“What Americans need to hear about free health care - OpEdNews.com” plus 4 more |
- What Americans need to hear about free health care - OpEdNews.com
- Paralyzed harp technician suggests a tune for health-care reform - Chicago Tribune
- SMS: We’re taking your baby - Copenhagen Post
- Commentary: Health bill would greatly benefit seniors - Poughkeepsie Journal
- Bounty Parenting Club Launches View on Demand 'How to Breastfeed ... - PR Newswire
| What Americans need to hear about free health care - OpEdNews.com Posted: 07 Sep 2009 07:39 AM PDT (more...) (less...) Add to My Group A personal experience and opinion on why a free health care system is something Americans should grab with open arms. An experience from a British guy living in the US, frustrated by the media during the health care reform debate. :::::::: I am angry and dismayed by the media and their willingness to give the loudest voice to those who are against the proposed change to a free health care system in the US. I am reading so many stories that are simply not true, many of them putting down the British NHS (National Health Service).Some of the latest writings describe a system under which the government plays God, deciding who lives and who dies. Whilst it may be true that under the NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) system not all newly developed treatments can be rolled out, but it is a careful balance rather than the murderous state the haters of reform are making it out to be. I want to give an example of why the NHS is so wonderful, and why Americans need to talk to those people who live under such a system - find a Canadian if you can't find a Brit! They are only next door. In the photo are Rebecca and Bailey, my twin daughters. This was taken back in June 2003 a few days after their birth. Let me explain those first few weeks to you. On June 2nd a problem was discovered with the pregnancy, nothing too serious but Bailey (only known medically as T2 at the time) had not grown in 2 weeks and her bigger sister, T1, was leaching all the nutrients from her. There was also a knot in T2's umbilical cord and so an emergency c-section at 35 weeks was essential. (Earlier in the pregnancy it was spotted that the girls were monoamniotic and monochorionic and so we had been having scans every 2 weeks. There are no charges for the doctors appointments, the scans or the follow-ups. Nothing.) So late at night on June 2nd their mum was prepped for surgery. In attendance was a surgeon and his assistant, an anaesthetist and his assistant, a paediatrician for each twin, and 2 paediatric nurses for each twin - including their mum, me and girls, there were 14 people in that room at just after midnight. Now it's true we had not met the surgeon before. Lindsey did not get to choose him or his team. And even if this was not an emergency she still would not have been able to choose the surgeon (although this is starting to happen more under the NHS). But this was an emergency, the guy seemed to know what he was doing and we were underway. How many Americans in that situation - one of the most emotionally horrific hours of my life - would be having to calculate their copay, having to call an insurance company or worst still, wondering what their house was worth because it was going to get taken off them to help pay the bill. All we had to care about until 01:19 AM was our girls. There were no costs to worry about, no bills to pay. When they were born there were some minor complications, T1 had to be resuscitated. But both were treated on the spot, packed up into incubators and rushed down to SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit). After an hour I was allowed down to see them to find the 2 tiny things you can see in these photos. Again, I didn't have to worry about what treatments I could afford or not, all I had to do was sit there and watch as some of the world's best health care was going on around me for the sake of my kids. They spent just over 4 weeks in total in the SCBU unit, and thankfully did not have any major problems. Other children were far worse off, and some sadly don't make it, but all were cared for to the best of that team's ability, and apart from always struggling to find vests small enough for premature babies, the team did not lack the equipment or training they needed. And what did it cost us when we finally got to take them home? A lot of grey hair, a box of chocolates, some flowers and a donation of 30 premature baby vests. That's it! There was no worrying when we got home that bills were going to start flooding through the letterbox, that we were going to lose our house or that we would have to compromise on their treatment. In fact the hospital proactively sent someone every week for a while to check on the progress. Free. Within the context of health care, FREE is the most powerful word. Free means you do not need to compromise. Free means everyone can go get help when they have chest pains in the middle of the night instead of worrying about their insurance, free means that lump will actually get checked. Free means less people die. I would never claim the NHS is perfect. It is a complex system catering to 60 million people. It is internally political, it is sometimes mis-managed and there will always be horror stories of when the system fails. But if I can give you just this one story to try and balance the utter garbage that the US media is feeding you with then job done. I have 3 girls who are all alive today thanks to the NHS. How is that a bad thing?
