WASHINGTON - Tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells behind the wheel that led to deadly crashes on highways. Hundreds of thousands of drivers carry commercial licenses even though they also qualify for full federal disability payments, according to a new U.S. safety study obtained by The Associated Press.
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The problems threatening highway travelers persist despite years of government warnings and hundreds of deaths and injuries blamed on commercial truck and bus drivers who blacked out, collapsed or suffered major health problems behind the wheels of vehicles that can weigh 40 tons or more.
The U.S. agency responsible for cracking down on unfit truckers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, acknowledges it hasn't completed any of eight recommendations that U.S. safety regulators have proposed since 2001. One would set minimum standards for officials who determine whether truckers are medically safe to drive. Another would prevent truckers from "doctor shopping" to find a physician who might overlook a risky health condition. It's unclear whether any of the eight recommendations will be done before President Bush leaves office.
"We have a major public safety problem, and we haven't corrected it," said Gerald Donaldson, senior research director at the Washington-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, whose members include consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies. "You have an agency that is favorably disposed to maintaining the integrity of the industry's economic situation."
Truckers violating federal medical rules have been caught in every state, according to a review by the AP of 7.3 million commercial driver violations compiled by the Transportation Department in 2006, the latest data available. Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, New Jersey, Minnesota and Ohio were states where drivers were sanctioned most frequently for breaking medical rules, such as failing to carry a valid medical certificate. Those 12 states accounted for half of all such violations in the United States.
Consider these cases:
_A Florida bus driver who suffers from lung disease and uses three daily inhalers to control breathing told congressional investigators that he "occasionally blacks out and forgets things." He works as a substitute driver despite not having a medical certificate, and his commercial license expires in 2010. The driver, who was not identified but will figure prominently in a congressional hearing this week, has collected Social Security benefits since 1994. He confided to investigators that he "gets winded" walking to his mailbox but has no problem driving a passenger bus.
_A Virginia trucker with a prosthetic leg from a farm accident more than 10 years ago is permitted to drive tanker trucks until at least 2012, even though he doesn't have the proper federal paperwork required for amputees. Virginia revoked the medical license for the official who approved him to drive over charges the official was caught illegally distributing controlled substances.
_George Albright Jr., 61, smashed his 70,000-pound tractor-trailer into congested traffic on Interstate 70 in June 2006, killing four women in a Ford sedan about 30 miles east of Columbia, Mo. Albright's employer agreed earlier this year to pay $18 million in a settlement. A Missouri jury acquitted Albright this month on four counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter, after his lawyers argued in court that a diabetic episode "put him in an altered state of consciousness." Albright wasn't injured.
_A gasoline tanker plunged from an overpass and exploded in flames on Interstate 95 near Baltimore in January 2004, killing four people. Witnesses reported the driver slumped over the wheel. Maryland investigators concluded the driver, Jackie M. Frost, had suffered a heart attack or other medical emergency, but his family disputed that.
_The driver of a 15-passenger "Tippy Toes" day-care bus traveling 63 mph on Interstate 240 in Memphis, Tenn., in April 2002 crashed into a bridge, killing the driver and four of the six children aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said the driver, Wesley B. Hudson, 27, fell asleep, "quite likely due to an undiagnosed sleep disorder." Investigators said children sometimes had to wake up Hudson, whom the NTSB described as obese and a marijuana user.
_A 55-passenger bus rolled off Interstate 610 in New Orleans in May 1999, killing 22 passengers. The NTSB said the bus driver, Frank Bedell, 46, suffered life-threatening kidney and heart conditions but held a valid license and medical certificate. Moments before the crash, a passenger recounted seeing the driver slumped in his seat. Bedell died three months later of an apparent heart-related illness. Investigators said he was treated at least 20 times in the 21 months before the accident for various ailments.
Some truckers said the government should enforce existing rules, not make new ones.
"Do you enjoy your clothing and house? Without the truck driver you would have none of it," said Gary Hull, 52, a trucker for a Louisiana company, as he drove from Edinburg, Texas, to Mansfield, La. "Our economy is based on the truck. People don't understand the ramifications of making it more restrictive for truck drivers to drive."
Hull said most drivers are hard workers who earn a modest salary and cope with rising diesel prices. New regulations could add to costs and force truckers to evade the rules, he said.
