Clipmarks | debbyski's 'health' clips

I LUVS You For Your Health Insurance Baby

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:07:12 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

LAKE CHARLES, La. — It was only last February that Brandy Brady met Ricky Huggins at a Mardi Gras ball here. By April, they had decided to marry.

Ms. Brady says she loves Mr. Huggins, but she worries they are moving too fast. She questions how well they really know each other, and wants to better understand his mood swings.

But Ms. Brady, 38, also finds much to admire in Mr. Huggins, who is three years older. He strikes her as trustworthy and caring. He has a stable job as a plumber and a two-bedroom house. And perhaps above all, said Ms. Brady, who received a kidney transplant last year, “He’s got great insurance.”

There is no way to know how often it happens, but lawyers and patient advocacy groups say they see cases regularly.

Stephen L. J. Hoffman, an officiant at a wedding chapel in Covington, Ky., said he was no longer shocked that one of 10 couples cite health insurance as the reason they stand before him.

Fear Of Change

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:22:55 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "First, the Democrats have to win the election — and win it by enough to face down Republicans, who are still, 42 years after Medicare went into operation, denouncing “socialized medicine.”

Second, they have to overcome the public’s fear of change. "

"One more thing: if we do get real health care reform, a lot of people will owe a debt of gratitude to none other than John Edwards. When Mr. Edwards dropped out of the presidential race, I credited him with making universal health care a “possible dream for the next administration.” Mr. Edwards’s political career is over — but perhaps he and his family can take some solace from the fact that his party is still trying to make that dream come true."

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

What’s easy about guaranteed health care for all? For one thing, we know that it’s economically feasible: every wealthy country except the United States already has some form of guaranteed health care. The hazards Americans treat as facts of life — the risk of losing your insurance, the risk that you won’t be able to afford necessary care, the chance that you’ll be financially ruined by medical costs — would be considered unthinkable in any other advanced nation.

Those who say this, however, seem to forget that we already have a program — you may have heard of it — called Medicare. It’s a program that collects money from every worker’s paycheck and uses it to pay the medical bills of everyone 65 and older. And it’s immensely popular.

So why be nervous about the prospects for reform? Because it’s hard to get universal care established in the first place. There are, I’d argue, three big hurdles.

Nancy Pelosi: So what are these "San Francisco values", anyway?

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:11:10 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: "Nancy Pelosi said aloud today what everyone knows implicitly and no one ever acknowledges: when the right-wingers talk about "San Francisco values," they're condemning San Franciscans for not spitting on the LGBT community with a wink and a nod." -- from the Jezebel post about this

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

San Francisco values to me means that every child in our city has health insurance until they are 25 years old. San Francisco values say we don't have a minimum wage, we have a living wage. In San Francisco we respect the dignity and worth of every person and respect is the order of the day there. Issues like protecting the environment aren't issues for us -- they are values and ethics.

"I think they highlight them because they are the forces that are fighting health insurance for our children... they are the forces that are fighting increases in the minimum wage. So when they sort of use their winks and nods about San Francisco values, they are talking about the fact that we respect our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. But what they are really afraid of is economic justice.

Tags: san-francisco, values, ethics, morals, equality

Faith Based Health Care

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:01:15 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: firedoglake.com

Dorene, a cancer survivor in Oregon, can't afford health insurance, so she takes part in what she calls "faith-based health care"—she prays she won't get sick.

I couldn't get care—I would just have to die—in the richest country in the world, with great health care, I'd have no help. Does that seem right?

Unfortunately, many politicians would not answer "No" to Antonius' question. So in January, we at the AFL-CIO, in partnership with our community affiliate, Working America, launched an online health care survey to encourage people to tell their stories and provide data that we plan to present to 2008 candidates at all levels. Over seven weeks, more than 26,000 people took the survey (and it was long), and nearly 7,500, like Dorene, Barbara and Antonius, took time to describe their personal experiences with the U.S. health care system. (You can read the results and the stories here.)

I'm Getting Healthy The Hard Way

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:40:15 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: One final tip: Keep your sense of humor.

"Years ago, my husband and I were having a big spat, really yelling at each other," says Verstegen. "I screamed at him, 'You're so selfish!' There was this long silence and then he said, 'Did you just call me a shellfish?' I started laughing and that was the end of the fight. "
*LOL*

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

(LifeWire) -- There are toilet-paper tiffs, thermostat scuffles, ongoing debates over money, sex and the television remote. And then there are the laundry wars.

"My husband has this thing with laundry that drives me nuts," says Amelia Zatik-Sawyer, a 28-year-old mother of two in Cleveland.

