I’ve told this story a million times. A few years ago my wife saw her doctor for a recurring problem. It was something so common her doctor should have known off the top of her head what the problem was. Instead, her doctor strung my wife along for numerous appointments and tests. Perhaps it was…
Author: Devon Herrick
Is Period Regulation Really a Health Issue?
Hormonal contraception created the ability for women to delay or go months without having their menstrual period. This was initially thought to be detrimental to women’s health but was later decided it made no difference and became a selling point for certain brands of contraceptives. Nowadays there is a different type of pill intended to regulate menstrual bleeding. However, in this case it’s designed to bring about the onset of menstruation rather than delay it and the drugs are the same pills used in chemical abortions.
Report: Hard to Measure How Much Community Benefits Hospitals Provide
It is not uncommon for doctors, hospitals, clinics and other medical professionals to claim they lose money on Medicare and especially Medicaid. Medicaid, the federal-state partnership for low-income Americans is an especially stingy payer for physician services. Medicaid fees vary from state to state and among physician specialties. However, that is a discussion for another day. Medicare is another story. For Instance, Medicare pays about three times the fees that Rhode Island Medicaid pays for primary care consults. Some other states’ Medicaid programs pay closer to what Medicare pays for the same services. This brings me to an article in Kaiser Health News.
The American Hospital Association contends that the federal government reimburses providers significantly less than it costs to care for Medicare recipients. Unlike private insurers, the federal government does not negotiate prices with hospitals. Medicare bases the amount it pays on hospitals’ locations, labor costs, and other factors.
Is Aging a Disease? Or is it Merely the Cause of Age-Related Diseases?
As people age their health deteriorates and they become more prone to diseases and chronic conditions. For instance, heart disease kills more Americans than any other ailment. Heart disease is correlated with advanced age. About 80% of deaths from heart disease are age 65 or older.
Cancer too is a disease of old age. Fewer than 25 cancer diagnosis per 100,000 population occurs in people under the age of 20. For those age 45 to 49 the rate of cancer per 100,000 people is 350. Once you reach age 60 cancer rates are triple, with more than 1,000 per 100,000 population.