In 1977 Joe Strummer sang that hate and war are the only things we got today and it’s hard not to think that, man, how some things never change. Although, then he goes on to sing about “wops” and “kebab greeks” and the song seems to be about “wars” between different ethnic groups in England and it sounds as though Joe doesn’t like foreigners at all. He could have been saying that stuff as parody, though, who knows. Have a listen for yourself as you read today’s headlines which happen to have a lot of war in them. Continue reading
healthcare
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A newly released study by doctors at the University of Pennsylvania shows that kids on Medicaid wait more than twice as long to see specialists compared to children who are covered by private insurance. The truly disconcerting part of this story is that kids on private insurance were found to wait an average of 20 days for an appointment. Though, even that pales in comparison to a denial rate of 66% for public insurance holders at the clinics the researchers contacted.
The solution to this, obviously, is more cuts to Medicaid! Get those poors out of the system completely, and the kids on private insurance might only have to wait two weeks to see the respiratory therapist!
When I was working as a nurse in obstetrics everyone would comment, “oh how happy your job must be!” And it generally was, until things went badly. And then it was miserable. Nothing prepares you for the death or injury of a newborn and the grief of the parents and staff that follows.
Physicians and nurses may also fear a lawsuit – but hospital staff are rarely criminally prosecuted for their actions or inactions, but not so of home birthing midwives. Slate.com tells the story of Karen Carr, a midwife in Virginia charged with involuntary manslaughter in the case of a newborn who died under her care. She has pled guilty to two felony charges as part of a plea bargain. Continue reading