45.7 Million Americans Still Without Health Insurance

On August 26, the US Census Bureau released the news that although the number of Americans living without healthcare insurance, and the level of medical care that insurance promises, has dropped by 1.3 million since 2006, there were, nevertheless, 45.7 million Americans still without health insurance coverage in 2007. Read more

FDA Condones Irradiation Of Certain Types Of Produce

After several incidents of contaminated produce sickening people across the nation, the Food and Drug Administration has decided to allow food producers to use irradiation to kill dangerous organisms such as E-coli and salmonella on fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce. While the FDA contends that the process will make food safer, some food safety advocates have argued that the agency’s decisions could lower nutritional value, create unsafe chemicals and ruin taste. The FDA disputes those claims, insisting that the agency has found no serious nutritional or chemical changes associated with irradiation. Read more

Almost Half of Working America Plagued by Medical Debt

The number of Americans of working age who have accumulated medical debt or are experiencing financial difficulties paying off their medical bills has climbed to a staggering 41% by 2007, up from only 34% in 2005. Of these 72 million Americans, almost 50 million of them were without medical insurance at some point during the previous year. The remainder had medical insurance but coverage was so costly that the out-of-pocket expenses the individual was required to pay to get medical care left economic hardship in other aspects of daily life. Read more

Good News, Bad News From Medicare

Thursday brought two announcements from Medicare officials, one bringing good news, the other not-so-good news. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Medicare) has announced the names of 10 medical facilities or doctors demonstrating the highest mark of improvement in the care of patients undergoing treatment for diabetes, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease. Medicare’s Physician Group Practice Demonstration project will award the 10 honorees with incentives totaling $16.7 million. Read more

Denver Doctor Under Fire Over Infant Organ Transplants

Between 2004 and 2007, Dr. Mark M. Bouchet and his surgical transplant team removed the hearts from three tiny patients at Denver Children’s Hospital and transplanted them into three tiny patients dying of heart disease. All three of those tiny transplant recipients are alive today. Read more

FDA One Step Closer to Tobacco Regulation

The United States House of Representatives voted 326 to 102 on Wednesday to take the power of regulation out of the hands of the tobacco industry and place all tobacco products under the regulatory powers of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instead. The bill will likely face Senate vote in the fall. The bill currently has strong support in the Senate but there are indications the current administration will veto the bill if it reaches the White House. Read more

Concerns for travelers to China Olympics

Almost a million travelers from around the world are expected to travel to Beijing next week for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.  Another couple of million Chinese citizens are expected to travel to the city for the event, too. Read more

Serrano Peppers Latest Villain in Salmonella Saga

In the continuing search for the source of the Salmonella saintpaul outbreak that has made hundreds of consumers in the United States and Canada sick over the last few months, investigators now say they’ve identified the elusive bacteria in serrano peppers grown on a farm in Tamaulipas, the Mexican state that borders South Texas.  Investigators also found traces of the bacteria in irrigation water collected from the same farm. Read more

Granite Countertops Contain Radioactive Minerals

Granite countertops are increasingly popular in modern kitchens.  They’re so popular, in fact, that more than 900 kinds of granite are known to be commercially available in the US residential construction market.  Granite sold for countertops in the US comes from at least 63 countries as far flung as Namibia and Brazil. Read more

Ground Zero Residents to Finally Get Medical Treatment

People from all walks of life were affected by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.  Many people sickened or injured by the billowing dust clouds and debris flying through the air lived, worked, or attended school in the vicinity of the explosions.  Many others were tourists, travelers, and people in the area for many reasons. Read more

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