"He's supposed to wash and I'm supposed to fold, but he does like 10 loads at a time and then dumps it all on the bed.

For many couples, spats are a necessary evil, something to endure or avoid (for the sake of the kids!). But new research at the University of Michigan shows that hashing out marital disagreements is actually good for your health. It's squelching anger, especially when you feel you've been wronged, that's dangerous.

"We're all interested in longevity," says Harburg, who's studied the health effects of spousal sparring for over 30 years. "We watch our diet, we exercise. Now we need to add 'express anger constructively' to that list."

Top 10 Reasons To Have Sex Tonight

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:28:13 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: Need I say more?

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

Hot Fact: Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more

(WebMD) When you're in the mood, it's a sure bet that the last thing on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. Yet good sex offers those health benefits and more.

"Of course, sex is everywhere in the media," she says. "But the idea that we are vital, sexual creatures is still looked at in some cases with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment.

So to really take a look at how our sexuality adds to our life and enhances our life and our health, both physical and psychological, is eye-opening for many people.

1. Sex Relieves Stress

2. Sex Boosts Immunity

3. Sex Burns Calories

4. Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health

5. Sex Boosts Self-Esteem

6. Sex Improves Intimacy

7. Sex Reduces Pain

8. Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk

9. Sex Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles

10. Sex Helps You Sleep Better

Try Living UnInsured

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:59:08 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: "People take vows of poverty to learn humility. People fast to learn gratitude for abundance. People live off the grid to teach themselves -- I don't know -- candle-making skills. Living uninsured can teach our elected officials to care for the healthcare system."

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

The other day, I admitted to a friend that I don't have health insurance.

"What?!" he gasped. "But you're married. Isn't that part of the deal?" He reacted as if I had just told him that I believed in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny or a flat tax -- something embarrassingly ridiculous. Because that's what being uninsured is these days -- a character flaw. It's how you can pay taxes, volunteer, donate to public radio and still be considered a drain on society.

Healthcare costs in this country, according to the World Health Organization, are the highest in the Western world. And the chasm between medical care for those with money and those without is potentially deadly. I once had a plantar wart that was near-fatal. True story. Some people gamble at casinos for kicks; I eat uncooked fish. There isn't a moment that I don't know that I am one accident or diagnosis away from complete financial ruin. Where are the riots? Where's the outrage? Didn't Michael Moore do a documentary on this?

The Clinton-Obama Insurance Plan

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:53:18 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: This is exactly why I don't like Barack.

"If you combine the economic analysis with these political realities, here’s what I think it says: If Mrs. Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, there is some chance — nobody knows how big — that we’ll get universal health care in the next administration. If Mr. Obama gets the nomination, it just won’t happen."

I wish he'd quit trying to get elected by just touting ideas that are popular but don't work.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The principal policy division between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama involves health care. It’s a division that can seem technical and obscure — and I’ve read many assertions that only the most wonkish care about the fine print of their proposals.

But as I’ve tried to explain in previous columns, there really is a big difference between the candidates’ approaches. And new research, just released, confirms what I’ve been saying: the difference between the plans could well be the difference between achieving universal health coverage — a key progressive goal — and falling far short.

Specifically, new estimates say that a plan resembling Mrs. Clinton’s would cover almost twice as many of those now uninsured as a plan resembling Mr. Obama’s — at only slightly higher cost.

But the big difference is mandates: the Clinton plan requires that everyone have insurance; the Obama plan doesn’t.

The Nuclear Arms Race Against Cancer

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 13:21:51 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

There is a new nuclear arms race under way — in hospitals.

Medical centers are rushing to turn nuclear particle accelerators, formerly used only for exotic physics research, into the latest weapons against cancer.

Some experts say the push reflects the best and worst of the nation’s market-based health care system, which tends to pursue the latest, most expensive treatments — without much evidence of improved health — even as soaring costs add to the nation’s economic burden.

The machines accelerate protons to nearly the speed of light and shoot them into tumors. Scientists say proton beams are more precise than the X-rays now typically used for radiation therapy, meaning fewer side effects from stray radiation and, possibly, a higher cure rate.

“I’m fascinated and horrified by the way it’s developing,” said Dr. Anthony L. Zietman, a radiation oncologist at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital, which operates a proton center. “This is the dark side of American medicine.”

Tags: the, dark, side

Getting Really Inside Their Heads

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:45:15 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

What do Rudy Giuliani's messy personal life, John McCain's temper and Hillary Clinton's inability to seem authentic have in common? Maybe nothing. They may be just overblown issues in the otherwise normal lives of candidates under the political microscope.

