March 3rd, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy
Tags: Health Benefits, Health Insurance, Healthcare reform, Politics, Price Controls
No Comments »
Barely a week after Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said he wants state controls on the price of health insurance, President Obama apparently wants to do the same at the federal level. Both men must believe it’s good politics, because there are about 4,000 years of evidence that it’s not good policy.
But the trouble for reformers has never really been about policy. It’s been about a fundamental misunderstanding of how people view health care and the very bad things that happen when you give people the impression you’re going to mess with what they have.
In this sense, the reform bills are like perpetual anxiety machines. Contraptions that continually produce more public anxiety than they consume.
But why is this?
Well one of the surest ways to create anxiety in someone is to make them feel uncertain about something important to them. It’s one reason why companies suffer from problems with morale in tough economic times. If a company doesn’t level with its employees about what’s happening, smart employees start to assume it must be because the news is bad. Otherwise, why wouldn’t the management come out and explain that everything is ok? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
March 3rd, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Cardiology, Heart Attack, Hollywood, MI, Nursing, Signs, symptoms
No Comments »
How do you know if you’re having a heart attack? Are you thinking about the classic Hollywood example?
Hollywood Loves Drama – Know the Signs of a Heart Attack
The classic example of a Hollywood heart attack is a person clutching their chest, gasping for a breath and falling to the ground.
After all, Hollywood is hot for drama, and when it comes to portraying a person having a heart attack, the exaggerated Hollywood version is far more riveting than a person sitting quietly wondering if their very slight arm discomfort is anything they should be concerned about.
The Hollywood version can be very misleading. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
March 3rd, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, Opinion
Tags: Coordination, Facebook, Georgraphy, Google Maps, Groundcrew, Location, Schedules, Social Media, Twitter
No Comments »
Jay Parkinson has recently found a nice service that is in beta version now. It’s called Groundcrew and lets you organize people in real time by combining the power of Google Maps with your online communities and friends such as Twitter of Facebook. For example, I would like to organize free lectures about DNA in order to educate people living in my neighborhood about genomics and health. It’s not that easy to find people around my home but this tool lets me spread the word easily and manage all the people who join the live feed of the event.
Give it a try and see how the demo works.
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
March 3rd, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, News, Opinion
Tags: 911, Emergency Medicine, Emergency Service, EMS, Fee, Obesity, Phone Call, Surcharge
1 Comment »
It turns out calling 911 isn’t free. Imagine that. 911 communications may actually cost you money. People who pay taxes aren’t the only ones who are fitting the bill anymore. In some places ambulances are charging fat surcharges for the extra equipment necessary for the ambulance ride? How much does an ambulance ride cost if you are morbidly obese? How does an extra $500 in addition to the base rate.
But even people who don’t require extra equipment will have to start paying extra for the right to make the call to 911 communications. How much extra? How much will calling 911 cost in Tracy, California? Well, if you want to pay a $48 per year fee, you can call 911 communications centers as many times as you want. But if you don’t want to pay the fee, how does $300 per call sound. If you’re having a stroke, calling 911 communications may just cost you your arm and your leg.
That’s right. $300 to call 911 communications for an emergency. Or perhaps the problem is too many people are calling for nonemergency reasons. If you can’t get the frequent abusers who show up at the hospital by ambulance for nonemergent problems to stop calling 911, maybe you can collect their $300 by garnishing their welfare and disability checks.
At some point, our country is going to have to stop excusing the actions of the economic tax abusers and start implementing personal responsibility with real consequences that hold folks accountable for their actions. I think charging a fee is an excellent deterant to unnecssary abuse of a system that is overwhelmed with nonurgent convenience care.
*This blog post was originally published at Happy Hospitalist*
March 2nd, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Humor
Tags: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Physical Exam, Primary Care
No Comments »
People are asking for more physical exam posts.
People asked for more Millli Vanilli too. People aren’t always smart.
But you ask, I give. I am just that kind of guy. It’s been a long time (since October) since I have done a post on this subject. So for all of you “newbies” out there (I just wanted to use that word and sound like a nerd), I want to give you a recap of what I have already done on the physical exam. That way people who have not inflicted upon themselves read the old ones can get all caught up. To be honest, this is one of my favorite series as well. Or is that “serieses?” Where’s Grammar Girl when you need her? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
