edit what we see?
We can see what direction they are taking us and itis not for our good.
FDA whistleblower claims he'll be forced from post
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
Food and Drug Administration whistleblower David Graham said Wednesday that he expects as soon as next week to be forced from his job in the Office of Drug Safety.
David Graham said on television Wednesday that he fears reprisals.
By Gerald Herbert, AP
"I'm going to be transferred, and I don't want to go," said Graham, who told a Senate committee on Nov. 18 that the FDA is "virtually defenseless" against another "terrible tragedy and a profound regulatory failure" like Vioxx, an arthritis drug pulled off the market over concerns that it increased the risk of heart attack, stroke or sudden cardiac death.
Graham, associate director for science and medicine in the FDA office, went on to name five other drugs Meridia, Crestor, Accutane, Serevent and Bextra that he says threaten the public's safety.
Graham's attorney, Tom Devine, legal director of the Government Accountability Project, said his client "got a very credible warning" about the job change from a staff member in the office of acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford.
"He's going to be exiled from work reviewing drugs and put to work in the office of the commissioner," said Devine, adding that Graham has no legal recourse against such a move. "He'll be paid to fill space under the watchful eye of a babysitter." Devine's non-profit group is a public-interest organization and law firm that defends whistleblowers.
Graham says he met with Crawford on Nov. 9 to discuss the agency's plans to strengthen the safety program for marketed drugs.
The Food and Drug Administration would neither confirm nor deny that Graham is to be transferred. In a statement to USA TODAY on Wednesday, the agency said, "For privacy reasons, the FDA does not comment on personnel issues."
Also on Wednesday, Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter to Daniel Levinson, acting inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, asking for an official investigation into whether the FDA has attempted to discredit Graham.
BMJ, a British medical journal, reported this week that a caller to Devine's group, who claimed to be another FDA whistleblower, described Graham as a bully whose research might reflect scientific misconduct. The call was found to have come from an FDA manager trying to discredit Graham.
In a statement, the FDA said it had no prior knowledge of any employee contacting Devine's group.Hey remember this?
Why wasn't the press all over this instead of the garbage it... more
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I just thought this was an interesting (6-page) FAQ on single-payer health systems. It's from the Physicians for a National Health System website.I just thought this was an interesting (6-page) FAQ on single-payer health systems.... more
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A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday will review reports of abnormal behavior and other brain effects in more than 1,800 children who had taken the flu medicine Tamiflu since its approval in 1999, including 55 in the USA.
Twenty-two of the U.S. reports were considered "serious," with symptoms such as convulsions, delirium or delusions, says Terry Hurley, spokesman for drugmaker Roche Laboratories.
None of the U.S. cases resulted in death. But in Japan, Hurley says, five deaths have been reported in children under 16 as a result of neurological or psychiatric problems. "Four were fatal falls, and one was encephalitis in a patient with leukemia," he says.
In addition, in people ages 17 to 21, there were two deaths in Japan, one a "fatal accident with abnormal behavior," Hurley says, and the second as a result of encephalopathy, a brain infection. Seven adult deaths attributed to neuropsychiatric problems also have been reported in Japan.A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday will review reports of abnormal... more
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The world of alternative medicine--meditation, yoga, acupuncture and a host of related therapies--will celebrate a coming-of-age moment on Nov. 30. In Durham, N.C., Christy Mack and her husband John Mack, chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley, will officially open the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine. They personally financed the center with $10 million from the C.J. Mack Foundation.
The center represents an acknowledgment of sorts by the established medical community of the potential, yet highly controversial, benefits of these alternative therapies. The Duke Center will be open to anyone from across the globe, not just members of the Duke community. Cottages will be built in the woods nearby as living facilities for out-of-town visitors.
The idea for the Duke Center was the result of a collaboration between Dr. Ralph Synderman, former head of the Duke Medical Center, Dr. Tracey Gaudet, a Duke physician, and Christy Mack, who prefers the term "integrative medicine" over alternative medicine. The daughter of a Greensboro, N.C., doctor, she is heavily involved in the movement to blend treatments aimed at helping the mind and spirit with the use of conventional medicine like drugs and surgery. She believes that the former are just as essential to health as antibiotics and surgery or technological breakthroughs.
"The practice of medicine should be focused with an emphasis on the interconnectedness of mind, body, spirit and community," says Mack, who herself is a trained practitioner of Reiki, an ancient Eastern massage technique that she claims transmits energy to the patient.
To further the cause, Mack and a group of like-minded philanthropists five years ago formed a nonprofit organization, the Bravewell Collaborative.
Bravewell is not some flaky New Age group. Among its 29 members are Earl Bakken, founder of Medtronic (nyse: MDT - news - people ), the pacemaker company; Bruce Dayton, the former CEO of the Dayton Hudson retail store chain; and Bill Sarnoff, nephew of RCA founder David Sarnoff.
"We want Bravewell to be a catalyst for change, and we think we are reaching the tipping point," says Mack, who won't be satisfied until the medical establishment accepts her point of view as an integral part of their profession.
Her husband John Mack, a Wall Street titan, who himself is chairman of the board of trustees of New York Presbyterian Hospital, says he has been "moved by the passion and dedication of Christy's doctors to improving people's health by treating the whole person, not just the disease" by means of drugs and surgery. He has seen first-hand how one of his leading bankers came back from a debilitating illness by "taking up meditation seriously," Mack says, "even in the taxicab coming to work." The Macks, along with other Bravewell members, also raised money for the PBS special this year, "The New Medicine," which featured the use of hypnosis and guided imagery as techniques to reduce pain and help ill people lead active lives. The special won the Freddie Award for Health and Science Media in the area of health and wellness.The world of alternative medicine--meditation, yoga, acupuncture and a host of related... more
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