SF Chronicle: UC Regents vote to shed Sudan investments

Update on previous post about student activism in action:

UC regents vote to shed Sudan investments
Tanya Schevitz, Jim Doyle, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, March 17, 2006

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Los Angeles -- The University of California Regents, citing the continuing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, voted unanimously Thursday to divest UC of tens of millions of dollars of securities from nine foreign companies doing business in that troubled African nation.

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so exciting!

MSNBC: US health care mediocre across the board

US health care mediocre across the board
Rich or poor, black or white, Americans get equally shoddy treatment

Associated Press
March 15, 2006

BOSTON - Startling research from the biggest study ever of U.S. health care quality suggests that Americans — rich, poor, black, white — get roughly equal treatment, but it’s woefully mediocre for all.

Later in the article...

But all health experts interviewed fretted about the uniformly low standard. “Regardless of who you are or what group you’re in, there is a significant gap between the care you deserve and the care you receive,” said Dr. Reed Tuckson, who is black and a vice president of United HealthGroup, which runs health plans and sells medical data.

Health experts blame the overall poor care on an overburdened, fragmented system that fails to keep close track of patients with an increasing number of multiple conditions.

Sac Bee: UC students push Sudan stock issue

Not directly related to health care, but an exciting example of student activism translating into policy change. Plus, one of the primary organizers is a medical student! (from that other UC in norcal...)

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UC students push Sudan stock issue
Regents to discuss divesting university holdings in firms doing business with nation accused of genocide

By Gilbert Chan -- Bee Staff Writer
Sunday, March 12, 2006. Business section.

LA Times editorial on Wal-mart's decision to increase health benefits

EDITORIAL
Why pick on Wal-Mart?
March, 2 2006

WAL-MART'S RECENT DECISION to offer health coverage to more of its 1.4 million U.S. employees is a little like getting a date with a favorite crush because she feels sorry for you. Sure, you're happy to have it, but you wish it had happened for a different reason.

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The article goes on to point out that getting Wal-mart to insure more employees isn't a true fix for a broken health care system:

...Although healthcare spending is expected to jump to $4 trillion in the next decade — to 20% of the nation's gross domestic product — the number of uninsured is increasing by more than a million people a year, and Americans are no healthier than citizens of countries that spend half what we do...

Fortunately, the public appears to be growing so tired of the problem that national healthcare reform is all but inevitable. ...momentum is growing again for a "single payer" government agency that would insure everyone in the country...

LA Times: abortion case in Mexico settled

Abortion Settlement Awarded in Mexico
The case involving a 13-year-old rape victim is a major victory, women's groups say.
By Héctor Tobar, Times Staff Writer
March 8, 2006

the LA Times on the impact of specialty hospitals (aka boutique hospitals)

And now, four-star hospitals
Resort amenities woo patients and doctors alike. But life-saving trauma centers could pay the price.
By Susan Brink, Times Staff Writer.
March 6, 2006

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For the LA Times articles, you usually have to register on their site, but you only have to do it once and it's free! Plus, I think it's a great newspaper (as a socal native, I might be just a little bit biased...)

welcome

As April, Teresa, my boyfriend, and many others know, I am always reading the news, and then emailing them articles (especially those about health policy, or pretty much any non-scientific aspect of medicine) that I find interesting and think (hope) that they will too.

My second favorite time waster is reading random people's blogs.

As I was about to click the "email this article" link tonight, I thought: maybe other people - AMSA members, perhaps? - might be interested in this too. So I've created this blog in an attempt to share these articles/links with you without clogging up your inboxes, and I hope that you'll share your comments or other articles with me too.

This could be a great forum for discussion of these issues among the UCDSOM community. And of course, another excellent way for me to put off studying for boards, or for this week's quiz for that matter.