"There are enough government regulations as it is," agreed Ken Cornell, interviewed at a truck stop. "The medical profession should be able to take care of it. If they have a condition where they shouldn't be driving, they should be able to catch them."
The Transportation Department said 5,300 people died in crashes involving large commercial trucks or buses in 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, and about 126,000 more were injured. A federal safety study last summer found that cases where drivers fell asleep, suffered heart attacks or seizures or otherwise were physically impaired were a leading cause of serious crashes involving large trucks. But those cases included healthy drivers who fell asleep.
"The problem is major," said Dr. Kurt Hegmann, chairman of the federal motor carrier administration's medical oversight board, which is urging more doctor visits in many cases for truckers with serious medical conditions. "It's one of the biggest causes of occupational death in the United States today."
Congress may take action soon. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led by Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., will conduct oversight hearings Thursday. One proposal would create a clearinghouse for drug test results for commercial truck drivers to make it easier for employers to conduct checks. Oberstar's committee asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate unfit truck drivers.
The 30-page GAO study, obtained by the AP in advance of its release later this week, said 563,000 commercial drivers were determined by the Veterans Affairs Department, Labor Department or Social Security Administration to also be eligible for full disability benefits over health issues. It said disability doesn't necessarily mean a driver is unfit to operate a commercial vehicle, but its investigators found alarming examples that raised doubts about the safety of the nation's highways. They identified more than 1,000 drivers with vision, hearing or seizure disorders, which generally would prohibit a trucker from obtaining a valid commercial license.
The chief safety officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Rose McMurray, acknowledged problems that could lead to unfit truck drivers on the roads. She blamed delays in reforms on a lack of federal money and difficulty coordinating with 50 states. McMurray said changes to strengthen the medical oversight program may not be done for months or even years.
"We have done a lot to recognize the deficiencies in our medical oversight program, and the building blocks we're establishing are very smart and very strong," McMurray said.
Families of crash victims said stronger safety rules can't happen soon enough.
William Hieronymus II of Salina, Kan., said he remembers eating cereal each morning with his 10-month-old son. His son William and wife, Amanda, died in May 2005 when a truck crossed a median and struck their SUV.
The driver, Scott A. Wegrzyn, pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide. Prosecutors said Wegrzyn knew he suffered from sleep apnea and went to a second doctor without disclosing the condition to obtain the medical certification he needed to drive.
"I try to go through a day without crying," Hieronymus said during Wegrzyn's trial. "I wonder every day what (Will) would have grown up to be, what he would have stood for."
There is a huge variation in cancer survival rates across the world, a global study shows.
The US, Australia, Canada, France and Japan had the highest five-year survival rates, while Algeria had the worst, Lancet Oncology reported.
The UK fared pretty poorly, trailing most of its western European neighbours - although the data is from the 1990s since when survival rates have risen.
Spending on health care was a major factor, the study of 31 countries said.
Researchers said higher spending often meant quicker access to tests and treatment.
The report is the first major study to compare cancer survival across five continents and has highlighted the stark differences in survival between poor and wealthy countries
Dr Lesley Walker, of Cancer Research UK
The research was carried out by more than 100 scientists across the world led by Professor Michel Coleman, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
It involved analysing data on more than two million cancer patients who were diagnosed and treated during the 1990s.
The study showed the US had the highest five-year survival rates for breast cancer at 83.9% and prostate cancer at 91.9%.
Japan came out best for male colon and rectal cancers, at 63% and 58.2% respectively, while France fared best for women with those cancers at 60.1% and 63.9%.
The UK had 69.7% survival for breast cancer, just above 40% for colon and rectal cancer for both men and women and 51.1% for prostate cancer.
There were also large regional variations within the UK, which were linked to differences in access to care and ability of patients to navigate the local health services. Both are directly linked to deprivation.
A Department of Health spokesman said the report covered patients diagnosed between 1990 and 1994.
"Since that time, cancer survival rates in England have been steadily improving for but we accept that there is further work to do to reduce the gap between us and the rest of northern and western Europe and America."
Algeria, the only African country involved, came bottom in all types of cancer.
Survival
It meant an American man was four times more likely to survive prostate cancer than an Algerian, while a Japanese man was six times more likely to survive colon cancer.
Poland, Slovenia, Brazil and Estonia had survival rates half as good as the best performers.
