Politics
Welfare for health insurance companies
Dec/16/09 22:09
Up until last night, I supported the healthcare reform plans of President Obama. I did so, despite the evisceration of important parts of the proposed law, including the public option, stricter controls on insurance companies, and broader coverage for more people. What we are going to have is a law that is no more than a transfer of wealth from the taxpayers to rich health insurance companies. Sure, those companies have to accept customers with pre-existing conditions, but they get to charge more. Sure, they have to accept older individuals, but they get to charge them more.
Moreover, this bill will charge people who do not have insurance so that they might be covered. If they don’t have the money, the government will give it to you, and it will go to the insurance companies. Senators Joe Lieberman and Mary Landrieu, bought and paid for by the health insurance industry have sold out their values for these companies. Neither of them, supposed Democrats, have shown any conviction, any morals or any beliefs that are not bought in cash. The health insurance companies must be popping corks from bottles of Dom Perignon.
Some people say that it’s better to have a plan than none. I disagree. I think this plan will bankrupt the country, but in a wholly different way that the Republicans are saying. Without real reform, the cost to the citizens will be tremendous. Read More...
Moreover, this bill will charge people who do not have insurance so that they might be covered. If they don’t have the money, the government will give it to you, and it will go to the insurance companies. Senators Joe Lieberman and Mary Landrieu, bought and paid for by the health insurance industry have sold out their values for these companies. Neither of them, supposed Democrats, have shown any conviction, any morals or any beliefs that are not bought in cash. The health insurance companies must be popping corks from bottles of Dom Perignon.
Some people say that it’s better to have a plan than none. I disagree. I think this plan will bankrupt the country, but in a wholly different way that the Republicans are saying. Without real reform, the cost to the citizens will be tremendous. Read More...
Science, lies, and stolen emails
Dec/04/09 01:19
As this is a blog about medicine, I haven’t written much about global warming. Moreover, until a few months ago, I was a bit of a skeptic about the science behind global warming. My skepticism was centered on a few key points that I didn’t feel had been adequately addressed:
Of course, my feelings on global warming would demolish my bona fides to be skeptical about alternative medicine and other pseudoscience. However, I thought the true global warming deniers (and even more so, those who deny the human cause of global warming) were true pseudoscientists, so I decided to study it myself, learning as much as I could about the subject. As I did, my skepticism faded. I found out that the Medieval Warm Period wasn’t as warm as I presumed, and that there is little global evidence that it was actually warmer then compared to today. In fact, regional differences in temperature can be large. I guess it goes back to correlation vs. causation. I was being pseudoscientific in my early thinking about global warming.
Actually, my discomfort with the much of what I was hearing from global warming deniers was similar to what I read from the anti-vaccination crowd. Each of the climate change denier’s pseudoscience is easily debunked. Read More...
- First, I was unconvinced that current temperatures exceeded that of the Medieval Warm Period, a period of warm climate in the North Atlantic from about 800 to 1300. During this time, the weather was warm enough for the Vikings to colonize Greenland and to support a settlement in Newfoundland.
- Second, California glaciers (yes California has numerous glaciers), like Palisade Glaciers in the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges were only about 700 years old, so obviously (to me), it’s colder today than it was before these glaciers formed.
- Third, the earth is just so complicated, it might take hundreds if not thousands of years of data to see any real trends.
Of course, my feelings on global warming would demolish my bona fides to be skeptical about alternative medicine and other pseudoscience. However, I thought the true global warming deniers (and even more so, those who deny the human cause of global warming) were true pseudoscientists, so I decided to study it myself, learning as much as I could about the subject. As I did, my skepticism faded. I found out that the Medieval Warm Period wasn’t as warm as I presumed, and that there is little global evidence that it was actually warmer then compared to today. In fact, regional differences in temperature can be large. I guess it goes back to correlation vs. causation. I was being pseudoscientific in my early thinking about global warming.
Actually, my discomfort with the much of what I was hearing from global warming deniers was similar to what I read from the anti-vaccination crowd. Each of the climate change denier’s pseudoscience is easily debunked. Read More...
Civilized Medicine, Part III. My Proposal
Aug/18/09 11:53
Originally, I was going to make my proposals for healthcare reform as the last item. But now there is so much debating, amending, backtracking, and all around lying, I can’t figure out what’s being proposed. Well, I do know there are no death panels, even if Sarah Palin makes stuff up. Since I’ve installed myself as health care czar (in my own mind), let me make my proposals. Read More...
Civilized medicine, Part IIa. Myths
Aug/15/09 14:49
Although so many others have debunked this myth, I want to make sure that I add to the roar (of laughter, derision and anger) about the latest right-wing attempt to demonize healthcare reform.
