William Heisel interviews Delaware journalist Jonathan Starkey about how he uncovered life-threatening denials of diagnostic tests by an insurer.
This story is Part 15 of a 15-part series that examines health care needs in Gary, Ind.
How will health care reform impact Gary and its citizens?
While the Republican-dominated U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Accountable Care Act of 2010, the U.S. Senate isn’t likely to follow suit, meaning the landmark health reform legislation will continue to change the way many Americans receive health care.
West Virginia's two Republican U.S. representatives voted with GOP colleagues Wednesday to overturn federal health care reform.
Gov. Joe Manchin's support for federal health-care reform has come under attack as Republicans try to tie the U.S. Senate hopeful to President Obama, but those who have worked with the Democratic governor on state health issues say a closer look at his time in office reveals a fiscally conservative record with mixed results.
Here's a recap of the latest developments on the health reform front, along with some helpful resources and story ideas for your community.
March 21, 2010, 10 p.m. PST
Misadministration. When a physician has made a horrible mistake with wide-ranging ramifications, the terms "negligence," "malpractice" even "incompetence" might come to mind. Now this wonderful euphemism glides onto the scene, draping the wreckage in a filigree of blamelessness, warding off trial lawyers and investigative journalists.
A federal court of appeals recently upheld a lower court's 2006 decision that found the tobacco industry guilty of racketeering and fraud. The House of Representatives has already voted to give the F.D.A. powers to regulate tobacco products, and the Senate is considering a similar vote. It's time for universities such as the University of California to wake up and cut their research ties with Big Tobacco, which has long used university research results to defraud the public.
Foodborne illness refers to any sickness that results from consuming a solid food, milk, water or other beverage, generally because it has been contaminated. The Centers for Disease Control estimated in 1999 that there are 76 million cases of foodborne illness annually in the United States, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. This is the most recent estimate available as of March 2010. The total impact of foodborne illness, however, is likely underestimated because many cases are not reported.
Michael F. Cannon is the Cato Institute's director of health policy studies. Previously, he served as a domestic policy analyst for the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee under Chairman Larry E. Craig, where he advised the Senate leadership on health, education, labor, welfare, and the Second Amendment. Mr. Cannon has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, C-SPAN, Fox News Channel, and NPR.
E. Richard Brown, Ph.D. is the founder and director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and a professor at the UCLA School of Public Health. Professor Brown has studied and written extensively on disadvantaged populations' access to health care. His studies of health insurance coverage, the uninsured and eligibility for public programs have been used by California's governors, legislators and advocates in crafting health insurance legislation and programs.
