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December 22, 2010
My top 10 medical stories of the year
It’s been a busy year on the medical beat. But no story has been bigger than the federal health care legislation that has divided the country and continues to fuel debate. In fact, the story is so big, it deserves several spots on my list of top 10 health news stories this year.
So without further ado, here goes:
1. The federal health care law
President Barack Obama promised to pass an overhaul of the health care system, and did, with the help of Democrats, many of whom won’t be around when Congress reconvenes in January. Most pundits think the law was not the main reason the GOP retook the House in this year’s elections because usually in a down economy, pocketbook issues rule.
The law put new regulations on insurance companies and devised ways to cover millions more uninsured people, most of whom become eligible in 2014.
This year, the law forbids insurers from: dropping children with pre-existing conditions, capping lifetime benefits and denying coverage without offering an appeal, among other changes. It also allowed parents to continue covering children on their policies up to age 26, gave small businesses tax credits to cover employees and gave a $250 rebate to eligible seniors to help cover their prescription drugs.
2. The misinformation about the law
Some opponents spread misinformation about the law, and seizing on that, PolitiFact branded the oft-used phrase, a “government takeover of health care,” as the 2010 Lie of the Year. In an article about the phrase, PolitiFact described how GOP strategist Frank Luntz, urged GOP leaders to use the phrase.
You can read the article, which was published in the Statesman, on the PolitiFact site.
3. The lawsuits over the law
Texas is one of 20 states challenging the law, claiming that it’s unconstitutional to require cash-strapped states to expand their Medicaid programs as a way to extend insurance coverage to more Americans. Some states and federal lawsuits also are challenging the constitutionality of requiring people to buy health insurance, a key element needed to make the new law work.
The Supreme Court is expected to have the final say, and here’s a recent story by the Miami Herald that might help you comb out the legal tangles.
4. Mad about Medicare
As the health care debate raged, doctors around the country, and in Texas, stewed as Congress delayed fixing the fee system by which doctors are paid for taking care of Medicare patients. Automatic cuts scheduled to take effect were averted time after time by temporary fixes. Angry doctors threatened to stop taking Medicare patients.
Finally, last week, President Obama signed into a law a one-year extension on the current payments to give Congress time to work on a permanent fix. Here’s a short article that should bring you up to date.
5. The ongoing storm over abortion
Public funding for abortion reared its head during the health care law debate, and it was an issue again this year in Travis County when the health district, now called Central Health, heard from Bishop Joe Vasquez and others voicing opposition to using taxpayer money for abortion services.
The Central Health board continued funding for three contracts with abortion providers, valued at $450,000, in the current year’s budget.
6. Tainted eggs and a new law
Several months after a recall of a half-billion eggs, Congress this week passed the most sweeping food safety law in more than 70 years.
It increases the number of inspectors, gives the Food and Drug Administration greater authority to recall food and inspect a company’s internal records and creates a system in which farmers and manufacturers work to prevent contamination and continually test to make sure the system is up to snuff. The Statesman ran a Washington Post article on the law.
7. The flu that fizzled
The H1N1 virus became the world’s first flu pandemic since the mid-1960s, but by early 2010 concerns that the virus would mutate into a more lethal form started to subside. The virus, however, is still circulating and killing people around the world, but now it can be prevented with the current seasonal flu vaccine.
8. Children’s medication recalls
It was a bad year for Johnson & Johnson. The drug-making giant recalled millions of doses of children’s Motrin, Tylenol, Zyrtec and Benadryl in April, marking the largest recall ever of children’s medicines. But those weren’t the company’s only drug recalls this year. NPR had a piece on the recalls, the latest of which was 71,500 packages of Rolaids last month.
9. The cholera epidemic in Haiti
First a devastating earthquake. And now cholera. Haiti might not be in the headlines much these days, but many Haitians suffer mightily.
10. Those nasty bedbugs
Bedbugs were everywhere this year — in hotels, homes, schools, hospitals, jails and even hitching rides on your clothing. The blood suckers are tough to eradicate and while they don’t cause a medical problem for most people, some folks have an allergic reaction and may need to see a doctor.
Now get some rest before the new year, and don’t let the bedbugs bite.
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