New WhatIf Content on Veterans Care, Resources
April 24, 2008
The newest piece on our website explores the crossroads of two of the most important policy issues to Americans:
Health care and the War.
As of April 2008, 1.6 million U.S. troops have deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Whatever your stand on the war or on health care, true patriots would give our men and women who suffer injury and trauma overseas the very best care when they return home.
You may be surprised, however, to learn they are not getting it.
Hurricane Katrina Also Destroyed Health Care
March 21, 2008
As of yesterday, heavy rains and melting snows brought rising floodwaters to the U.S., submerging areas stretching from the South through the Midwest towards the Northeast. Thousands of people were forced to flee 250 towns and cities. Images of people escaping their neighborhoods on rowboats and of the tornado that ripped through Atlanta last Friday may have evoked in some recent memories of another terrible weather event in a major Southern city.
This August will mark the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the costliest and one of the most deadly hurricanes in U.S. history. In 2005, the storm swept through coastal Louisiana and Mississippi, and Alabama.
Expert, Shmexpert
March 14, 2008
If you’ve ever owned a car and never built one, you know the sense of powerless frustration when something goes wrong with it. Unless you have the good fortune of having a best friend who is a mechanic, you never know whom you can trust to fix your car.
That sputtering and clanking, the clutch’s failure to engage, the air conditioner that keeps conking out – who knows what’s really causing it? You might as well hand your wallet over to your mechanic and hope he treats it gently. What’s more distressing is that all those tricks we resort to to keep us from feeling like total rubes – getting a second opinion, finding a mechanic who talks you through the problem – may not amount to anything.
The Last Frontier in Outsourcing?
March 12, 2008
With the costs of US health care rising along with growing awareness of its oftentimes comparatively poor quality, more and more Americans are going abroad for health treatment - half a million in 2005 - mostly to Mexico and other Latin American countries.
The loss of American manufacturing jobs was the first casualty of the global economy. Many thought service jobs would be safe: you can’t have your latte poured or your office cleaned by someone in another country. But as American telecommunications and technology jobs have drifted to India and elsewhere, health care jobs seem to be following suit.
Health Care Outlook Gloomy in the Golden State
March 10, 2008
The debate on health care in this country and how it needs to be reformed often centers around the issue of uninsurance. But getting insured in order to afford care is only half the battle; getting good quality care is also important.
There is an effort under way right now in California to expand and improve the state’s health system. While the first image that comes to mind when people think of the Golden State is sunshine, surfboards and muscle beach, the average Californian may not be that healthy.
“Freedom and Unity” and Excellent Health
February 28, 2008
If you’ve ever wondered which of our 50 states has the healthiest populace, wonder no longer – someone’s keeping track. For the first time in its 18 years of rankings, the United Health Foundation has placed Vermont at number 1. The Green Mountain State has been steadily climbing in the rankings since taking 8th in 2001, up from an initial position of 16th in 1990.
- Second place went to Minnesota, down from its 1st place finish the last 4 years and in 7 other years since 1990.
- Third place went to Hawaii, followed by New Hampshire, Connecticut and Utah.
SWF Looking for CHC
February 14, 2008
What if you were battling cancer but didn’t have health insurance? How far would you go to get it? Like immigrants who marry citizens to get a green card, at least one person is trying the approach of looking for love - and coverage. Both heartbreaking and humorous, this article has the story of a Seattle woman who used her blog to advertise that she was looking for a Canadian man who would marry her and share his government-sponsored health care coverage.
Nurses Prefer Contact to Computers
January 9, 2008
Picture yourself in a hospital bed. Unpleasant, for sure. But aside from family and maybe friends and a super-competent doctor, what’s the most reassuring presence? A nurse. Nurses are often the lifeblood of hospital care - performing the doctors instructions, making sure you’re as comfortable as possible, administering the pain meds and fetching an extra blanket. But the question is now becoming: would you rather have a nurse hovering over you or hovering over a computer? As hospitals move to adopt new technology to help insure quality of care and to reduce medical errors, nurses find they’re getting more and more face-time with a computer screen than with their patients.
Better Website for Medicare RX Plans
October 18, 2007
The Federal Government has launched a more user-friendly website that lets Medicare enrollees compare the various prescription drug plans and benefits options offered in their communities. A new five-star rating system lets users compare Medicare prescription drug plans based on access to care, quality of care, customer satisfaction and other measures. Website users can also compare and sort plans by annual costs - including prescriptions, monthly premiums, coverage levels in the so-called “doughnut hole” and other factors - and view the information in one chart.
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