The results closely mirrored the amount each country was spending on health during the period.
While the US led the way with more than 13% of gross domestic product spent on health, Canada, Australia and the best-performing European nations were all spending about 9% to 10%.
The UK was spending just over 7% but that figure has now been increased following record rises in the NHS budget to bring it much closer to the likes of France and Germany.
Algeria was spending around 4%.
The importance of money was further illustrated by an ethnic breakdown of outcomes in the US.
White Americans, who are on the whole wealthier and therefore more able to afford the insurance which underpins the US system, were up to 14% more likely than others to survive cancer.
Professor Coleman said some of the differences could be attributed to variations in "access to diagnostic and treatment services".
"This, of course, is associated with the amount of investment in technology such as CT scanners."
Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information, added: "The report is the first major study to compare cancer survival across five continents and has highlighted the stark differences in survival between poor and wealthy countries."
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ATLANTA - The number of Americans with diabetes has grown to about 24 million people, or roughly 8 percent of the U.S. population, the government said Tuesday.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from 2007, said the number represents an increase of about 3 million over two years. The CDC estimates another 57 million people have blood sugar abnormalities called pre-diabetes, which puts people at increased risk for the disease.
The percentage of people unaware that they have diabetes fell from 30 percent to 25 percent, according to the study.
Dr. Ann Albright, director of the CDC Division of Diabetes Translation, said the report has "both good news and bad news."
"It is concerning to know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition, especially among people who are at high risk," Albright said in a statement.
"On the other hand, it is good to see that more people are aware that they have diabetes."
A message left Tuesday night seeking further comment from the CDC wasn't immediately returned.
The disease results from defects in insulin production that cause sugar to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the country and can cause serious health problems including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations.
Among adults, diabetes increased in both men and women and in all age groups, but still disproportionately affects the elderly. Almost 25 percent of the population 60 years and older had diabetes in 2007.
After adjusting for population age differences between various groups, the rate of diagnosed diabetes was highest among American Indians and Alaska Natives (16.5 percent). This was followed by blacks (11.8 percent) and Hispanics (10.4 percent), which includes rates for Puerto Ricans (12.6 percent), Mexican Americans (11.9 percent), and Cubans (8.2 percent).
By comparison, the rate for Asian Americans was 7.5 percent, with whites at 6.6 percent.
ATLANTA - The Southwest has the lowest rate of health insurance coverage in the country, with 30 percent of non-elderly adults and 18 percent of children uninsured, according to a new government study.
New England — with a rate of uninsured people less than half that of the Southwest — has the largest proportion of its population covered, the study found.
The study marks the first time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has compared different regions of the country by health insurance status, said Robin Cohen, the lead researcher.
Cohen declined to theorize why Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma together have higher rates of uninsured people than other parts of the country.
But another expert said it likely comes from a combination of factors, including state policy decisions and the fact that many jobs in the Southwest are service, construction or other jobs without good health benefits.
Aggressive steps by states such as Massachusetts to increase coverage of their uninsured may widen the gap between regions like New England and the Southwest, said the expert, Ken Thorpe of Atlanta's Emory University.
"There are substantial inequities in coverage depending where you live, and they seem to be getting worse," said Thorpe, a health policy researcher.
The CDC study's results are based on a national, in-person household survey of more than 106,000 families in 2004 through 2006.
The researchers focused on non-institutionalized people under the age of 65, the age when Medicare insurance for the elderly kicks in.
The study presented estimates for the 41 states that had at least 1,000 respondents. But the researchers pooled data from the other states as well to come up with regional estimates.
Among those states for which there were data, Oklahoma had the highest percentage of people uninsured — more than 33 percent. Hawaii and Massachusetts were tied with the lowest percentage, at 9.5 percent.
The Southwest has a large American Indian population served by the Indian Health Service. The Indian Health Service was not counted as a form of insurance, in keeping with definitions used in other health insurance studies. But even if it had been counted as coverage, the Southwest still would have had the highest uninsurance rates, Cohen said.
In the six-state New England region, 11 percent of non-elderly adults were uninsured, as were a little under 4 percent of children.
Next best? Three regions that include the Great Plains, Great Lakes in the upper Midwest and the Northeast each had uninsurance rates of 14 to 15 percent for adults and about 6 to 7 percent for children.
