Source: Treehugger In the “old days,” there were no electric clothes dryers. Laundry was hung outside to dry, weather permitting. Today almost everyone has access to an electric dryer. They’re said to consume at least 6 percent of household electricity, at a cost of $5 billion a year in the US. As we become more… Read more
Category Archives: Politics & Issues
Have fun. Help the environment. Sell cars.
Source: Virgin Media The Volkswagen E-UP! model is not only electric. It has over 10 square feet of solar panels. And it comes with an electric scooter that folds up and fits in the back. That way you can park at a recharging station, as long as it’s not too far from your destination. Clearly… Read more
Universal health care: What would Socrates do?
Raphael, The School of Athens Source: Paula Muhlestein I loved this post from the Widener Law Health Law Institute blog. It’s both wise and entertaining. Here are a few excerpts, but I recommend reading the whole post. Read more
Keith Olbermann & the Fight against Death
The Nose on Your Face The thing about Keith Olbermann is, I tend to agree with his positions far more than I care for his over-the-top, full-of-himself histrionic shtick. So I approached his “Special Commentary” on health care — one hour of nothing but the largest talking head on TV — with both interest and… Read more
Why is it so hard to reform health care? Rugged individualism
Source: Banning and Low Excellent op-ed piece on health care reform in the Sunday Times. It’s by Roger Cohen, who recently returned from a trip to Germany. Europeans readily acknowledge universal health coverage as a basic right in a civilized society. Americans have great difficulty with this concept. The current health care debate in the… Read more
Doctors and the health crisis of global warming
Let’s look at the facts. Global warming inevitably leads to a global health crisis. Health and disease are the province of the medical profession. Shouldn’t doctors be speaking out on the health crisis of global warming? Last month the two leading British medical journals – The Lancet and the British Medical Journal — published an… Read more
Climate crisis. Health crisis. Same difference.
Climate change is a more serious problem than we thought it was just a few years ago. A big rise in global temperature may not happen for another 40 years, but other changes are “imminent,” according to Science magazine. A permanent drought, with Dust Bowl-like conditions, could become the “new climatology” of the American Southwest… Read more
A reason for health care reform
Image: Jordan Maxwell We all know why Liberals want to make health care available for all Americans. Liberals have bleeding hearts and a proclivity for redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor. They would agree with Peter Montague that “the growing gap between rich and poor has not been ordained by extraterrestrial beings. It… Read more
Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: The health care shell game
Source: Tax Tea Party When it comes to health care reform, there are moral issues and financial issues. If there are indeed 46.3 million Americans without health insurance; if 45,000 people die every year from preventable causes because they have no health insurance; if the US ranks 21st out of the 21 wealthiest nations on… Read more
Acne, allergy, and toe nail fungus make you uninsurable
Source: The Long-Term Care Company One reason we need health care reform is the insurance industry practice of canceling or refusing insurance coverage. Since insurance companies are profit-making endeavors, it’s understandable that they don’t want to insure someone with a history of cancer, diabetes, or even arthritis. What about those people who truly believe they’ve… Read more
How Australia does preventive health care
Source: textually.org The Australian government is about to introduce a number of public health measures dealing with smoking, alcohol, and obesity. The measures are designed to reduce chronic diseases and make Australia the world’s healthiest nation by 2020. Australia’s National Preventative Health Taskforce has published a report that includes 174 recommendations for preventing disease. Among… Read more
Why is it so hard to reform health care? Political structure
Source: Amazon A country’s health care system reflects its character, ethics, and cultural values. Politics, medicine, and economics may shape the particular design of a system, but when it comes to deciding who will be included, that’s a moral question. The United States is the only industrialized democracy that does not guarantee health care to… Read more
Global warming makes me sick
There’s an unfortunate parallel between the politics of climate change and the politics of US health care reform. They differ in scale — global vs. domestic. But consider this: Who suffers the most from the lack of universal health care in the US? The poor and unemployed. Who will suffer the most from climate change?… Read more
Why is it so hard to reform health care? The historical background
Some segments of the American population receive excellent health care. Statistics on their life expectancy, mortality, and risk factors for disease compare favorably to citizens of other advanced countries. What throws off the numbers for the US — the reason our overall statistics are 23 points behind Britain, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan on a… Read more
Your insurance industry at work
Source: State of the Division Here’s something about health care reform that can unite the Left and the Right. They should find this equally offensive. The one Congressional committee that has yet to agree on its legislative reform plan is Max Baucus’ Senate Finance Committee. An 18-page summary (PDF) of what we can expect was… Read more
After health care reform, will Big Insurance be the enemy of Big Food?