Dad, digital marketer and amateur photographer. Dax Hamman founded and manages the iCrossing Display Media group, and has been with the company for over 2 years. Dax has ten years in the digital space with experience in media, (more...) What States Can Do to Reform Health Care: A Free-Market Primer by John R. Graham $15.95 El 'mercado libre de' la salud en Chile. (privatización del seguro social en Chile)(TT: The health care 'free market' in Chile) (TA: privatization of social ... in Chile): An article from: Siempre! by José Angel Conchello $5.95 The Price of Life and the Cost of Health Care: Why the Free Market Alone Can't Fix Health Care by Peter A. Ubel $6.95 Our Right to Drugs: The Case for a Free Market by Thomas Stephen Szasz $19.95
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| Paralyzed harp technician suggests a tune for health-care reform - Chicago Tribune Posted: 07 Sep 2009 08:43 AM PDT |
| SMS: We’re taking your baby - Copenhagen Post Posted: 07 Sep 2009 06:35 AM PDT A local council informed a woman by SMS message that they planned to remove her baby into care A heavily pregnant woman received an SMS message just two weeks before she was due to give birth, informing her that her baby would be taken into care by child welfare authorities. The 32-year-old woman was a previous addict and has been subject to careful monitoring by the local council and health authorities during her pregnancy. She has also been subject to regular drug tests during that time, which her lawyer said the woman was willing to undertake for fear of losing the baby.However, the Ikast-Brande Council in Mid-Jutland contacted the woman via text message last Thursday saying the baby would be taken from her immediately after the birth. The council said that it usually contacted residents by letter or telephone, but had not been successful in this case, so the decision was taken to send an SMS to the woman. The woman's lawyer, Hanne Ziebe, said she feared it was a sign that that the authorities were too afraid to break the bad news to the mother personally and purposefully chose an impersonal way of communication. But Anton Rasmussen, head of the council's child and family department, said that it was not the case, and had advised the caseworker in question about the correct procedure for contacting clients.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Commentary: Health bill would greatly benefit seniors - Poughkeepsie Journal Posted: 07 Sep 2009 11:14 AM PDT (2 of 2) Addresses drug costsThe bill also tackles the rising cost of prescription drugs. Each year, approximately 165,000 seniors in New York, including 7,200 seniors living in the congressional district I represent, enter what is known as the "doughnut" hole - a gap in prescription drug coverage that forces Medicare Part D enrollees to pay 100 percent of the cost for drugs once they exceed $2,700 in annual drug costs. Beneficiaries must spend $3,454 in out-of-pocket expenses, on top of their monthly premiums, before the hole closes and they can begin receiving drug coverage again. The proposed health-care bill in the House would provide seniors with immediate relief by shrinking the hole so prescription drug coverage resumes earlier, saving many seniors $500 in 2011. The measure then continues to further shrink the doughnut hole, ultimately eliminating it altogether several years down the line. Further, seniors who fall into the hole during this transition period would receive brand-name drugs at a 50 percent discount to help ease the burden. Also included in the House bill is a provision that would finally grant the government the authority to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for discounts on drugs that are bought in bulk for the Medicare Part D program. The legislation that established the drug benefit program several years ago explicitly prohibited any such negotiations. As a result, it has enabled drug companies to take advantage of seniors and run up prices without any restraint. Importantly, the health-care bill also focuses on saving costs through preventive care. Currently, under Medi-care, seniors must make a copayment to get a physical exam or screening if they believe they have an illness or a serious medical condition such as cancer. Preventive care is the last thing we should be charging seniors for because it deters people from getting screened. The health-care bill in the House eliminates this copayment. If we can detect cancer and other diseases early on through preventive screenings, then not only are we better positioned to save lives but we will also save everyone significant long-term treatment costs. By taking these worthwhile steps, the health-care reform bill before the House will improve the quality of care for seniors and disabled Americans, save lives, and save money for all taxpayers.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Bounty Parenting Club Launches View on Demand 'How to Breastfeed ... - PR Newswire Posted: 07 Sep 2009 07:03 AM PDT LONDON, September 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Bounty, the UK's favourite parenting club, today launches a 4 minute 'How to Breastfeed' online video clip to help expectant and new mums take a real life, close up peek at how a baby 'latches on' to the breast when feeding. To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/bounty/39761/ Breastfeeding is the healthiest and most natural way to feed a baby, yet research by http://www.bounty.com has found that mums' intentions to breastfeed before the birth versus the reality when the baby is born are very different: During pregnancy one-in-two mums (49%) said they intended to only breastfeed, but in reality the actual number that solely breastfed dropped by half (to 25%). Before the birth of their baby, nearly three-quarters (73%) of women admitted to never being close enough in real life to a friend or family member to see how a baby 'latches on' to the breast, yet this is probably the simplest way for mums to learn the technique instead of following diagrams in leaflets, advice in books and mimicking with dolls and teddies in ante-natal classes. Bounty Parenting Spokesperson, Faye Mingo said; "Whilst there is lots of breastfeeding advice offered to new and expectant mums, some cannot access the information and support they need at exactly the right time. This video clip is not designed to replace health professional support, but simply acts as a useful refresher to help remind new mums of the 'latching on' technique through looking, learning and listening at anytime of day or night. To find out more visit:http://www.bounty.com Contact Lisa Penney - Head of PR Bounty lpenney@bounty.com Tel: +44-01707-294-000  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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