Healthcare 101, Lung Cancer, Advances in Surgery
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
If there are subjects you’d like to see or improvements made, please let me know using the comment button below. I received a note from a professor friend of mine this morning, Angela, who asked that we cover insurance denials. I will begin working on that shortly.
Videos of these newsletters appear on Youtube on this channel. They are on hold until early June.
Learn About Healthcare Policy
The Kaiser Family Foundation has put together an online course about healthcare policy. It is free and here is the link to their course page. Below is the table of contents and each chapter is a link to that subject. Enjoy!!!!
KFF’s Health Policy 101
Published: May 28, 2024
Edited by Dr. Drew Altman
Chapters
Lung Cancer Screening
Lung cancer is the overall leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy in both men and women. In 2023, ACS researchers estimate 238,340 new cases of lung cancer (117,550 in men and 120,790 in women) will be diagnosed with about 127,070 deaths from the disease (67,160 in men and 59,910 in women). Anyone at any age can get lung cancer. However, lung cancer mainly occurs in older people, as most people diagnosed with the disease are aged 65 or older.
The American Cancer Society has a new guideline that recommends yearly screening for lung cancer for people aged 50 to 80 years old who smoke or formerly smoked and have a 20-year or greater pack-year history. The recommended annual screening test for lung cancer is a low-dose computed tomography scan (also called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT). The guideline, last updated in 2013, is published in the ACS flagship journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The new recommendation increased the age of patients who should be screened to 80 and lowered the years smoked for 30 to 20. Also, the numbers of years since you quit is no longer a factor - get screened even if you quit more that 15 years ago.
Does Screening Matter?
In the UK 40,000 per year are diagnosed with lung cancer.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool and Queen Mary University of London have published the first study in the UK to demonstrate the benefits of lung cancer screening across socioeconomic groups. Evidence in the new study illustrates the value and importance of screening, especially for those who live in areas of economic deprivation.
The researchers examined long-term outcomes of recruited participants from across the socioeconomic spectrum. This allowed assessment of the impact of socioeconomic status on a variety of aspects, including initial recruitment, selection for screening, lung cancer detection, and long-term mortality benefit from lung cancer and other diseases. It is shown that those from a lower socioeconomic group benefited from low-dose-CT screening in terms of lung cancer survival to the same extent as those from more affluent groups. However, they were more likely to benefit in terms of death from COPD and emphysema.
Summary
The American Cancer Society recommends far more people be scanned for lung cancer. Here are the recommendations.
Low dose CT scans of those who are at risk of lung cancer had a positive effect. Better outcomes, less death, longer lives.
ACTION
Make sure your doctor knows about the new recommendations and get a scan if you are in the recommended group.
I smoked and I am calling my doctor.
Sonic Tweezers
Undergoing surgery is seldom a pleasant experience, and it can sometimes be highly invasive. Surgical procedures have evolved steadily over the centuries, growing with the knowledge of anatomy and biology.
Robot-assisted surgery
Surgery using robots has been invasive since its invention because cutting is involved and often other instruments are inserted into the incision. About 15% of all surgeries employ some kind of robotic device. Smaller incisions, more accurate, faster healing - all good reasons.
Scientists have been using soundwaves to create a sonic vortex around tiny particles to move them. Literally, a sonic tweezers. It will provide the ability to move cells and drugs around inside veins without breaking the skin.
By mounting an acoustic vortex emitter onto a robotic platform, the acoustic vortex beam can be moved at the micrometer scale. Accordingly, the particle trapping area can be precisely set in a 3D space, and moving a particle after its capture can be engineered. When moving a tiny object along the winding path of a blood vessel, this can be a critical feature. (Science Daily)
Resources
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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A healthy population depends on a healthy environment. How can the environment be healthy when crops are being sprayed with toxic chemicals, weapons are being manufactured with nuclear material, we are not told the dangers of EMFs, pollutants of all stripes are being dumped indiscriminately in waterways and the ocean, “healthcare” relies on pharmaceuticals, toxins are in everything we eat and use on our bodies, we continue to buy into economic growth, etc.? In order for real change to occur, we have to assess root causes, not just tinker with the system. (And, of course, corporations and agribusiness will deny, lie, and fight like hell to maintain themselves.)