Stephen Hawking, the world’s preeminent theoretical physicist, has a form of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease in the United States), a progressive neuromuscular disease, which has left him paralyzed and unable to communicate except through an advanced communication device. Despite his disease, he has published numerous books and starred in an episode of Star Trek:The Next Generation. On August 3, an Investor’s Business Daily editorial stated, “People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the U.K. where the National Health Service would say the quality of life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless." Read More...
Stephen Hawking, the world’s preeminent theoretical physicist, has a form of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease in the United States), a progressive neuromuscular disease, which has left him paralyzed and unable to communicate except through an advanced communication device. Despite his disease, he has published numerous books and starred in an episode of Star Trek:The Next Generation. On August 3, an Investor’s Business Daily editorial stated, “People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the U.K. where the National Health Service would say the quality of life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless." Read More...
And now, for something lighter
Aug/13/09 11:24
I can’t be serious all the time. And this video is so creative and topical! Read More...
Healthcare reform = Nazism
Aug/13/09 10:15
I have been vaguely uncomfortable with the comparison of Obama’s healthcare plan with Nazis or Hitler. Use of that analogy in a discussion or debate is often referred to as Godwin’s Law, which states that “As a discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” What has begun to trouble me is that either those opposed to healthcare reform are clueless about recent history, or they are representing a form of Holocaust denial, which is a belief that the murder of six million Jews during World War II did not happen. I know that certain individuals in the healthcare debate are prone to rhetorical flourish, but there is no way that healthcare reform is equivalent to Nazi’s. Unless you believe that Hitler was engaged in “healthcare reform”, or worse yet, you think the death of six million Jews is not the worst thing that Hitler did (well, the Holocaust and being directly responsible for the deaths of tens of millions as a result of the war itself).
Many others are becoming convinced that the right wing is spreading Holocaust denial as a part of making their hatred against Obama and this new healthcare plan. According to Arthur Caplan, a renowned bioethicist, “Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the rest of the loud-mouthed right wing are, when they even hint at an analogy to the Nazis in talking about Obama’s health reform effort, engaged in something far worse than insanity. They are engaged in the vile evil of Holocaust denial.”
Those who are opposed to Civilized Medicine are so filled with hatred, that they cannot even provide cogent and positive points about healthcare reform. You just can’t make stuff up. Read More...
Many others are becoming convinced that the right wing is spreading Holocaust denial as a part of making their hatred against Obama and this new healthcare plan. According to Arthur Caplan, a renowned bioethicist, “Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the rest of the loud-mouthed right wing are, when they even hint at an analogy to the Nazis in talking about Obama’s health reform effort, engaged in something far worse than insanity. They are engaged in the vile evil of Holocaust denial.”
Those who are opposed to Civilized Medicine are so filled with hatred, that they cannot even provide cogent and positive points about healthcare reform. You just can’t make stuff up. Read More...
Civilized medicine, Part II. Myths
Aug/09/09 10:17
I have found the commentary against the proposed healthcare reform to be both disturbing (Limbaugh’s comments dishonors the memory of the Holocaust) and silly (and kind of disturbing too). But almost all of the comments are based on myths, and as those of you who read this blog know, I can’t stand myths. The disinformation about Obama’s healthcare plan is poisoning the debate, because rational people tend to dismiss an opposing viewpoint if it has no sound foundation in logic. I think that there should be a reasoned debate on how to fix the healthcare system of the US. It’s not happening, because one side is channeling its hatred of the other side, and reason goes flying out the door.
Let me refute some of the more outlandish of the myths about healthcare reform. Let me state upfront that there were so many to choose, and some of them were so laughable, I didn’t know where to start. Read More...
Let me refute some of the more outlandish of the myths about healthcare reform. Let me state upfront that there were so many to choose, and some of them were so laughable, I didn’t know where to start. Read More...
Civilized medicine, Part I. Why?
Aug/05/09 01:01
Unless you live in a world that does not include the media or internet, you must be aware of the level and tone of debate about healthcare reform. Before we can discuss healthcare reform, we need to establish why we need healthcare reform. Cutting through the rhetoric as to what needs to be done, we still need to know the reasons that have lead the US to the point where we need to seriously consider some level of reform of the system. Setting aside some of the rhetoric and arguments, let’s look at the key issues regarding healthcare in the US. Read More...
Civilized medicine
Aug/04/09 23:44
I’m titling this post “Civilized Medicine” as opposed to “socialized medicine.” What I’m really going to discuss is Obama’s healthcare plan, but I wanted to start out by demolishing that old strawman argument that attempts to dismiss new ideas by calling them “socialist.” A civilized society owes its citizens the right to a healthy life. But that’s just semantics, and a thorough review the Obama’s proposal is warranted. When I first started to write this entry, I thought I could do it one article, albeit a long one. Instead, to make it easier to read, I’ve decided to do it over four parts over the next few days. Read More...