The Southeast was the second-worst region, with nearly 23 percent of adults uninsured. The Rocky Mountain states were second worst for children, with nearly 12 percent uninsured.
For the nation as a whole, nearly 17 percent of people under 65 were uninsured at the time they were interviewed.
A second study by the CDC, also released Wednesday, presented 2007 data from the same annual survey. It found about 16.5 percent of Americans were uninsured at the time they were interviewed that year. That survey only covered 20 states and did not give a regional breakdown.
The CDC estimates that as many as 54 million Americans went uninsured during at least part of the year, and nearly 31 million were uninsured for a period of more than a year.
TUESDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) - The number of American adults who had inadequate health insurance to cover their medical expenses rose 60 percent from 2003 to 2007, from 16 million to more than 25 million people.
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Hardest hit were families with middle and higher incomes, those whose income was 200 percent above the federal poverty level or those with an annual income of $40,000 or more, a new report by The Commonwealth Fund found.
"Insurance coverage is the ticket into the health-care system," Karen Davis, president of The Commonwealth Fund, said during a Monday teleconference. "For too many, that ticket does not buy financial security or genuine access to care.
"We need to extend effective, affordable health insurance to all," added Davis. "Shifting costs to patients is not an equitable or effective solution to rising health-care costs. It is time for serious consideration of changes in the way we pay for and deliver health services. Ultimately, we need a national solution to the problem of millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans."
The report is published in the June 10 issue of Health Affairs.
To make their estimates, the researchers conducted a national survey in 2007 of 3,501 adults. They found that among adults aged 19 to 64, 25.2 million were "underinsured." That number was based on out-of-pocket health-care costs as a proportion of income.
"Overall, the study finds a startling 60 percent increase in the number of underinsured working age adults over the past four years," said study co-author Cathy Schoen, a senior vice president at The Commonwealth Fund. "A jump up to 25 million underinsured in 2007, compared to only 16 million in 2003."
Approximately 42 percent of adults aged 19 to 64 years old — 75 million people — were either underinsured or didn't have health insurance in 2007. That represents an increase of 33 percent since 2003, when the last survey was done, Schoen said.
People who are underinsured are people who have health insurance but spend 10 percent or more of their income on out-of-pocket medical expenses. For people below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, being underinsured means spending more than 5 percent of income on out-of-pocket medical costs.
Being underinsured also means paying deductibles of 5 percent or more of family income.
The researchers found that people who were underinsured were more likely to go without needed health care and have problems paying medical bills, compared with people who have adequate health insurance.
In fact, 53 percent of the underinsured and 68 percent of those without health insurance had to forgo needed medical care, such as not seeing a doctor when sick, not filling prescriptions, and not getting recommended diagnostic tests or treatments. "The underinsured look a lot like the uninsured," Schoen said.
Among the underinsured, 45 percent reported having difficulty paying bills, being contacted by collection agencies for unpaid bills, and curtailing their way of life to pay their medical bills, compared with 21 percent of people with adequate health insurance.
Also, underinsured people were more likely to have insurance plans that limit payments. They were also more likely to have high deductibles. For example, one quarter of underinsured people had deductibles of $1,000 or more, the report found.
However, premiums for the underinsured were similar to or higher than those paid by people with adequate insurance, the researchers found.
"Today in the United States you can have health insurance all year long but still go into medical debt or face bankruptcy when you get sick," Schoen said. "This erosion of insurance protection is putting patients, families and the nation's health and economic security at risk."
Kim Bailey, a senior policy analyst at Families USA, a health-care advocacy group, said she thinks the trend toward greater out-of-pocket costs for health care is likely to continue.
"It is clear that American families are facing a growing burden of out-of-pocket costs, and this is consistent with a decay in the comprehensiveness of health benefits being offered," she said.
Bailey noted that between 2000 and 2007, the average family premium for employer-sponsored insurance rose more than 90 percent. "We are getting to a place were a number of people are feeling the squeeze," she said. "This report highlights the thinning of benefits on higher income people and that is new. That indicates to me that a call for change is likely to be strengthened."
Another expert said the new report probably underestimates the problem of underinsurance.
"There are a whole lot of ways to be underinsured that the report does not capture," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program.
The deductible is only a fraction of the total amount one has to pay out-of-pocket, Woolhandler said. "In addition to the deductible, there are issues such as co-insurance and the issue of uncovered services, which are not part of the deductible," she said.
