Viewpoints: Statins and diabetes; Frightening tobacco warnings; The U.S. dental crisis

Mar 6 2012

The New York Times: The Diabetes Dilemma For Statin Users
We're overdosing on cholesterol-lowering statins, and the consequence could be a sharp increase in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. This past week, the Food and Drug Administration raised questions about the side effects of these drugs and developed new labels for these medications that will now warn of the risk of diabetes and memory loss (Eric J. Topol, 3/4).

Chicago Tribune: When Tobacco Warnings Go Too Far
The legendary Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said the most important element of the Constitution "is the principle of free thought -; not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate." The other day, a federal judge decided to test our attachment to that principle. He ruled that the government had violated the free-speech rights of tobacco companies. Talk about hated: Their reputation puts them somewhere above Adolf Hitler but below Al Capone (Steve Chapman, 3/4).

The Wall Street Journal: Jerry Brown's Medicaid Blues
Democratic Governor Jerry Brown of California may finally understand how frustrated Republicans feel when they try to negotiate in good faith with President Obama (Allysia Finley, 3/2).

The Wall Street Journal: The 60th ObamaCare Vote
Mitt Romney recently argued that campaign rival Rick Santorum was responsible for ObamaCare because the former Pennsylvania Senator had, years before its passage, supported Arlen Specter, his homestate colleague and one of the 60 Senators who later voted for the bill. Mr. Romney's Massachusetts creation of the prototype for President Obama's signature law appears to be the greater sin against free health-care markets. But after March 15, even Mr. Romney may agree that the blame for the 60th vote really belongs to the U.S. Justice Department (3/5). 

Politico: Wyden-Ryan Plan Keeps Medicare Options Open
Rather than accept that (Rep. Paul) Ryan has made a major concession by joining forces with (Sen. Ron) Wyden, some liberals and seniors lobbies are still trying to conflate Wyden-Ryan with the Wisconsin Republican's original -; and deeply flawed -; voucher proposal. (Henceforth, Ryan I.) Their attempts to demonize Wyden-Ryan with the dreaded V-word are both inaccurate and unfair. It also obscures features of Wyden-Ryan that merit progressives' support (Will Marshall, 3/4).

Politico: 'Obamacare' May Be GOP's Best Wedge Issue
By 50 percent to 42 percent, the public believes "Obamacare" is "a bad thing," according to a recent USA Today survey, a ratio that has remained remarkably steady in the two years since its passage. Over that time, studies have demonstrated that the law will increase, not decrease, health care premiums and will likely push tens of thousands of workers into government-run exchanges. Both outcomes run counter to Obama's central promises that, first, the law will slow health care cost increases and, second, allow workers to keep their current health plans (Frank Donatelli, 3/4).

McClatchy: Let's Address The Dental Crisis In America
The United States is in the midst of a major dental crisis. There are 130 million Americans who have no dental insurance. One-fourth of adults age 65 or older have lost all their teeth. Only 45 percent of Americans age 2 and older had a dental visit in the last 12 months, and more than 16 million low-income children go each year without seeing a dentist. Lack of dental access is a national problem but those who are most impacted are people who are low-income, racial or ethnic minorities, pregnant women, older adults, those with special needs, and those who live in rural communities. Simply put, the groups that need care the most are the least likely to get it (Sen. Bernie Sanders, 3/2).

Des Moines Register: Focus Turns To Two Health Issues
Stigma against HIV-positive Iowans and access to insurance are issues that are exacerbated by current Iowa law, but one new bill and an amendment I am sponsoring provide much needed change. ... This bill proposed changes to modernize and update Iowa's current HIV criminal transmission laws that do not reflect current medical knowledge or treatment. This bill would help HIV-positive individuals and encourage openness and support for victims by decreasing criminal penalties for transmission of the disease (Iowa state Sen. Matt McCoy, 3/3).

Des Moines Register: Legislature Pushes Health Care Reform In 5 Areas
Iowa has been busy since 2007 reforming our state's health care system. We have many things to be proud of. For example, 98 percent of Iowa children are covered by private or public health insurance, the highest percentage of any state in America. We must be innovative and work in a bipartisan way when it comes to providing quality, affordable health care. It's about improved quality of life for Iowans. On this front, the Legislature has had a productive and encouraging session so far (Iowa state Sen. Jack Hatch, 3/3).

Arizona Republic: Diagnosis Location Shouldn't Matter For Cancer Care
Every state has a Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. In Arizona, this program is run by the Arizona Department of Health Services through the Arizona Well Woman HealthCheck Program. To qualify for breast- and cervical-cancer screening through the program, a woman must be age 40-64, uninsured or underinsured, not qualify for Arizona's Medicaid program and have an income not exceeding 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Fortunately, since 2001, these women can also receive treatment through Medicaid if they are diagnosed with cancer. But, in Arizona, that treatment currently has additional criteria for eligibility (Brian Hummell and Beverly Kruse, 3/4).

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: More Evidence Obamacare Is A Nightmare For Taxpayers
And the forecasts are only going to get worse with each passing year, if only because we are now burning through the years when Obamacare front-loaded new tax revenues before really adding new spending; that was another of the budgetary ruses Democrats used to create the fiction that Obamacare was fiscally responsible. It is increasingly clear that taking the law completely off the books is the only way to avoid a true fiscal catastrophe (Kyle Wingfield, 3/5).

Houston Chronicle: Providing Care To Pregnant Women
Access to adequate health care during pregnancy is about more than just prenatal vitamins and regular check-ups. Education also plays a pivotal role in the choices people make for themselves and their children. … Our communities are stronger and healthier when women and men have access to the support they need before, during and after pregnancy (Cindy Sunday Powell, Mona Parish and Mary Cortez, 3/2).

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Scottish Rite Hospital's New Era
This week the hospital entered a new realm, coming to grips with the 21st-century cost of medicine: After 90 years, Scottish Rite will begin billing for care. Insurance and co-payments now enter the picture, just like anywhere else. … Despite the new direction, the hospital says no patient will be turned away for inability to pay; free or discounted care will be there for those who need it. We would expect nothing different from Scottish Rite, given its history of service and generosity (3/2).

The Seattle Times: The High Costs Of Elder Care
Roslyn Duffy, sent me an email saying her mother had run out of money and turned to Medicaid to pay for her care, and that will mean moving out of a facility that no longer accepts Medicaid clients. Medicaid doesn't pay as much as some facilities charge private clients. Like most everything else, you get the quality you pay for, but it's not something most people think about until they arrive at the point of having to deal with it. … Don't wait for a better funded Medicaid program with more choices; take a look at buying longterm-care insurance (Jerry Large, 3/4).

Minneapolis Star Tribune: State Medical Practice Board Is Sound
I initially viewed the Star Tribune's recent two-part series about our board as sensationalism. ... Some have advocated an outside audit of the board. I would not object to such an audit and would hope that the inevitable exculpatory report will receive as prominent exposure as the initial reports did. In my view, the Star Tribune report was a lot of smoke, and an audit will show that there is no fire (James Langland, 3/4).

The Miami Herald: Bold Decision Painful, But Necessary
Even though it's been coming for a long time, the firing of 920 workers at Jackson Health System and the elimination of 195 vacant positions announced by Chief Executive Carlos Migoya last week came as a shock. This hurts. Mr. Migoya contends the move was necessary. First, to adjust staffing to the volume of patients. Second, to pull the hospital system out from the deep well of red ink into which it stumbled years ago thanks to mismanagement and political meddling. ... It is indeed bitter medicine, but somebody had to make the hard decisions to rescue Jackson from its terrible predicament (3/3).