Healthcare News Update
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Correction
Thank you Barbara for pointing out that my list of states considering Single Payer Universal Healthcare should include Massachusetts.
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Doctors Where Needed
Here is a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) article on the intent of new doctors to practice in underserved areas. No recent study has explored medical students’ intent to practice in underserved areas, and previous analyses combined racial and ethnic identities and did not include sexual orientation or an intersectional lens.
Here is what they found. The total number of respondents was 48 885 (response rate, 80.7%) from 139 (of 148) medical schools. Of these, 45 687 (93.4%) answered the item about intent to practice in an underserved area. Overall, 27.6% indicated they planned to work primarily in an underserved area. Considering demographics, 33.1% of female, 46.2% of American Indian or Alaska Native, 54.9% of Black or African American, 43.6% of Hispanic, 37.5% of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 43.6% of bisexual students intended to practice in an underserved area.
OK it’s a start - 27% of new doctors are interested in practicing in underserved areas. Fingers crossed.
Get Up and Move
Another JAMA article was titled “Short Bouts of Movement Linked With Lower Risk of Death”. Researchers found that brief periods of incidental activity—non-exercise movement lasting less than 10 minutes that people engage in as a part of their typical day—were tied to a lower risk of all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events, according to an analysis of accelerometer data. The study included 103 ,684 White British participants from the UK Biobank who did not report exercising during their leisure time.
Moreover, the health benefits linked with intermittent bouts of moderate to vigorous intensity were similar for participants who moved for periods of 1 to 5 minutes and those who moved for 5 to 10 minutes. Activities that lasted for less than 1 minute were also associated with a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, but only when about 15% of those brief activities consisted of vigorous movement, the researchers reported in The Lancet Public Health.
“The idea of accruing short bouts of moderate to vigorous activity through daily living activities makes physical activity much more accessible to people who are unwilling or unable to take part in structured exercise,” study author Matthew Ahmadi, PhD, said in a statement.
Interesting idea. Since we live in a high stress political environment, I watch lots of videos with kittens and that’s what they do.
Consequence Cheating of Government Insurance - Prison
Here is an AP story today about someone who decided to cheat Medicare and investors.
A Silicon Valley executive who lied to investors about inventing technology that tested for allergies and COVID-19 using only a few drops of blood was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $24 million in restitution, federal prosecutors said.
Mark Schena, 60, was convicted last year of paying bribes to doctors and defrauding the government after his company billed Medicare $77 million for fraudulent COVID-19 and allergy tests, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.
Schena claimed his Sunnyvale, California-based company, Arrayit Corporation, had the only laboratory in the world that offered “revolutionary microarray technology” that allowed it to test for allergies and COVID-19 with the same finger-stick test kit, prosecutors said.
Often people complain about fraud and public insurance like Medicare and Medicaid. Yes there is some fraud, but it is prosecuted. When people defraud private insurance, it is rarely prosecuted. The insurance companies absorb the losses and build those losses into next year’s premium increase. Remember with Universal Single Payer Healthcare the government will prosecute, not increase increase premiums to hide the fraud.
Here is a link to the DOJ healthcare fraud unit’s webpage. If you see someone cheating you can report it on that website.
The DOJ is also transparent about prosecutions and here is a fun list of their healthcare prosecutions in 2023. Enjoy - I love detective stories.
RESOURCES
Healthcare Advocacy (Us)
Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
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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Thanks so much. That’s all. I just get more motivated every day you write.