Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
A press release from Senator Ron Wyden sent to me at 7am this morning states the following: Working to enhance screening and prevention of childhood type 2 diabetes, U.S Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) today announced that an amendment giving states $15 million to combat the disease has been included in the final conference version of…
Much has been written on this site about the growth of convenience clinics (see posts on July 25, April 26, and April 17). The Economist’s Free exchange blog adds to the discussion (“A spoonful of monopoly…“). It warns how the AMAs monopoly powers may be a threat to convenience clinics such as Medical Marts. “The…
Fentora Deaths In “The killer drug,” Joe Paduda of Managed Care Matters discusses how four deaths caused by the off-label use of Fentora have had Fentora-manufacturer Cephalon in crisis control. Mr. Paduda claims that Cephalon is known for aggressive marketing to physicians regarding the of off-label uses of their pharmaceuticals. Why would Nigerians boycott a…
Recently I came across two Washington Monthly articles in their Health Care Issue which are both very interesting. The first (“Newtered“) by Shannon Brownlee talks of the lack of evidenced based medicine in the U.S. In the mid-1990s, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) panel concluded that there was little evidence to…
What is your favorite presidential candidate’s solution to the “health care crisis?” The Kaiser Family Foundation has a great resource on its health08.org website. The site offers links to each candidate’s website where they discuss their health care policy. Unfortunately, there is no analysis of the candidates’ plans, but the site is an unbiased source…
In a follow-up to my “No hip replacement for you, fatso!” post, the Daily Mail reports that in Britain”Doctors refuse to fix builder’s broken ankle unless he quits smoking.” John Nuttall, 57, needs surgery to set the ankle which he broke in three places two years ago because it did not mend naturally with a…
Wal-mart recently released the details of its new health plan for 2008 (see company press release or the Houston Chronicle article). Here are some highlights of the plan. Employees now have “50 ways of customizing their health care coverage options…a substantial increase from last year, when most associates had only nine choices.” However, it seems…
While a single payer universal health care system will likely increase equality in the U.S., it will also likely lead to gross inefficiencies. For example, see Monday’s USA Today (“Medicaid Drug Rule“). A new rule was enacted which attempts to reduces the amount of fraud in physician prescribed drugs. The law–whose backers claim will save…
“GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Novartis AG, two of the world’s biggest vaccine makers, may have bet on the wrong technology in the race to develop a better flu shot.” This is how a recent article (“…Bet Wrong…“) by John Lauerman of Bloomberg News begins. Helped by a $221 million grant from the U.S. government, Novartis is…
Merrill Goozner has an in-depth analysis of the political process regarding SCHIP. The article talks about how money saved from the repeal of Medicare Advantage program as well as an increase in the cigarette tax will be used to pay for SCHIP. Does repealing Medicare Advantage and renewing SCHIP pit seniors against children as Karen…