Tom Harkin's wants to waste money on healthcare
Jul/03/09 10:59
Tom Harkin, Democratic Senator from Iowa, and one of the leading supporters of quack medicine is at it again. As the US Senator who forced the junk science NCCAM onto the National Institutes of Health and has drained precious scientific research dollars, he is now putting his pseudoscientific ideas into health care reform. As a member of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), he is trying to be sneaky, because he has the power to do so. He has been instrumental in attaching some amendments to the Affordable Health Choices Act (the formal name for the bill in Congress to reform healthcare policy), including:
I have no issue with the first two, especially since the cost of medical education is so large that some deferment is appropriate. I might add that other health care students (pharmacy, nursing, and other technical specialties in medicine) should receive a similar consideration. Read More...
- A provision to allow medical students to defer loan repayment until they finish their residencies
- Limits on the types of expenses medical students cover with loan funds
- An provision to promote and fund research on pain management
- Inclusion of alternative medicine workers in the bill's definition of "healthcare workforce"
I have no issue with the first two, especially since the cost of medical education is so large that some deferment is appropriate. I might add that other health care students (pharmacy, nursing, and other technical specialties in medicine) should receive a similar consideration. Read More...
Healthcare IT growth potential
Apr/13/09 07:09
Today, Kim Hart at the Washington Post wrote an interesting column about one of the positive effects of the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus package) for the health care industry. Approximately $19 billion of the package is specifically targeted for health information technology (HIT) upgrades for providers such as hospitals, clinics, and individual physician practices. As discussed previously, improved HIT is a cornerstone of a long-term plan to improve the quality and decrease the costs of health care in the US.
Investment in HIT should have some positive consequences to the healthcare industry:
Investment in HIT should have some positive consequences to the healthcare industry:
- Improve health care quality
- Prevent medical errors
- Reduce health care costs
- Increase administrative efficiencies
- Decrease paperwork
- Expand access to affordable care
Strength of the medical products industry
Mar/30/09 09:11
There continues to be quite a bit of anecdotal data that the medical products industry, including medical device, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical sectors of the industry, is healthy and employment is running counter to the recession. I do not have definitive evidence why hiring is strong in this industry, but the assumption must be that most medical products companies are flush with cash, have products ready for launch in the next year, or are building staff in advance of an upswing in the economy. It could be all of the above. As discussed previously, the medical products industry is currently undervalued, especially if the predicted decrease in unemployment and improvement in the economy occurs late in 2010.
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If it looks like a duck...then it must be Quack medicine
Mar/03/09 22:29
One of the largest wastelands of medical science is something that has evolved into being called Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). What is CAM? There’s no clear definition, but the epicenter for this pseudo-medicine is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) which was funded by the US Congress to be a part of the National Institutes of Health. They define CAM as CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. The most common CAM therapies are homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathy and herbalism. Typical of most pseudosciences, it does not rely upon the scientific method to generate results, it usually appeals to emotion, such as the great Big Pharma conspiracy against these potentially life-saving therapies.
I think that individuals should choose the therapy that they want, especially if it does no harm. If I had a chronic and terminal disease, I might choose an alternative therapy. If someone chooses to consume vast amounts of vitamin C to prevent cancer, despite little or no evidence that it works, that is their choice. What is troubling is when CAM is offered as an appropriate replacement to evidence based medicine, that is, “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.” Best evidence relies upon scientific and clinical research, publication in peer-reviewed (and respected) journals, and sometimes, the opinions of respected authorities in the field.
The National Institutes of Health is a US government agency responsible for biomedical and health related research. One of the “centers” of NIH is NCCAM, which was established in 1991 by order of Congress. In fact, Senator Tom Harkin (D, Iowa) pushed for the formation of the center because he had been cured of allergies by taking bee pollen supplements, despite the fact that there is no scientific evidence that bee pollen would do so. In fact, there’s more evidence that bee pollen will cause an adverse allergic reaction. Read More...
I think that individuals should choose the therapy that they want, especially if it does no harm. If I had a chronic and terminal disease, I might choose an alternative therapy. If someone chooses to consume vast amounts of vitamin C to prevent cancer, despite little or no evidence that it works, that is their choice. What is troubling is when CAM is offered as an appropriate replacement to evidence based medicine, that is, “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.” Best evidence relies upon scientific and clinical research, publication in peer-reviewed (and respected) journals, and sometimes, the opinions of respected authorities in the field.
