In The News

More Than Half of US Drug Safety Studies Never See the Light of Day

James Randerson September 23, 2008
Before taking a prescribed medicine, patients assume that the product has undergone rigorous testing, with researchers proving it safe and effective. Of the world’s 20 largest pharmaceutical firms, more than half are in the US, and so global consumers depend on the US Food and Drug Administration to regulate drugs and report safety concerns. A survey conducted by a team at the University of...

Immigrants Facing Deportation by US Hospitals

Deborah Sontag August 11, 2008
It’s no secret that there are serious problems with both the US health-care system and US immigration policy. Less obvious, though, are the ways in which those problems can overlap. The US government requires hospitals to care for all in need of lifesaving medical treatment – including foreign immigrants, but does not cover all costs for that care. Some hospitals, eager to rid themselves of the...

Voters See Very Different Healthcare Plans From Obama, Clinton & McCain

Michelle Andrews May 29, 2008
Democrats traditionally have placed greater emphasis on health care as a political issue than Republicans did – and criticize the government as the number of uninsured Americans continues to climb. However, when forced to pay, patients pursue the most affordable programs and voters may well follow suit. Plans from the Democratic presidential candidates propose expanding coverage, while...

The Global Abortion Bind

Joseph Chamie May 29, 2008
Induced abortion has been practiced throughout recorded history in all societies. While legal restrictions do not affect incidence, governments continue to debate appropriate reasons, technology, limits and ethics. The result is dilemmas. Even the strongest supporters of a woman’s right to choose may find themselves opposed to procedures conducted for trivial reasons, including sex selection,...

The Health Insurance Mafia

Jonathan Kellerman April 14, 2008
Advocates of health-care reform in the US look to universal insurance coverage as means to improve the health care system. However, Jonathan Keller, professor of pediatrics and psychology at University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine argues that the real problem is the nature of the insurance industry’s business model. Insurers bet against the ill health of their consumers,...

Let’s Try a Dose. We’re Bound to Feel Better

Jacob S. Hacker March 23, 2008
Republicans have criticized Democratic health-care reform plans that rely on greater government involvement, arguing government will only increase costs and diminish the quality of care. Yet, Yale political science Professor Jacob Hacker suggests that the US government has a role in health care – ensuring care for the elderly. He cites how Medicare’s increases in expenditure rates compare...

Running for Cover

February 28, 2008
In a relatively rare instance of policy – rather than personal – disagreement, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama hold differing views on how to make sure Americans have health insurance. While Clinton proposes an individual mandate, Obama contends that making health care affordable is the only way to achieve true universal coverage. Individual mandates have run into trouble, in legislation in...