| Cato Daily Dispatch for April 30, 2007
(Links to outside sources were active as of the date of this dispatch; however, not all news sources maintain links to current stories indefinitely. Some links also may require registration.) Expensive Lesson for Maine as Health Plan Stalls White House Courts Sen. Kyl to Back Immigration Bill Congress Pecks Away at CEO Pay Expensive Lesson for Maine as Health Plan Stalls "When Maine became the first state in years to enact a law intended to provide universal health care, one of its goals was to cover the estimated 130,000 residents who had no insurance by 2009, starting with 31,000 of them by the end of 2005, the program's first year,"The New York Times reports. "So far, it has not come close to that goal. Only 18,800 people have signed up for the state's coverage and many of them already had insurance." "Everyone agrees that far too many Americans lack health insurance.
Annals Of Family Medicine Tip Sheet
This essay offers lessons learned by a primary care health care network in Fort Worth, Texas, after caring for a surge of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. The network, made up mostly of family physicians and administrators, took responsibility for 3,700 evacuees. They provided medical care for nearly half (1,664) of the evacuees in a two-week period. Notably, the network prevented its emergency department from being overwhelmed by creating a triage center located several miles away from the hospital and referring almost all evacuees with health care needs to one of the network's primary care clinics. This proved to be an effective approach - the emergency department only saw 148 evacuees.
The authors reflect the valuable lessons learned that may aid in future disaster planning:
* family physicians are an invaluable asset because of their breadth of knowledge and skills,
* integrated health networks are well equipped to handle the complexities of a major disaster,
* the greatest medical need for displaced adult disaster victims is continuation of chronic disease care, and
* immediate mental health efforts should focus on practicalities, such as finding lost relatives.
Insurers Fight to Defend
WASHINGTON -- The Medicare overhaul passed by the Republican-controlled Congress in 2003 represented an odd ideological mix: A government program got bigger, but it was also opened wider to private enterprise. Seniors could gain extra coverage if they signed up to receive their Medicare benefit through a private insurer. Companies such as Humana Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. jumped to expand their Medicare business. The number of Americans in so-called Medicare Advantage plans administered by a commercial health insurer is expected to grow this year to more than eight million. Now the boom is at risk, because Democrats control Congress ... .
Find inner balance with Tai Chi and Qigong arts
Often described as "dynamic meditation," Tai Chi is a richly diverse system of gentle exercises dedicated to strengthening the immune system, boosting stress resilience and preventing illnesses ranging from heart disease to arthritis. A recent study conducted by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association indicates that Tai Chi is one of the three fastest-growing fitness activities in America, where participation in Tai Chi and Qigong classes grew over 15 percent annually from 2000 to 2005. .
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