AMSA at UC Davis: Health & Policy News

LA Times: Panel Proposes Guaranteed Health Care by 2012

2006-06-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Panel Proposes Guaranteed Health Care by 2012
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Times Staff Writer
10:16 AM PDT, June 8, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The government should guarantee a core set of health benefits for all Americans by 2012 even if it means raising taxes, a nonpartisan advisory panel created by Congress has recommended.

LA Times: Healthcare Costs Spur Calls for Limits on Profits

2006-06-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Healthcare Costs Spur Calls for Limits on Profits
State officials target insurers' use of funds as the debate turns from services to finances.

By Daniel Yi, Times Staff Writer
June 2, 2006

Rising medical costs are sparking efforts to cap profits of California's health insurers in the same way that surging gasoline prices are fueling proposals for a windfall oil profit tax.Two bills in Sacramento seek to limit insurers' profits as well as cap consumers' out-of-pocket payments for medical treatment. The state Department of Insurance has a separate plan to limit profits.

Such proposals, if enacted, could result in the nation's most sweeping financial reform of for-profit health plans. Other states, including Connecticut and New York, regulate how much health plans can charge in premiums, and Minnesota allows health maintenance organizations to be run only by nonprofit groups.

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All states should follow Minnesota's example!

NY Times: Unease on Industry's Role in Hypertension Debate

2006-05-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Unease on Industry's Role in Hypertension Debate

By STEPHANIE SAUL
Published: May 20, 2006

The seven dinners at Ruth's Chris Steak Houses around the country are just one example of why the small medical society, the American Society of Hypertension, has been in the midst of a dispute over the influence of drug industry money.

"This is about the monetarization of medicine," Dr. Michael H. Alderman, a past president of the organization, said in a recent interview.

The dinners promoting a new definition of high blood pressure illustrate connections — among the pharmaceutical industry, academic physicians and societies that formulate opinion — that can ultimately affect patient treatment. And the dispute within the society reflects a growing unease that industry money is influencing scientific discourse in medical societies and elsewhere.

NY Times: Doctors Object to Gathering of Drug Data

2006-05-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

Doctors Object to Gathering of Drug Data

By STEPHANIE SAUL
Published: May 4, 2006

Although virtually unknown to consumers, the information has long been considered the most potent weapon in pharmaceutical sales — computerized dossiers showing which physicians are prescribing what drugs. Armed with such data, a drug sales representative can pressure a doctor to write more prescriptions for a name-brand medicine or fewer orders for a competitor's drug.

But now a rebellion is under way by some doctors, who consider the data-gathering an intrusion that feeds overzealous sales practices among the nation's estimated 90,000 drug company representatives. Public officials are also weighing in. A vote on a state bill to clamp down on the practice is scheduled for today in New Hampshire, and similar bills have been introduced in other states, including Arizona and West Virginia.

LA Times: Medicare in poor financial health, trustees say

2006-05-02T01:17:00.000-07:00

Medicare in poor financial health, trustees say
Its problems will eventually be worse than Social Security's, an annual report warns. But some observers see a manufactured crisis.

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Joel Havemann, Times Staff Writers
May 2, 2006

WASHINGTON — The financial condition of Medicare is growing progressively worse and its problems will eventually eclipse those of Social Security, the trustees of the government's two biggest social programs reported Monday.

MSNBC: Unions protest Wal-mart health care

2006-04-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Unions protest Wal-mart health care
Labor groups representing 6 million workers to rally across 35 cities

Associated Press
Updated: 2:40 p.m. ET April 26, 2006

Unions representing 6 million workers planned to rally Wednesday in 35 cities from New York to Los Angeles to protest what they called inadequate health care coverage by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation’s largest employer.

MSNBC: Many middle-income Americans lack insurance

2006-04-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

Many middle-income Americans lack insurance
Study: 40 percent without coverage in 2005, up from 28 percent in 2001

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 11:00 a.m. ET April 26, 2006

WASHINGTON - The percentage of working-age Americans with moderate to middle incomes who lacked health insurance for at least part of the year rose to 41 percent in 2005, a dramatic increase from the 28 percent in 2001 without coverage, a study released on Wednesday found.

LA Times: personal stories of insurance woes

2006-04-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Coverage, in pieces
Medical insurance can be surprisingly elusive -- and temporary. For many, the safety net now requires compromise and sacrifice.

By Susan Brink, Times Staff Writer
April 3, 2006

The stories in this package illustrate the obstacles encountered, as well as the generous doses of creativity required, as people cobble together health coverage in America's often hit or miss system.

PharmFree: AMSA in the news

2006-04-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some articles (older, but good reads) discussing AMSA's PharmFree campaign:

(links found through AMSA's newsroom)

Medical Students Say No to Drug Firm Gifts
Chicago Sun-Times - 03/30/06

New doctors are allergic to freebies
Chicago Tribune - 03/12/06

An expensive free lunch
Los Angeles Times - 01/23/06 (free site registration required)

Medical students find certain lures they won't swallow
USA Today - 01/02/06

NY Times: Massachusetts sets health plan for nearly all

2006-04-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Not ideal, but looks like MA is one step closer to universal health care...

[P.S. I like how the title of the article says "for nearly all"]

Massachusetts sets health plan for nearly all
By Pam Belluck
Published: April 5, 2006

BOSTON, April 4 — Massachusetts is poised to become the first state to provide nearly universal health care coverage with a bill passed overwhelmingly by the legislature Tuesday that Gov. Mitt Romney says he will sign.

SF Chronicle: UC Regents vote to shed Sudan investments

2006-03-19T15:35:00.000-08:00

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

Printable Version Email This Article

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

2006-03-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

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)

2006-03-08T00:38:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-08T00:17:00.000-08:00

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.