Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a $12 billion-a-year plan to extend health care coverage to most of California’s 6.5 million uninsured and make it the second state, behind Massachusetts, to require everyone to carry insurance. Coverage for the poorest of the poor would be free; for many others, it would be heavily subsidized.
US President Bush would veto legislation requiring the government to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices under Medicare. The House is to debate and vote on the bill on friday.
A survey of hospital death rates for almost 47,000 people with heart attacks, stroke, pneumonia and blood poisoning has revealed that 30-day death rates varied from 10 percent to 28 percent across 75 hospitals. The researchers also surveyed some 4,000 nurses and came up with a list of key factors which accounted for the variance.
Advances in medical technology are a main factor driving the trend of increasing health-care costs, and industry stakeholders agree that improved evaluation methods are needed to better measure the benefits and risks of new technologies and procedures in order to avoid misallocation of health-care dollars.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a proposal that would require all state residents to obtain health insurance and would share the cost among employers, individuals, health care providers, health insurers and the government.
Expanding coverage for the uninsured should be the top health care priority for the new Congress over the next five years, identified as “absolutely essential” or “very important” by 88 percent of respondents to the latest Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey. Other top priorities are moderating rising health care costs (81 percent), reforming Medicare to ensure long-term solvency (80 percent), and increasing use of information technology to improve quality and safety of patient care (80 percent).
U.S. House of Representatives Democrats introduced legislation on Friday that would require the health secretary to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs covered by the Medicare insurance program for the elderly and disabled. A vote by the full House is expected on Jan_12.
Attempts to address widespread and persistent health disparities between African Americans and whites has led to advocacy for increasing the number of African American physicians in the healthcare workforce. A recent article in Health Services Research proposes that this will improve health outcomes in African American communities and among the disadvantaged and poor.
A first of its kind study by a researcher in the University of Georgia School of Social Work finds that repeatedly hearing the stories of trauma victims doubles the risk of social workers themselves experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
“My father is exhausted caring for my mother with dementia. He refuses all help and I see him declining. I don’t know what to do or where to find help.” Visits over the holidays bring to the attention of adult children concerns about aging parents. More of us will be facing care giving needs as the oldest of the baby boomers will be celebrating their 61st birthdays this year and over 37 million Americans are age 65 or over, representing 12.5% of the U.S. population.