WASHINGTON — Major US, Canadian and British life and health insurance companies have billions of dollars invested in tobacco companies, a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine said. Wesley Boyd, the study’s lead author, found that at least 4.4 billion dollars in insurance company funds are invested in companies whose affiliates produce cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. ‘Despite calls upon the insurance industry to get out of the tobacco business by physicians and others, insurers continue to put their profits above people’s health,’ said Boyd, a faculty member of Harvard Medical School. ‘It’s clear their top priority is making money, not safeguarding people’s well-being,’ he wrote. Tobacco is considered the leading cause of lung cancer and a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, pulmonary disease and cancer. According to the World Health Organization, it is a contributing factor in 5.4 million deaths a year. Researchers first revealed that health and life insurance companies had major investments in tobacco companies in 1995 in an article in the British medical journal Lancet. ‘Although investing in tobacco while selling life or health insurance may seem self-defeating, insurance firms have figured out […]
President Obama has noted that it would be impossible to balance the federal budget without constraining our health-care expenditures. Federal government health-care outlays and tax breaks of more than $1 trillion in 2008 consumed 7.5 percent of America’s gross domestic product (GDP). While evidence clearly suggests that we should pursue two proven methods of health-care cost containment — care organization and patient-provider incentives — the debate in Washington seems to overlook these fundamental issues. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the president and Congress have focused on three interventions aimed at controlling health-care costs: health information technology, preventive care services and comparative effectiveness research. Over time, these initiatives will undoubtedly increase the value of health care in the United States by efficiently organizing patient and research data, helping people live healthier lives and informing providers about which treatments offer the best results. But in the short term, these programs will not yield the significant cost savings we need. Rather, this trio of planks must be placed firmly upon the foundation of organized health-care delivery and aligned incentives. First, we need to design a health-care system that delivers better-integrated, coordinated care. There are organizations — usually […]
While major auto manufacturers race to bring new electric and hybrid cars to market, other companies are looking at alternatives to electricity – including using air to power cars. The idea of an air-powered car is nothing new, and companies have been touting the technology for the past few years but for now not much has emerged in the way of a production model, largely due to flaws with the design of the vehicles. In fact, many engineers are skeptical of the technology’s use, as the energy required to power air-compressors in air-powered cars is massive compared to using that energy in an electric battery instead. But there are some distinct advantages to be found in the use of air-powered cars, namely their relative inexpensiveness when compared to complex hybrids and electric vehicles. One such champion of this aspect of air-powered cars is the CEO of Zero Pollution Motors, a start-up that has developed its own compressed-air car that it hopes to bring to U.S shores by 2011. Heading up the company is Shiva Vencat, who says that while the ‘whole wide world’ may criticize air-powered cars, at the end of the cars such as the Chevrolet Volt […]
Medical bills play a role in 62% of bankruptcies, study says Findings by Harvard researchers show that medical-related bankruptcies have increased from 55% in 2001. The report could boost Obama’s bid for healthcare reforms. By Lisa Girion June 4, 2009 President Obama’s push for healthcare reforms gets a boost today from a new study by Harvard University researchers that shows a sizable increase over six years in bankruptcies caused in part by ever-higher medical expenses. The study found that medical bills, plus related problems such as lost wages for the ill and their caregivers, contributed to 62% of all bankruptcies filed in 2007. On the campaign trail last year and in the White House this year, Obama had cited an earlier study by the same authors showing that such expenses played a part in 55% of bankruptcies in 2001. Medical insurance isn’t much help, either. About 78% of bankruptcy filers burdened by healthcare expenses were insured, according to the survey, to be published in the August issue of the American Journal of Medicine. ‘Health insurance is not a guarantee that illness won’t bankrupt you,’ said Steffie Woolhandler, one of the authors, a practicing physician and […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
