Health Highlights: March 14, 2009

America's food supply has been tremendously compromised by Bush Administration incompetence and intentional non-enforcement. Please overhaul these agencies asap and dismiss the notion the industry can police itself - its a lie perpetrated by Republicans to avoid regulation, enforcement, and anything resembling looking out for the public interests.

Perhaps we need to bring some justice like the Chinese did with their Milk Contamination controversy - execute some of those responsible for the oversight as a deterrent. Who can deny those who drank the contaminated milk were killed in the commission of a crime. Here we have criminal peanut butter executives responsible for the deaths of Americans, but also some at government regulatory agencies that let them get away with it - maybe we should treat them no different than any other serial killers.

Accountability was in short supply in the Bush Era and now its the time to take back our country from corporate interests who bought off Bush.

Paul of WA 7:08PM March 15, 2009

require 3 opinions, third one ouside the area before any major surgery is performed unless its an emergency.Redding in Calif had hundreds of unnecessary bypass surgeries,several doctors and hospital lost their licenses.

Drug companies spend more money on advertising than they do on research. Ban all advertizing as in Europe and reduce prescrition costs

Alex Borris of CA 1:59AM March 15, 2009

The story you present incorporates much of the often repeated information which has many flaws.

1. Measures of results comparing the US system to the UK and other developed countries are comparing apples to oranges. Infant mortality statistics are not collected using the same standard. We often treat sicker and older patients for problmes such as those that require organ transplants. There are many measures of the outcomes of care that are not comparing equal populations of patients in different countries.

2. The US population is more obese than those in other countries. I visited China and there are very few overweiht or obese people there. Our lifestyles present the medical system with a higher rate of diabetes, hypertension and problems such as the need for joint replacement due to overeating and lack of exercise. These costs will only be reduced when the public gets motivated to eat a better diet and get more exercise. Eating healthy does not have to be expensive. The media could help by providing information on inexpensive healty foods and how to prepare them.

3. China does not spend much on healthcare because its citizens only get care if they can pay for it out of pocket. I've been there and seen it. If you have no money in China and get sick you get no care. That sure saves money.

4. The UK cuts costs via rationing. Treatments deemed too expensive may not be covered at all regardless of their benfits to patients. Rationing occurs by making services available only after long waits.In Great Britian and Ireland, where there is a national health system there are waits of up to two years to see a specialist. Patients possibly die prior to getting treatment or wait months to years for services Americans are used to getting within days or weeks. Agian, I've been there and seen it. Many preventative services are not covered at all. In England, screening colonosopies which save lives by preventing colon cancer are not provided at all under the National Health Service.

5. Some solutions--- Get patients in the US to have a "dog in the fight." Patients who have insurance should share more of the expense of treatment which would encourage better choices. When patients have no out of pocket expense most do not care what their health care costs.

Obese people shoud pay higher premiums and higher co-pays for obesity related disease. We might give them time to take off weight prior to such penalties but there should be a cost for not participating more in helping to improve ones own health.

If we don't address these problems and thus let the government take over the system it will become more expensive at first it will then require rationing. Rationing will be done by government officials. It would be far better to create a system that gives people incentives to help control costs. Individuals would then have more power over their health and the care they get.

WAKE UP,OR AMERICANS MIGHT GET WHAT THEY THINK THEY WANT!

CHK of NC 11:44AM March 14, 2009

I would rather see our stockyards and slaughterhouses reformed so animals are given space and access to clean air and water. The E-coli vaccine just covers up the fundamental problem that the meat we eat does not come from healthy animals. It's no surprise we are seeing problems like e.coli and mad cow.

Anne of PA 11:14AM March 14, 2009