Woolhandler also noted that many people lose their job and their health insurance when they become disabled. "At least 25 percent of employers terminate employment the day you become disabled," she said.
SOURCES: Kim Bailey, senior policy analyst, Families USA, Washington, D.C.; Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and co-founder, Physicians for a National Health Program; June 9, 2008, teleconference with Karen Davis, president, and Cathy Schoen, senior vice president, The Commonwealth Fund, New York City; June 10, 2008, Health Affairs
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By Steven Reinberg
As published on
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90152
NEW YORK - Employer health care costs are poised to rise almost 10 percent in 2008 - more than double the annual inflation rate - and nearly that much again in 2009, according to an industry report released Tuesday.
The study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers predicts that medical costs will increase 9.9 percent in 2008 and an additional 9.6 percent in 2009.
"Health care providers, insurers and employers will have to monitor medical costs carefully if we are to avoid a resurgence of the double-digit annual increases seen in the past," said Dr. David Chin, leader of the Health Research Institute at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
The report identified two factors driving the increase:
_A hospital building boom, as hospitals replace facilities and add private rooms and centers for outpatient treatment.
_An increase in the expenses those with insurance are paying for those without. Cost-shifting from the uninsured, Medicare and Medicaid will account for nearly one in every five dollars spent by private insurers in 2009, according to the study, as the federal government underfunds public insurance programs and the number of people with private insurance continues to decrease.
One of the things employers are doing in response is increasing wellness, prevention and disease management programs, which they say not only keeps employees healthy but also raises productivity.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers surveyed more than 500 employers and health plans, with total coverage of more than 11 million people, for the report.
As published on new.yahoo.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080617/ap_on_bi_ge/healthcare_costs
WASHINGTON - Bolstering the performance of the U.S. health care system is one of the biggest challenges facing the country, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday.
New medical technologies and treatments are allowing people to live healthier, longer and more productive lives. However, the aging of millions of baby boomers coupled with rapidly rising heath care costs are accounting for an ever-growing share of both personal and government budgets - strains that will become increasingly burdensome unless changes are made, the Fed chief warned.
Challenges, he said, fall into three major areas: improving access to health care for the 47 million Americans -or about 16 percent of the population -who lack health insurance; bolstering the quality of care; and controlling costs.
"Improving the performance of our health care system is without a doubt one of the most important challenges our nation faces," Bernanke said in remarks to a summit on health care reform organized by a Senate panel on Capitol Hill.
The Fed chief didn't talk about the Fed's next move on interest rates or the state of the U.S. economy in his speech or during a brief question and answer session afterward.
Many economists believe the Fed will hold a key interest rate steady at 2 percent, a four-year low, when it meets next week. Bernanke and other Fed officials have sent strong signals that the Fed's rate-cutting campaign, started last September to shore up the ailing economy, was probably over because of mounting concerns about inflation.
Wall Street investors and some other believe that the Fed might be forced to raise rates later this year to thwart a dangerous inflation flare-up. Others, however, still think the Fed will be able to hold rates steady through the rest of this year.
It's a difficult spot for Fed policymakers. They are trying to aid an economy that has been badly bruised by the blows of a housing, credit and financial debacles. At the same time, they don't want inflation to take off. If the Fed were to start boosting rates too soon to fend off inflation, that could deal a set back to already fragile economic growth.
On the health care front, Bernanke didn't recommend specific solutions, saying the difficult choices involved with improving access and quality, and controlling costs were best left to policymakers in Congress, the White House and elsewhere.
"Taking on these challenges will be daunting," he said. Given the complexity of health care matters, he suggested that it might be better for policymakers to consider an "eclectic approach," rather than one single set of reforms to address all concerns.
"We may need to first address the problems that seem more easily managed rather than waiting for a solution that will address all problems at once," Bernanke offered.
When policymakers contemplate changes, Bernanke urged them to "not lose what is good about our system." The system has produced innovations in basic science, in the understanding and diagnosing of disease and in advancements in medical technology, he pointed out. These advances have produced more effective treatments and significant reductions in mortality across a wide spectrum of diseases, he added.
Bernanke, once again, warned high health care costs will put an increasing strain on people's and government's budgets, unless those costs are curbed.