The National Institutes of Health is a US government agency responsible for biomedical and health related research. One of the “centers” of NIH is NCCAM, which was established in 1991 by order of Congress. In fact, Senator Tom Harkin (D, Iowa) pushed for the formation of the center because he had been cured of allergies by taking bee pollen supplements, despite the fact that there is no scientific evidence that bee pollen would do so. In fact, there’s more evidence that bee pollen will cause an adverse allergic reaction. Read More...
The recession and the medical industry
Feb/23/09 15:12
I have been in numerous positions within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries over the past 20 years. The one paradigm upon which we all relied during those years was very simple: “the medical industry was recession-proof.” In fact, way back in 2008, medical products stocks, including Big Pharma and medical device manufacturers, were considered safe locations to invest during a economic downturns. Industry analysts, executives, and investors believed that people would continue to buy medical services, who would then buy all of the products from table paper to expensive capital equipment.
Current speculation seems to reinforce the old paradigm. A recent article published in Tech Journal South offers up the following optimistic forecasts:
Current speculation seems to reinforce the old paradigm. A recent article published in Tech Journal South offers up the following optimistic forecasts:
- M&A activity will increase significantly.
- Biotech stocks will outperform the rest of the market (which shouldn’t be hard given the continued implosion of stock values)
- Most investors consider biotech undervalued
- Most expect biotech to rebound either this year or next
Obama & Healthcare 2
Jan/25/09 08:50
According to a report from The Center for Public Integrity, which produces original investigative journalism on public issues, there are over 45 million Americans who lack health insurance. Politicians of all political outlooks have constantly promised Americans a plan for health insurance. Nothing has happened.
President-elect Barack Obama made health care a critical part of his election platform and is now a central facet of his presidential agenda. I can assume that with the current economy, there will be opposing forces of “we can’t afford it” and “we need it for the unemployed”, so it still will not be easy. Read More...
President-elect Barack Obama made health care a critical part of his election platform and is now a central facet of his presidential agenda. I can assume that with the current economy, there will be opposing forces of “we can’t afford it” and “we need it for the unemployed”, so it still will not be easy. Read More...
Obama & Science
Nov/10/08 16:35
It was an issue that did not drive polls or voter behavior. It was an issue that did not bring a lot of interest from policy wonks or political pundits. But science is one issue that has significant impact on individual, cultural, and national growth and security. If one takes a long-term strategic view of America, investment, education and training in science will profit America financially.
The Bush administration led a war on science, especially in the areas of stem-cell research and global warming. Even in areas such as the teaching of creationism in schools, the Endangered Species Act, and NASA, there is a profound anti-science attitude exhibited by the current administration. Economic security, as well as national security, result from innovative and competitive scientific and technological leadership.
But now Obama is the President-elect, and I am convinced that there will be a significant change in direction in America’s science policy. In early October, Obama released a letter that clearly states his positions on the Federal government’s role in science. He intends to appoint an individuals to provide advice and establish policy on science and technology. He wants to remove any attempts to “distort or ignore scientific research.” This is a clear first step in rebuilding the country’s scientific position. Early in the campaign for president, he answered several questions posed by scientists, which outlined his point of view. Read More...
The Bush administration led a war on science, especially in the areas of stem-cell research and global warming. Even in areas such as the teaching of creationism in schools, the Endangered Species Act, and NASA, there is a profound anti-science attitude exhibited by the current administration. Economic security, as well as national security, result from innovative and competitive scientific and technological leadership.
But now Obama is the President-elect, and I am convinced that there will be a significant change in direction in America’s science policy. In early October, Obama released a letter that clearly states his positions on the Federal government’s role in science. He intends to appoint an individuals to provide advice and establish policy on science and technology. He wants to remove any attempts to “distort or ignore scientific research.” This is a clear first step in rebuilding the country’s scientific position. Early in the campaign for president, he answered several questions posed by scientists, which outlined his point of view. Read More...
Obama & Healthcare
Nov/06/08 10:12
What politicians say during their campaign is usually not what they do when they are in office. We are all cynical about their statements, but there are reasons why we should think that his policies might be implemented. First, and most importantly, he will have a presidential honeymoon, where he will have the goodwill of the country, including other politicians. For three to four months, he will have the ability to push through legislation that otherwise might founder in the legislative process. Second, he has a solidly Democratic congress, many of whom have an interest in healthcare policy.
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US Election 2008
Nov/05/08 12:32
Yesterday evening, I watched history being made when Barack Hussein Obama II was elected the President of the United States. For me, the historical importance had nothing to do with his race or color, but it had everything to do with a number of critical issues that are of importance to not only the US, but the world.
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