Such symptoms, however, may mean a lot -- such as evidence of underlying brain dysfunction. Sometimes people with messy personal lives have low prefrontal cortex activity associated with poor judgment; sometimes people with temper problems have brain damage and impulse control problems; sometimes people who struggle with authenticity have trouble really seeing things from someone else's perspective.

Clearly we care about the health outlook for our elected leaders. Should we go so far as to do brain scans? Of candidates for the Oval Office? Some people might consider discussing brain health a ridiculous idea. Not me.

Tags: tell, me, more, baby

See What A Little Arm Twisting Will Do?

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:05:15 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

For much of the last decade, the retailing behemoth Wal-Mart Stores has been associated with stingy health care as much as low prices.

Across the country, politicians and labor groups derided the company’s health plans for their high expense and bare-bones coverage. Two states, California and Maryland, even passed laws demanding, in effect, that the company spend more on employee health benefits.

“We want this giant to behave itself,” one Maryland legislator, Anne Healey, said at the time.

The giant, it turns out, was listening. All the criticism was hurting its reputation and its ability to expand. So now, after spending two years seeking advice from everyone from Bill Clinton to executives at Starbucks, Wal-Mart is overhauling its health plans.

Tags: wal, mart, asks, clinton, that, say's, something

Anti-Abortion Postings Ordered Removed

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:05:19 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A federal judge ordered an anti-abortion activist to remove Web site postings that authorities said exhorted readers to kill an abortion provider by shooting her in the head.

District Court Judge Thomas Golden granted an injunction Thursday seeking the removal of postings on Web pages maintained by John Dunkle. The injunction, sought by prosecutors in August, also bans him from publishing similar messages containing names, addresses or photographs of health clinic staff members.

Prosecutors said one posting targeted a former clinician for the Philadelphia Women's Center, and that she later stopped providing reproductive health services because she feared for her life.

Dunkle, of Reading, said Thursday that the postings had been removed.

``They're down now,'' said Dunkle, who represented himself. ``I won't put up language that (the judge) has told me not to put up.''

Tags: thou, shalt, not, kill

Kucinich Questions Bush's Mental Health

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:32:15 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich questioned President Bush's mental health in light of comments he made about a nuclear Iran precipitating World War III.

Kucinich, known for his liberal views, trails far behind the leading candidates in most Democratic polls. He was in Philadelphia for a debate at Drexel University.

Kucinich said he doesn't believe his comments about the president's mental health are irresponsible, according to a story posted on the newspaper's Web site.

``You cannot be a president of the United States who's wanton in his expression of violence,'' Kucinich said. ``There's a lot of people who need care. He might be one of them. If there isn't something wrong with him, then there's something wrong with us. This, to me, is a very serious question.''

In response, Republican National Committee spokesman Dan Ronayne said it was hard to take Kucinich seriously.

Tags: is, it, a, good, question

Taking The Risk Out Of The Equation

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:32:13 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

You buy a Band-Aid. You get a scrape. You use your Band-Aid. And the next time you go to the drugstore, you're told that you have to pay more for Band-Aids. Or maybe they won't sell you another Band-Aid at all.

That, in essence, is what seems to be happening in the insurance business.

Then there's the matter of health insurers canceling coverage for people after they submit claims for medical treatment. The practice has become so prevalent that state regulators this week announced measures to crack down on what they termed acts of cruelty by insurers against patients.

Spring Valley resident Sal D'Anna says he knows all about that. He took out a health insurance policy with PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. in February 2006. D'Anna, 35, was subsequently diagnosed with kidney cancer and had to have one of his kidneys removed.

In August 2006, he was informed by PacifiCare that his coverage was being canceled.

Tags: getting, rich, baby

Employers Help Smokers Quit

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:15:56 GMT

clipped by: debbyski
clipper's remarks: I think this is a very positive thing, but is it because employers want healthier, happier, and more productive workers or is it because it affects cost? And if successful, will they share their profits with the workers who helped make them?

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Corporate America has made big strides toward the smoke-free workplace. Its next goal: the smoke-free worker.

Many businesses are seeking to reduce their medical bills by paying for programs to help employees stop smoking.

The programs are yet another example, along with various other corporate wellness efforts like weight management and diabetes control, of how private employers are taking health care reform into their own hands, even as politicians continue to debate proposals and tactics in Washington and on the campaign trail.

For businesses, it is a bottom-line calculus. Spending as much as $900 or so to give a participant free nicotine patches and drugs to ease withdrawal, as well as phone sessions with smoking addiction counselors, can more than offset the estimated $16,000 or more in additional lifetime medical bills that a typical smoker generates, according to federal health data.

Tags: stepping, up, for, lost, productivity