Spending on health care is the single-largest component of overall consumer spending -larger than spending on either housing or food, Bernanke said. For the federal government, spending on health care accounts for about one-quarter of total spending. By 2050, it will account for almost one half, Bernanke said.
"Per capita health care spending in the United States has increased at a faster rate than per capita income for a number of decades," he said. "Should that trend continue, as many economists predict it will, the share of income devoted to paying for health care will rise relentlessly," Bernanke predicted. That will make health insurance and out-of-pocket payments increasingly unaffordable, he said.
However, if the government doesn't rein in the growth of entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Social Security, those exploding costs in time will balloon the U.S. budget deficit, which would hurt the country's long-term economic vitality and could lead to higher interest rates, Bernanke said. "Certainly, it will have effects on interest rates, it will have effects on economic growth and on stability," he said.
The government, he said, needs to move ahead sooner, rather than later, because these issues "are not going to get better" and instead will only "get worse."
As published on New.yahoo.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080616/ap_on_go_ot/bernanke
WISCONSIN (The Tomah Journal) - It's been 19 years since Marie was cancer free. And it has been 19 years since she had health insurance. Doctors tell her at 19 years of survival, she has the same life expectancy of a nonsmoker her age without cancer.
But don't tell the insurance companies. She has tried dozens of times and can't get insurance. The state's high risk health insurance pool won't work either.
"I don't mind paying for health insurance," she told me one beautiful day in May. "But the state's high risk pool would take more than half my income. And the Well Woman Program only does mammograms and pap smears. I am more than that."
It is National Women's Health Week. The United States Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Women's Health is encouraging women to make their health a top priority. One goal is to encourage women to get a regular check up and preventive care.
But having no health insurance is a major barrier to meeting this goal. And not taking time to take care of ourselves is a problem many women face.
Ignoring a woman's health comes at great peril to the woman and her family. The number one killer of women in the U.S is cardiovascular disease. The most common first symptom of heart disease among women is death. Only 13 percent of women see heart disease as a serious threat. There is a great deal of education to do.
Getting health education, a check up and preventive care starts with having health insurance. Frequently those without health insurance delay needed care until problems become very serious.
"If I had health insurance, I would have gone to the doctor quite a bit sooner," said Marie. Her cancer responded to six rounds of chemotherapy -- something she described as a "little death."
Cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death for both women and men in Wisconsin. The earlier cancer is diagnosed, the more likely the patient will survive.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Wisconsin women. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women with most, but not all, lung cancer deaths related to smoking.
"People who don't have health insurance don't treat minor symptoms and don't go to the doctor till they become catastrophic," said Marie. Yet, early diagnosis and treatment is the key to survival.
Some of the most serious health problems women face are not ones that usually come to mind. The leading cause of injury among women ages 15 to 44 is not car accidents, rape or muggings. Even combined, those three would not equal the number of women injured by domestic violence.
In 2005, nearly seven thousand Wisconsin women received refuge in a domestic violence shelter. That is an eight percent increase over the year 2000. The same year almost 1,500 people were turned away from Wisconsin shelters because no space was available. That is a 27 percent increase since year 2000.
Frequently domestic violence programs compete with roads, prisons, and education and health programs. Many health programs offered by the state are limited to women with children.
"I could get pregnant, be nursing or have a child under five and get health insurance; I could be a criminal and go to jail and get health insurance." Marie told me. "If I worked for a big company and was part of a big pool, I'd be covered. But I run a small business. I have 20 employees and can't get health insurance for any of them. I am an entrepreneur. I pay all sorts of taxes. And I'm being punished for running a small business."
Finding solutions to affordable health insurance for small business owners -- women and men alike -- is the focus of my and others legislative work this summer. The answers are not easy and will involve the cooperation and commitment of many.
The urgency of the situation is clear. The lives of woman and men are at stake. And the long term costs for all of us will be lower if we can bring people into our health care system for preventive care and early diagnosis and treatment.
Take time this week to care for the women in your life -- encourage them to take time for health. For women like Marie, it will take all of our efforts working together to find solutions that make health insurance affordable so she and thousands like her can meet the goals of Women's Health Week.
Democrat Kathleen Vinehout, Alma, represents the 31st state Senate District.
As published by Kathleen Vinehout on The Tomah Journal
http://www.tomahjournal.com/articles/2008/
05/26/opinion/02vinehoutcolumn.txt
