Interviews – Diagnosing U.S. Health Care — and ‘Sicko,’ Too

Fresh Air from WHYY, July 9, 2007 ·
Jonathan Oberlander, a political scientist with an expertise in
health-care politics and policy, discusses problems with the U.S.
health-care system and considers how other countries handle health
care. He’ll also give us a critique of Michael Moore’s documentary Sicko. Oberlander is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Listen)

Health Care in Germany

With the exception of about 2 million permanent civil servants, and
the self-employed, Germans who earn below Euro 3,862 gross salary per
month in 2004 must join one of the 300 statutory sickness funds. Those
above the mandatory insurance threshold may opt out of the state system
and buy private insurance instead but many opt to remain in the state
system – 10 per cent of the population are voluntarily insured.

German sickness funds are required to be financially self-sufficient
and premiums are set as a percentage of income. This percentage varies
from fund to fund, with an average of 14 per cent, to fall to 13 per
cent under Schroeder reforms. The premiums are deducted from pay
packets with employer and employee paying half each.

Since the early 1990s German governments have been trying to
increase competition. Insurers can easily be compared on the Internet,
and for those without web-access, there are magazines and rankings by
independent consumer organisations. The result has been a large-scale
shift away from the traditionally dominant funds, although competition
is muted compared with America. (more)

C is for Controversy

Vitamin C is a celebrity among vitamins. It is necessary for human life, and many people endow it with almost magical powers. The most casual search of the Internet or your local library will tell you that claims and controversy about vitamin C are never ending.

Some facts are not in dispute: Vitamin C prevents and cures scurvy, a disease that, because of improvements in diet worldwide, is hardly seen any more. It is a powerful antioxidant, meaning that it neutralizes potentially harmful free radicals in our bodies. (However, it may also, under some conditions, become a pro-oxidant, meaning it can promote the production of free radicals.) It is essential for healthy skin and connective tissue, and for the absorption of iron, as well as other functions. It is water-soluble, and the body can store only small amounts; excess C is eliminated by the kidneys. Thus, humans must consume vitamin C on a regular basis. Many fruits and vegetables are rich in it, especially citrus fruits, peppers, broccoli, strawberries, and cantaloupe. Meats and fish have none. Cooking and processing reduce vitamin C. (more)

Pot’s Active Ingredient Halts Lung Cancer Growth, Study Says

Los Angeles, CA
The administration of THC significantly reduces lung tumor size and lesions, according to preclinical data presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Los Angeles.

Investigators at Harvard University’s Division of Experimental Medicine reported that THC inhibited the growth and spread of cells in vitro from two different lung cancer cell lines and from patient lung tumors. They also reported that THC administration reduced the growth of lung tumors in mice by more than 50 percent compared to untreated controls over a three-week period. (more)

THE FRENCH HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

The French healthcare system has been in place and has continued to evolve for more than one hundred years, and was classified the �best health system in the world� by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 2000. It permits all French citizens access to treatment and to the latest discoveries in medical research. The success of the French health system is evidenced in the general health of the French population. Their life expectancy increases more than three months each year, and French women have the second highest life expectancy rate in the world.

The Healthcare System and its Users:

The French government provides a number of diverse and comprehensive healthcare rights. For more than 96 percent of the population, medical care is either entirely free or is reimbursed 100 percent. The French also have the right to choose among healthcare providers, regardless of their income level. For example, they can consult a variety of doctors and specialists or choose a public, private, university or general hospital. Moreover, the waiting lists for surgeries found in other government supported healthcare systems do not exist in France. (more)

European Health Care Not Moore’s Utopia

When Penny Campbell fell ill after a routine surgery in March 2005, the 41-year-old mother did what many Britons are instructed to do to avoid clogging up the country’s emergency rooms: She called a telephone help line staffed by doctors.

With worsening symptoms over the next four days, Campbell spoke to six doctors and saw two in person. When she was finally diagnosed with a blood infection, it was too late:
Hours later, Campbell died from multi-organ failure.

A government report blames a “major systems failure” in the socialized health service’s ability to access care outside doctors’ normal working hours. The case stands in contrast to the praise lavished on Europe’s socialized health systems in Michael Moore’s new documentary, “Sicko,” opening nationally this weekend.

Yet Europeans remain largely convinced that while their health systems may be plagued with problems, they are still superior to what is available across the Atlantic. Here, free health care for all is a deeply rooted value. (… more)

Secrets of the Centenarians

Who Are These Centenarians?

“Centenarians tend to be independent, assertive, funny, and gregarious,” says Boston University Medical School geriatrician Thomas T. Perls, who at 43 has probably met more people over the age of 100 than anybody else. “They also seem to manage stress very well, which makes sense, since we know that not handling stress predisposes you to cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.”

During a fellowship in geriatrics at Harvard Medical School in the early 1990s, Perls took care of 40 patients at Boston’s Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged. Two of his healthiest patients, who looked as if they were in their seventies, were actually over 100 years old. “They were in really terrific shape,” he says. “It was so different from what I expected! This sparked my interest.” (… more)

Sicko

This is the first of what will certainly be many posts in reaction to Michael Moore’s wonderful and shocking film.

DALE – Disability Adjusted Life Expectancy.

Released in Washington, D.C. and Geneva, Switzerland

4 June 2000

WHO Issues New Healthy Life Expectancy Rankings
Japan Number One in New ‘Healthy Life’ System

Japanese have the longest healthy life expectancy of 74.5 years among 191 countries, versus less than 26 years for the lowest-ranking country of Sierra Leone, based on a new way to calculate healthy life expectancy developed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Previously, life expectancy estimates were based on the overall length of life based on mortality data

For the first time, the WHO has calculated healthy life expectancy for babies born in 1999 based upon an indicator developed by WHO scientists, Disability Adjusted Life Expectancy (DALE). DALE summarizes the expected number of years to be lived in what might be termed the equivalent of “full health.”

To calculate DALE, the years of ill-health are weighted according to severity and subtracted from the expected overall life expectancy to give the equivalent years of healthy life. (…more)

The Zimmers!

The lead singer, Alf is 90. The oldest member is 100 and they rock!

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