A young boy looks at a sign as he and his mother arrive to wait in line with several thousand other people at the Utah County Health Department to get H1N1 vaccine shots in this October 2009 file photo in Provo, Utah. Given the high volume of people swamping public clinics, many clinics could not or chose not to screen to be sure that those in the highest priority groups were getting the vaccine first. (George Frey/Getty Images)
It might be necessary, some said, to screen interlopers actively -- and turn them away until more vaccine is available.
"It is ludicrous to leave the allocation of scarce vaccine to individual judgment and self-interest," said Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
We’ve been discussing this in the Water Cooler forum, some folks just don’t want the vaccine, for various reasons. Here is yet another ethics question: do you agree with the sentence above this one?
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Md. speaks during a news conference about health care, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON — Cheered by President Barack Obama, House Democrats rolled out landmark legislation Thursday to extend health care to tens of millions who lack coverage, impose sweeping new restrictions on the insurance industry and create a government-run option to compete with private insurers.
But even as party leaders pointed toward a vote next week, there were fresh questions that went to the heart of their ambitious drive to remake the nation's health care system.
Although the long debate on healthcare reform may seem slow, I think it brings lots of attention to the medical profession, which is good. I have faith that things will improve for many people who are now at the mercy of insurance companies who are chopping at the bottom line.
Boston Celtics observers might see this gesture more often in the near future from coach Doc Rivers, seen here between Paul Pierce, left, and Kevin Garnett in June 2008. Rivers says he has become more of a "fist bumper" instead of a "handshaker."
Some time-honored traditions — working sick, flying sick, going to school sick — are in question as the nation seeks to fend off the spread of swine flu.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its most specific calculation to date, estimated Thursday that the number of Americans who came down with the H1N1 virus in the first wave of the disease (April to July) could have been as high as 5.7 million. Swine flu is widespread in every state but Connecticut, New Jersey, South Carolina, Hawaii and the District of Columbia.
I don’t think one can easily break the lifelong habit and pleasure of shaking hands. I would rather get the flu than see that custom go away.
Assistant Attorney General Tony West (Steve Bagley/Main Justice)
The Department of Justice and Congress are working together to beef up the government’s ability to fight health care fraud.
Assistant Attorney General Tony West told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday the DOJ needs Congress’s help. “We cannot combat this fraud alone,” said West, who has headed the DOJ’s Civil Division for eight months.
Part of universal coverage is cutting costs, and cutting out fraud would be the best way to do that. This story gives you a look at who is doing what to best fraud with legislation.
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, it's a good time to recognize our furry friends' contributions to the cause.
Not only do they allow themselves to be dressed in pink to help us garner attention, but research shows some serious medical aid on their part.
Most in the medical community now acknowledge the healing power of animals. Some doctors even write prescriptions giving hospitalized patients access to pets from home. (However, pets can still infect some with weakened immune systems -- for instance, people who've gone through chemo.)
As I write this, I happen to have a cat on my lap. I once saw a TV news story about a dog that would lick the faces of kids in a coma and bring them out of the coma. Did anyone else ever see that story?
THURSDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- An estimated 17,000 children in the United States might have died unnecessarily over nearly two decades because they didn't have health insurance, according to a report from researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.
They found that kids who lacked health insurance were 60 percent more likely to die in the hospital than were kids who had insurance. After adjusting for such differences as race and gender, uninsured kids were still 37.8 percent more likely to die than kids with insurance coverage.
Why would the child without insurance be more likely to die in the hospital? Early discharge? Maybe our doctors can explain this study.
Posted
Oct 30 2009, 02:33 AM
by
Robert Gleeman