August 4th, 2008 by CD
The New York Times reports US hospitals are increasingly deporting seriously injured or ill immigrants who cannot find nursing homes willing to accept them without insurance. The hospitals often conduct the deportations on their own, without assistance from US immigration authorities. Some immigrant rights advocates describe the procedure as a kind of international patient dumping. Dr. Steven Larson of the University of Pennsylvania said, “Repatriation is pretty much a death sentence in some of these cases. I’ve seen patients bundled onto the plane and out of the country, and once that person is out of sight, he’s out of mind.” At least one private company, MexCare, can be hired to handle deportations for hospitals.
August 12th, 2007 by CD
From the 35percenters here is another informative video.
HR 676 Universal Healthcare: Don’t Stop Believin’
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aqhpQvsKgw[/youtube]
Dennis Kucinich ‘08
Other post on health care include my posts on how the national health care plan of Japan is structured. If you want to see how other countries are doing it check it out!
July 19th, 2007 by CD
I just watched this film and it was a very emotional film. This is a MUST see for everyone who does or does not have health care. Moore points out a lot of good points about our goverment and the insurance companies. Blue Cross/ Blue Shield is just one of the many insurance companies that are mentioned in this film.
Here is part of Sicko. Watch Sicko! Do you have any stories about health care? What is your opinion of the below clip?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfdI7ITUnxE[/youtube]
January 23rd, 2007 by CD
This year the President will speak once again to the American public on how much he is committed to social and economical development. Last year he boldly announced in his speech about developing alternative fuel from switchgrass and other sources. Well here we are in 2007 and no research or developments have been made in that area. The President is full of lies and empty promises. He is all talk and no action when it comes down to providing and enhancing middle and lower class Americans.
So, when he speaks tonight on how much he plans to do in terms on energy, social and economic developments, I would say “Mr. Bush, what exactly have you done for us in those areas. Did you not say the same thing last year and the year before that….?”
A report done by Jennifer Parker of ABC News found out the following on the empty promises of President Bush .
Promise Not Kept:
- Making Bush’s First-Term Tax Cuts Permanent
- Passing the Line-Item Veto
- Guest Worker Program
- Affordable Health Care
- Medical Liability Reform Legislation
- Baby Boomers Commission
- Make the Research and Development Tax Credit Permanent
- Pass Legislation to Ban Human Cloning
- Switch Grass and Other Fuel Technologies
- End Waiting Lists for AIDS Medicines in America
Now in all fairness he has made progress in the areas of hybrid car research and new technology for zero emission plants. It’s good that the Americans are investing hybrid car technology. But, in all honestly, we are far behind the Japanese in that area. The Japanese are at least 10 years ahead of American companies like Ford and GM with being able to produce efficient hybrid automobiles. One only needs to take a look at why Toyota and Honda are the best selling. Soon, Ford and GM will no longer be able to compete with better cars made from Japan.
In any event, I think we can be assured that the domestic issues that Mr. Bush is set to talk about tonight will be nothing more than a qwaking duck.
January 22nd, 2007 by CD
Access to safe drinking water is key to the livelihood of millions of people living in rural areas in the third world. The lack of a clean water facility not only affects the health of the family but also brings secondary affects along with it. For example, contaminated water has proven to slow income growth of families who drink it as oppose to families who have accessibility to safe drinking water.
UNICEF is one of the many organizations who provide economic and technical assistance to the third world. A reported done by UNICEF in 2003 indicated that only 41 percent of the country had access to proper bathroom facilities. Currently, UNICEF is working with the Vietnamese government to provide the proper water infrastructures to the poorest rural communities. Historically, the northern part of Vietnam has been the poorest compared to the south. A project which was recently completed, provided a clean water facility in Dai Phac village. Steve Nettleton of UNICEF “Dai Phac Commune takes water from a natural spring, purifies it and then pumps safe water directly to villagers’ homes. The system has made a dramatic improvement in the lives of people…”
Bringing awareness of the disadvantages that the people of the third world are faced with on a daily basis is a goal of mine. Please visit this link on how you can make a difference to the millions of people who live in poverty.
January 19th, 2007 by CD
It is amazing what one can do when going to work five days a week and putting legislations on the floor that will benefit middle class Americans and our national security interest. In the blitz that the democrats have coined the “First 100 hours,” the democrats have managed to do what the Republicans could not do nor care to do in 42 hours and 15 minutes.
Passed:
- Implement 9/11 Commission Recommendations
- Increase Minimum Wage
- Expand Stem Cell Research
- Negotiate lower Rx drug cost
- Cute interest rate on student loans
- End oil Subsidies and invest in renewal energy
This is an amazing accomplishment and a fulfillment of the democrat’s promises. Now it is up to Senate which is expected to be a tougher battle due to the close margin of a majority between democrats and republicans.
January 2nd, 2007 by CD
Part Two (Part One)
Welcome back to my extended series on Japan’s national health care system. This is to get our minds running into how we could use or could not use some of the implementations and measures that the Japanese government uses for its national health plan. So if you have not read part 1, do so here.
This post will talk about how Japan’s health care system is funded and the cost associated with different plans.
Cost
• Employer-Based Insurance — Funded by employers (50-80% of cost) and premiums paid by the employees (4-8%) which can also be split in half by the employers. Co payments vary by plan. 74% of the Patient Cost-Sharing Restoration Program even picks up part of the co-payment.
• NHI — depend on income, assets, and benefit payments from the previous year.
• Elderly — $5 for outpatient and 3.50 for inpatient care a day.
Funded
• 81.5% of health spending is funded by public sources.
• Corporate and individual premiums.
• Government does provide general revenues to subsidize part of the population.
• Government subsidies financed 50% of the benefit payments in the NHI plan.
• Health services are subject to co-payments of 10-30% ($231-438 per month).
January 2nd, 2007 by CD
Part One
A national health care system in the U.S. will not happen anytime soon. With the recent economic report of the Department of Teasury, our economic state of affairs is in need of a drastic overhaul. So, how is it the U.S. is the only industrialized country without a health care? Well, I have decided to do a series which will take a look at several countries to see how they do it. When talking about a national health care system for other countries there are a number of factors that need to be considered. One of the most important ones is the type of government that is in place.
So, with that let’s take a look at Japan’s national health care system and the basics.
Read the rest of this entry »
