Gastric bypass surgery may sound drastic but diabetes has become a serious health issue for millions of Americans.
The health care costs alone pose a threat the system not to mention the toll the disease takes on families and society at large.
Getting this epidemic under control should be a top priority, however, is life threatening surgery the answer?
Doctors urge their colleagues to perform less tests.
When you consider that the majority of insurance dollars are spent in the last 6 months of a patient’s life we have to consider if this is money well spent.
This goes for testing, as well.
The Choosing Wisely project was launched last year by the foundation of the American Board of Internal Medicine. It recruited nine medical specialty societies representing more than 376,000 physicians to come up with five common tests or procedures “whose necessity … should be questioned and discussed.”
The groups represent family physicians, cardiologists, radiologists, gastroenterologists, oncologists, kidney specialists and specialists in allergy, asthma and immunology and nuclear cardiology.
As the debate continues to address the constitutionality of national health care, 10 facts which are a part of the reform may impact your daily life.
Take a look at these 2 and read on for more.
A few little known facts about the health care reform law:
2. More breastfeeding rooms and breaks
Many working mothers now get a more appropriate place for expressing breast milk than they had before. Employers must provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.”
Nursing mothers also can take “reasonable” breaks during the workday to express milk, as frequently as the mother needs. The exception is companies with fewer than 50 employees, which can claim it’s an undue hardship.Effective date: March 23, 2010.
The law requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items.
3. Caloric reality at every major chain restaurants
Under the law, you would walk into a place like McDonald’s and see calories listed under every menu item — Big Mac (540 calories), McNuggets (10 pieces- 470 calories) and medium fries (380 calories).
The law requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items on menus and drive-through menus. Other fun facts like fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, sugars, fiber and total protein would have to be made available in writing upon request.
So far, there is mixed evidence about whether calorie postings sway nutritional choices.
The rule also extends to vending machine operators who own or operate 20 or more vending machines. The FDA issued a report in April 2011, and left out movie theaters among those establishments required to post calories. So, if implemented, you can tell how many calories your sandwich has at Subway, but you won’t be able to tell how many calories your buckets of popcorn have at the movie theater.Effective date: The FDA has not yet issued a final rule, so there is no time line on its implementation.
These are just 2 of the provisions which will be put into place
Whether choosing generics because of cost or availability you would think that their safety and efficacy would be guaranteed by the maker, much like brand name products.
It seems like this is not the case.
Across the country, dozens of lawsuits against generic pharmaceutical companies are being dismissed because of a Supreme Court decision last year that said the companies did not have control over what their labels said and therefore could not be sued for failing to alert patients about the risks of taking their drugs.
Now, what once seemed like a trivial detail — whether to take a generic or brand-name drug — has become the deciding factor in whether a patient can seek legal recourse from a drug company. The cases range from that of Ms. Schork, who wasn’t told which type of drug she had been given when she visited the hospital, to people like Camille Baruch, who developed a gastrointestinal disease after taking a generic form of the drug Accutane, as required by her health care plan.
Rebates are coming to millions of Americans as the result of new requirement in the federal health care overhaul.
Although the payout will amount to only $160 per person it is a way to establish oversight within the insurance industry.
Here’s how the new system works: Starting in 2011, insurers were supposed to abide by the new rules. They require insurers in the individual and small group market to keep administrative costs to 20 percent, and to just 15 percent in the large group market. If they don’t, they’re supposed to send out a round of rebates by Aug. 1 of this year. That rebate could take the form of a check or credit card payment, or a reduction in premiums — the rebates will either be distributed to individuals or employers depending on the plan.
Some companies will inevitably comply with the rule, and in turn not be required to pay out rebates. Those that don’t are supposed to report to the federal government by June with their rebate plans.
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