Obamacare | GSU Prof. Bill Custer Whiffs It
According to Georgia Health News citizens of the Peach State will have 7 (but in reality only 6) carriers to pick from when the 2014 Obamacare exchange, uh, marketplace rolls out this fall.
Aetna, Alliant, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Coventry, Humana, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and Peach State will offer a range of plans for individuals in Georgia as part of the Affordable Care Act’s exchange, or “marketplace,” which will debut in 2014.
Aetna is/will be buying Coventry so really only 6 players.
But that isn't where Custer made his last stand. It was this comment that raised an eyebrow.
“On aver...
Source: InsureBlog - May 25, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
The Interior Situation of the Climate Change Skeptic
From the APS Observer, an article by Situationist Contributor John T. Jost and Erin P. Hennes
A multitude of environmental scientists, among others, worry that future generations will look back at the present era as one in which the human race could have — and should have —taken decisive action to prevent (or at least mitigate) the most menacing costs associated with global climate change. According to public opinion surveys, however, only 38 percent of Americans believe that global warming will seriously affect them or their way of life (Newport, 2012), and 42 percent continue to believe that global warming claims a...
Source: The Situationist - April 23, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: The Situationist Staff Tags: Environment Ideology Politics Public Policy Situationist Contributors Social Psychology System Legitimacy Source Type: blogs
American Legacy Foundation Sounds Alarm About Electronic Cigarette Use Among Young People, Calling for a Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes, But Fails to Document a Single Youth Using These Products
In a press release issued this week, the American Legacy Foundation sounded the alarm about electronic cigarette use among young people, arguing that new data show that electronic cigarette companies are targeting youngsters with their flavored varieties. The press release concludes and recommends that the FDA ban flavored electronic cigarettes in order to protect young people. According to the press release, entitled "FDA Should Extend Ban on Flavors to Other Products to Protect Young People" (Legacy includes electronic cigarettes among these "other products"):"In 2009, the U.S. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Contr...
Source: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary - April 5, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs
Who are the microbes on your fruits and veggies?
Nice paper from Jonathan Leff and Noah Fierer in PLOS One: Bacterial Communities Associated with the Surfaces of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Abstract: Fresh fruits and vegetables can harbor large and diverse populations of bacteria. However, most of the work on produce-associated bacteria has focused on a relatively small number of pathogenic bacteria and, as a result, we know far less about the overall diversity and composition of those bacterial communities found on produce and how the structure of these communities varies across produce types. Moreover, we lack a comprehensive view of the potential effects of diff...
Source: The Tree of Life - March 31, 2013 Category: Medical Scientists Authors: Jonathan Eisen Source Type: blogs
Building Unity Farm - Naming the Landscape
I'm a great admirer of Edwin Way Teale's Pulitzer prize winning work about his travels across the United States during the four seasons and about his last 20 years of life on an old farm in northeast Connecticut. I was recently asked to keynote a conference at the Mohegan Sun and took the road less traveled so that I could visit Teale's property, which is now an Audubon preserve.Trail Wood is very similar to Unity Farm - We have woodland, meadow, wetland, streams, and pasture. I've created about a mile of trails thus far and we're busy crafting place names like Forgot-me-not marsh, Bluebird meadow, and ...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - February 21, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Source Type: blogs
I Sense Normalcy is Returning!
Tomorrow is Helen Fridays and we are slowly getting back on track as far as when it concerns our daily routines. I crave routines these days just like Horsefly loves the bowling alley and shaving cream. “What do you want our Helen to cook?” my father asked me a moment ago as we sat on my couch. Maggie was vying for both my father’s and my attention. “Let’s have cubed steak, rice, and gravy,” I replied to my father. “Oh, and have Helen bake some of those Pillsbury crescent rolls.” I then told my father that the crescent rolls would be in the back of the store with the canned biscuits. He was intrigued. ...
Source: The 4th Avenue Blues - February 21, 2013 Category: Mental Illness Authors: Andrew Quixote Source Type: blogs
Georgia On My Mind
The Peach State (wisely) opted out of Medicaid expansion and HIX (Health Insurance Exchange). But according to an article in the AJC (Atlanta Journal Constitution) it seems the DOI and legislature want a hand in running HIX.
State lawmakers are calling for the licensing of health insurance navigators, who will help uninsured Georgians and businesses use the new federally-run online health insurance exchanges beginning this fall.
AJC
I thought the Golden Rule was in play here.
Those with the gold get to make the rules, and since HIX will be run by the feds, using their (our) money, seems like they can set the criteria, n...
Source: InsureBlog - February 8, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
This is what I've learned, in two-plus years of no palate. . .
I got to thinking about this the other night, as I was rinsing out the enormous (well, not enormous, but it feels enormous) hole that goes directly from my mouth to my right sinus:1. Sinuses catch a lot of stuff.Seriously. The crap I wash out of my sinuses every couple of days would make a strong man shudder and a scientist's eyes gleam with excitement.2. You don't know how lucky you are to have a palate until you don't.You normal people have NO IDEA how much snot you produce. Trust me on this one.3. I can't eat flour tortillas under any circumstances, and should probably stay away from baked potatoes, Tater Tots, macaroni...
Source: Head Nurse - January 13, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: Jo Source Type: blogs
Charles the Great Arrives…
“Andrew! Just what are you doing?” Charlie asked me as I stood at the front door eagerly welcoming him inside. “Is it too early to tell you Happy New Years?” I laughed. “Happy New Years to you, too!” You could barely hear Charlie over Maggie’s jubilant and frantic barks which began when she heard Charlie pull up to the curb. My dearest Maggie loves Charlie more than anyone in the world. He certainly is the favorite person in her far flung pack. “I’ve got you some treats,” Charlie said as he opened the storm door juggling several things in his arms. “I am checking my mail as well.” Charlie ...
Source: The 4th Avenue Blues - December 30, 2012 Category: Mental Illness Authors: Andrew Quixote Source Type: blogs
Dietary Advice to Address Arsenic Concern
I’d like to thank co-author Ashley Koff, RD for her initiative on this issue. More of her work can be seen at AskleyKoffApproved.com.
You’ve heard the news, and in sets panic. Have I been inadvertently poisoning my family with arsenic? We share your concerns and as such created the following to help you where it counts most – in the kitchen – with this plan for reducing your family’s arsenic intake and along with it reducing the associated health risks.
To begin, take a moment to answer these questions about your family’s intake habits:
Do you and your family consume rice / rice products several times dail...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - September 25, 2012 Category: Child Development Authors: Dr. Alan Greene Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Eating Organic Environmental Health Healthy Family Eating Nutrition Top Family Nutrition Toxins WhiteOut Source Type: blogs
Mini Cigars: The Facts Behind the Flavors
When you hear that something comes in strawberry, ice cream, chocolate, peach, or grape flavors, your first thoughts may be: ice cream, candy, or something made for kids. After all, manufacturers of kids’ toothpastes, medicines, and vitamins add fun flavors to make their products more appealing. You may also think that flavored products are harmless, like candy.
But if you think flavored mini cigars are harmless, you’re mistaken.
Cigars of any kind, including flavored mini cigars, contain the same addictive and cancer-causing qualities as regular cigarettes. In fact, cigar tobacco has a high concentration of nitrogen c...
Source: NIDA Drugs and Health Blog - March 20, 2012 Category: Addiction Authors: Sara Bellum Source Type: blogs