Source: eHow Michael Pollan has a great editorial in today’s New York Times on Big Insurance and Big Food. Could health care reform motivate the insurance industry to lobby for healthier food? The argument goes like this. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of health care dollars are spent on preventable… Read more
Kennedy's posthumous letter, Obama on American character, a Congressman's apology
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina Source: The New York Times Two years ago, when Democrats were preparing for the presidential primaries, a liberal political expert advised against discussing health care for the uninsured. Everyone loves to say they care about the issue, he said. No one – with the possible exception of Ted Kennedy… Read more
Swine flu and hand washing: The how, the when, and the why
Source: PR Newswire There are a number of things about the H1N1 (swine) flu that are different from the seasonal flu we see each year. For example, adolescents are at a greater risk of dying than younger children. This is just the opposite of what we typically expect. In a normal flu season, at least… Read more
Swine flu, kids, and a "wash your hands" rap video
Source: Feelgood Health Here’s a well-written story by a mother (Brigid Schulte) whose son caught the flu at summer camp. She ended up nursing a houseful of sick patients, including herself. Everyone survived, but it was no picnic. The subtitle of the article is “During the Swine Flu Season, Think Before You Share a Drink… Read more
Flu season: Should we stop shaking hands?
Source: The New York Times Click photo for larger view. What with the start of school, the flu season may already be here. Washington State University has already reported over 2000 students with flu symptoms. Public health officials recommend staying three to five feet away from anyone who coughs or sneezes. Also from anyone who… Read more
Preparing for the flu: Why don't we do it in our sleeves?
Source: Coughsafe.com Goodness! I’ve been sneezing into my elbow and didn’t realize it was socially unacceptable. It makes so much sense. You should never sneeze into your hands unless you can wash them without first touching something. Handkerchiefs collect germs and tissues should be used only once. This first video is from the CDC and… Read more
What's next for health care reform? Reconciliation
Source: Gearlog Optimists predict that media coverage of Senator Kennedy’s death will shame Republicans into changing their opposition to health care reform. Nicholas Lemann, writing in the New Yorker, says, “Kennedy’s death … will cost Obama a vote in the Senate, but this may be outweighed–is it too much to hope?–by the good feeling that… Read more
Should Obama have pitched health care differently? Will Kennedy's death make a difference?
Source: The AV Club “Obama surely has made mistakes, among them focusing so heavily on how reform would reduce the cost of medicine. Had he spent more time reminding voters that reform would provide them with the security they now lack–security from financial ruin and medical catastrophe, the type private insurance too rarely provides–he probably… Read more
Edward Kennedy: Healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege
Source: WTRF Some tributes to Senator Edward Kennedy and some honest recollections and assessments. Ezra Klein in The Washington Post: “Year after year, decade after decade, he labored to pass health-care reform. He sought deals with Republican presidents, with Democratic presidents, and even pursued the office himself. He tried to cut out the health-care industry… Read more
Are insurance co-ops a reasonable alternative to the public option?
Source: The Washington Post Dan Roam’s visual presentation of the issues involved in health care reform lists three possible options for health insurance: Private insurance, non-profit insurance exchanges or co-ops, and a government insured plan (the “public option”). There’s been much media speculation lately that the public option is now out of the picture. There… Read more
Health Culture Daily Dose #17
Additional stories related to health. Categories include: More articles on Health Care Reform, History of Medicine, Medical Journalism, Medical Technology, Medical News, Pharmaceuticals, Pop Culture, Social Media and the Internet, and The So-Called Obesity “Epidemic.” HEALTH CARE REFORM A ‘Common Sense’ American Health Reform Plan (The New York Times – Uwe Reinhardt) After studying this… Read more
The So-Called Obesity "Epidemic"
Source: Everything Changes I was planning to include a category called “The So-Called Obesity ‘Epidemic’” in the next Daily Dose, so I thought I should first explain what I mean by that. Back in June, there was an article in The Washington Post called “Judging Fat People.” Here are some excerpts: “Be honest: What’s your… Read more
Health Culture Daily Dose #16
Here are some things I’ve come across recently. Categories include: Aging/End of Life/Death, Doctors, Influenza, Genetics, and Health Care Reform. AGING, END OF LIFE, AND DEATH End-of-Life Care: Where Ethics Meet Economics (The New York Times – Uwe Reinhardt) Health spending in the United States has doubled every 10 years during the last four decades.… Read more
Is there a doctor on board?
Source: flickr Imagine you’re a doctor flying back to the US from Singapore with a medical colleague. Shortly after your first class lunch, the Korean man across the aisle groans and regurgitates his meal. The flight attendant announces: “Could I have your attention, please. Is there a doctor on board?” Moments later a female passenger… Read more
Fear of flying: Will I catch swine flu on an airplane?
Source: National Geographic Kids When you breathe recirculated airplane air, do you expose yourself to the coughs and sneezes of everyone onboard? Well, not quite everyone. Most airlines do not circulate air along the length of the cabin, allowing it to interact with every passenger. Air is circulated from side to side in discrete sections… Read more