Do You Live in a Healthy or an Unhealthy State?

Nov 17, 2009 -   If you want to be healthy, live in Vermont—or at least act like you do. It is the healthiest state in the country, according to a new report from the nonprofit United Health Foundation. The annual ranking looks at 22 indicators of health, including everything from how many children receive recommended vaccinations, to obesity and smoking rates, to cancer deaths. - 5 Comments

Is there any truth to this?

Oct 08, 2009 - I saw this and thought it was interesting.  I'm not sure what the truthfulness is.     About 6 months ago I was watching a news program on oil and one of the Forbes Bros. was the guest. - 1 Comment

Domestic violence as pre-existing condition? 8 states still allow it

Oct 04, 2009 - By Les Blumenthal | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — Eight states and the District of Columbia don't have laws that specifically bar insurance companies from using domestic violence as a pre-existing condition to deny health coverage, according to a study from the National Women's Law Center. The states are Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming. The study by the nonpartisan, nonprofit center focused on individual coverage, not group coverage. - 40 Comments

E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Ground Beef Inspection

Oct 04, 2009 - By MICHAEL MOSS                            Published: October 3, 2009 Stephanie Smith, a children’s dance instructor, thought she had a stomach virus. The aches and cramping were tolerable that first day, and she finished her classes. Then her diarrhea turned bloody. - 3 Comments

Insurance Industry on Claiming Domestic Violence as a "Pre-Existing Condition"

Sep 15, 2009 - In eight states as well as the District of Columbia, it is legal for insurance companies to reject individual health coverage for people because they are survivors of domestic violence.   The problem was examined in a report released last fall by the National Women's Law Center in Washington, D.C. Titled "Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women," the report examined the so-called "gender gap" -- the difference in premiums charged to male and female applicants of the same age and health status -- as well as other insurer policies related to gender.It found that women often face higher premiums than men, that it is difficult and costly for women to find insurance that covers maternity care, and that insurers can reject applicants for a variety of reasons particularly relevant to women -- including domestic violence.The Service Employees International Union, which is pressing for reform of the health insurance system, wrote about the domestic violence insurance issue at its blog on Friday:   Words cannot describe the sheer inhumanity of this claim. - 11 Comments

oh my, we had a record low summer

Sep 11, 2009 - By Doyle Rice, USA TODAY The USA's summer was cooler than average in 2009, for only the second time this decade, according to data released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Several Midwest states — including Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota— recorded one of their 10 coldest summers on record. Northwestern Pennsylvania recorded its coldest summer ever. - 4 Comments

Court: Employer must pay for weight-loss surgery

Sep 14, 2009 - Court: Employer must pay for weight-loss surgery By CHARLES WILSON (AP) – 3 days ago INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana court has ruled that a pizza shop must pay for a 340-pound employee's weight-loss surgery to ensure the success of another operation for a back injury he suffered at work — raising concern among businesses bracing for more such claims. The Indiana Court of Appeals decision, coupled with a recent Oregon court ruling, could make employers think twice before hiring workers with health conditions that might cost their companies thousands of dollars at a shot down the road. "This kind of situation will happen again ... - 7 Comments

Questions for Tom Daschle The Selling of the Policy

Aug 28, 2009 -   I am always interested in what is happening with Tom Daschle since I grew up in South Dakota. Here's an interesting interview with him from the New York Times.           By DEBORAH SOLOMON Published: August 28, 2009 As a former Democratic senator from South Dakota who wrote a best-selling book on health care, “Critical,” and was a shoo-in for the position of secretary of health and human services until unpaid taxes became an issue, do you get the sense that the Republicans have dropped out of the health care debate? - 4 Comments