When Insurers Take Their Toys and Go Home
May 10, 2008
For the past few years there has been work in cities and states across the country to improve our citizens’ access to health care. From San Francisco to Vermont, 39 states and a number of cities are in the process of creating legislation that would help address their numbers of uninsured.
Washington, D.C. is one of these. A look at the trouble our nation’s capital is facing on this issue may shed a light on why the words “health care reform” are often greeted with less than a smile.
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.
Health Care: The Joke Is On You
March 7, 2008
It seemed to be health care night over at Comedy Central’s nighttime “news” shows last night. First, John Stewart interviewed former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle about his new book Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.
According to the Publishers Weekly summary of the book:
Cancer Without Coverage
February 26, 2008
The number of uninsured Americans rose by more than 20% to 47 million from 2000 to 2006. Children and employees at every income level lost coverage during this time. With cancer as the number one cause of death in the U.S. one wonders how the uninsured fight this merciless killer.
The answer? Not so well. A recent study – the first to chart a dozen major cancer types using nationwide data - shows that those with private insurance fare better in the war against cancer than those without. The uninsured are twice as likely (and those covered by Medicaid 80% more likely) to receive a diagnosis of cancer in its late stages when it’s difficult to combat the disease. Typically, the under-insured don’t get screened for cancer as often or as thoroughly so the diagnosis is delayed, as is follow-up treatment.
Faith-Based Health Care?
February 15, 2008
With the portion of non-elderly uninsured in this country at nearly 18%, one in five Americans must be wondering how they’ll get health care if they need it. ER rooms and walk-in clinics are a typical resource for folks who can’t rely on health insurance to cover their health care tabs. Churches, an age-old institution and social service provider, may now be ministering to the public in a new way: health care. According to a recent survey conducted by the National Council of Churches, about 70% of U.S. churches provide direct health care services via medical professionals to either their members or the community, with half offering such services to both. Services include counseling, medical tests, health education and vaccinations. These churches also help fund local clinics and provide financial aid for those with large medical bills.
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