In West Virginia, Your Life Is Worth Less Than In Texas
July 30, 2011
In a case decided by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia on June 22, 2011 (James D. MacDonald and Debbie MacDonald, his wife v. City Hospital, Inc. and Sayeed Ahmed, M.D.), the Court held that West Virginia Code Section 55-7B-8, which provides a $250,000.00 limit (cap) on the amount reco[...]
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Texas Continues To Injure The Injured
July 29, 2011
Texas Medical Malpractice Tort Reform Legislation That Passed In 2003 In 2003, Texas passed one of the most restrictive medical malpractice reform laws that limited the amount that victims could recover from any one negligent health care provider to $250,000.00. Texas tort reform advocates argued [...]
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North Carolina Decides Its Citizens’ Lives Are Worth Less
July 27, 2011
On July 25, 2011, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted to override Governor Beverly Perdue’s veto of a medical malpractice bill that limits noneconomic damages (pain, suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement) to $500,000.00 in most cases, thereby devaluing the lives of the cit[...]
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The Economic And Noneconomic Costs Of Chronic Diseases
July 26, 2011
Chronic diseases include heart disease, cancer, hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, and diabetes. The economic cost of chronic diseases represents 75% of all health care costs. Chronic diseases are involved in 80% of the deaths in the United States. As of 2005, 44% of Americans were suffer[...]
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“Gang of Six” Budget Proposals Attack Victims Rights
July 25, 2011
The so-called “Gang of Six” are currently getting much press coverage for their wide-ranging and broadly-defined proposals that are suggested by some to be the panacea for all of our nation’s deficit and debt problems. While our nation’s Democratic Party leaders and Repub[...]
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Tort Reformers Want YOU To Pay For Medical Mistakes
July 24, 2011
Those who advocate for so-called “tort reform” want to limit the amount of legitimate past, present, and future medical expenses that can be recovered from negligent medical providers. They do so by arguing that there needs to be “caps”(maximum amounts) that people can reco[...]
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News Regarding Early-Stage Prostate Cancer Treatment
July 23, 2011
For early stage prostate cancer in men with intermediate risk, a large clinical trial has found that combining short term hormone therapy with radiation therapy was more effective than radiation alone. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland found only in men that surrounds the urethra. The prostate�[...]
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Mammograms: How Often?
July 22, 2011
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in the United States. It is accepted that mammograms (x-rays of the breasts) have helped to reduce the incidence of breast cancer deaths by helping to diagnose breast cancers at earlier stages, when they can be treated mo[...]
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Medical Device Recalls Need Better Oversight
July 20, 2011
The evaluation and approval of medical devices used in the United States come under the oversight of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA does not only oversee the approval of medical devices but also oversees the recalls of medical devices, which often are voluntarily initiated by[...]
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Health Care Fraud And Abuse – 2010
July 19, 2011
The Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program (HCFAC) that was established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) coordinates federal, state, and local health care fraud and abuse enforcement actions. How Big Of A Problem Is Health Care Fraud And Abuse In[...]
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Unintentional Drug Deaths Rising
July 18, 2011
Unintentional poisoning was the second leading cause of death (just behind motor vehicle crashes) in the United States in 2007. Unintentional drug overdoses represented about 93% of the unintentional poisoning deaths. Statistics For Florida Drug Overdose Deaths A recent report from Florida indic[...]
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Gallbladder Problems
July 17, 2011
What is the Gallbladder? The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located under the liver. The gallbladder is important for digestion because it stores bile (bile is a liquid released by the liver which contains cholesterol, bile salts (which help digest fats) , and waste products (including bilirubi[...]
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