McDonald’s is on the defense again, this time over health care coverage for hourly workers.
A Wall Street Journal article said that McDonald’s Corporation warned it could drop its health insurance plan for hourly workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the Affordable Care Act.
This week a federal appeals court ruled that federal funding of embryonic stem cell research can continue for the time being.
The order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit extends the temporary action of September 9 and will remain in place until the appeals court can consider the case.
The Justice Department argued that years of progress in research could be lost if the funding ban were to remain in place. The freeze on federal funding forced the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pull 50 grants awaiting peer review and freeze 22 grants up for renewal, at least temporarily.
We all know what the pink ribbons mean and we’ll see them in abundance during October, the 25th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This October also marks the two-year anniversary of the Love/AvonArmy of Women.
October 1 is the official Army of Women Blog For Your Breasts Day and bloggers everywhere are taking part in spreading the word about The Army of Women initiative.
You’re invited to the Hunger Banquet. Even better, how about hosting your own Hunger Banquet?
For more than 35 years, the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® has brought attention to the fight against hunger and poverty. Now they’re providing online toolkits and a centralized action hub to create an interactive and transformative experience for today’s hunger activists.
At this very moment, one billion people in the world are chronically hungry. But hunger isn’t just about not having enough food, because there is more than enough food in the world — it’s about access to resources.
Read the article and view the video starring Charlyne Yi:
The diabetes drug Avandia has been pulled from the European market and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed significant restrictions on its use in the U.S., citing increased risk of heart attack associated with the drug.
Avandia, the brand name for rosiglitazone, is a product of GlaxoSmithKline and is prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent). It works to control blood sugar levels by making the cells of the body more sensitive to the action of insulin.
Patients in the U.S. will still be able to get Avandia if they cannot control their blood sugar with the use of other medicines, something that will need to be documented by physicians.
The oral medication was approved in 1999 and quickly became a top-selling prescription for diabetes, generating $3 billion a year, but sales slowed significantly since 2007 when a study linked the drug to risk of heart attack.
Americans discard more than 25 percent of all food produced domestically. That’s about 25.9 million tons of food.
Four thousand miles away, almost eight million residents of Niger — more than half the country’s population — are facing starvation because of climate conditions that have damaged food crops.
What you eat for lunch and what you pack in your child’s school lunch matters more than you might realize.
Climate change is an urgent global problem with social, economic, and environmental consequences.
A federal judge approved a $350 million class action settlement with UnitedHealth Group, awarding an additional $89 million in attorney fees and expenses.
The settlement in The American Medical Association v. United Healthcare Corporation resolves claims that UnitedHealth colluded with others to underpay doctors outside of its network.
Dementia is significantly affecting every health and social care system in the world.
• About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and that figure is expected to double every 20 years, due to longer lifespans and an aging population.
• By the time we reach 85 years old, we have about a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
• The expense of taking care of an Alzheimer’s patient is highest in the United States, coming in at about $48,000.
• Alzheimer’s disease will cost the world more than $604 billion this year.
On a slab at the morgue, the deceased man’s hand still clutches his partially eaten fast food burger as a woman weeps.
It is a startling image, one meant to get your attention. The video makes its point in a mere 39 seconds. Fast food is going to kill you. But it doesn’t stop there. The famous golden arches, along with the words, “I was lovin’ it,” makes it clear that Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is taking aim at fast food giant McDonald’s.
The only spoken words in the ad are, “High cholesterol. High blood pressure. Heart attacks. Tonight, make it vegetarian.”
Do you wash your hands after using a public rest room… after changing a diaper… before eating?
Chances are if you answer a telephone poll you will say you do because you know you should.
A study reported on in HealthDay News found that 85 percent of Americans wash their hands after using a public bathroom in 2010, compared with only 77 percent in 2007. The observational study was conducted at six locations in four cities.
A separate survey done by phone found that 96 percent of Americans said they always wash their hands after using public bathrooms. Sometimes what we say and what we do is at odds.
Michaele Salahi, famous — or infamous — for crashing a state dinner at the White House and landing a gig on a reality television show, added another dimension to her fame by announcing that she has multiple sclerosis (MS). Can’t you hear the collective groan?
My own first reaction to Mrs. Salahi’s announcement was to yawn and move on. It does not thrill me to give more attention to someone obviously addicted to attention for attention’s sake, but as a person who has MS, I am rather surprised by reaction to the story.
There is a fair amount of understandable skepticism about her claim, considering her reputation and that sales of a newly released book are at stake. And her explanation that her thin figure is the result of MS is confusing. The very long list of MS symptoms generally does not include weight loss or thinness.
Cancer patients and their families suffer less when the final days are spent at home. It’s about quality of life.
Dying in a hospital or intensive care unit can cause greater physical and emotional stress for all involved. A study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and reported by HealthDay News, found that when people died at home, loved ones were less likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Unfortunately, we don’t always get what we want. The study also showed that even though most cancer patients prefer to stay home, more than one-third die in the hospital and eight percent die in the intensive care unit. Overly aggressive care and treatment is not only traumatic at times, but very costly.
Congratulations to our 2010 Fresh Air Fund-Racers who ran in the NYC Half-Marathon and raised $100,000 for Fund programs! On March 21st, the Fresh Air Fund-Racers joined 15,000 other runners and thousands of fans on the 13.1-mile course through the streets of Manhattan. Thank you to our dedicated Fund-Racers who worked incredibly hard to both train and fundraise for The Fresh Air Fund. The race wouldn’t have been the same without their smiling faces on the course!
We are recruiting for the 2010 ING NYC Marathon on November 7, 2010! If you’d like to be a part of this amazing race in any way, we’d love to have you. Please email kbrinkerhoff@freshair.org or call (212) 897-8890.
Over the past four years as a NY Road Runners charity partner for the NYC Half-Marathon, our 325 Fund-Racers have raised close to $400,000 for The Fresh Air Fund!
Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend Fresh Air Fund camps.
Health care reform is on trial and it promises to be a lengthy one, since the full benefits of the Affordable Care Act don’t even kick in until 2014.
Arguments Challenging Affordable Care Act Scheduled for December Reuters is reporting today that U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson said he will hear arguments on December 16 on the lawsuit from 20 states attorneys general wanting to block the Affordable Care Act. The lawsuit claims that the reform bill violates states’ rights. Judge Vinson will rule on the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss on October 14.
“Each One Can Reach One” is the theme for this year’s National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, September 13-19, 2010.
The annual event, which began in 2002, is the brainchild of Lisa Copen, founder of Rest Ministries. “Most people are not looking for large support groups or 100 percent understanding when it comes to living with a chronic illness. People in pain often times just want ONE person who really ‘gets it.’ And that one person can make a world of difference.”
When thinking about Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week and why it is important, I recalled an incident from several years ago that put it in perspective…
Read the article and find out how you can get involved!
McDonald’s is on the defense again, this time over health care coverage for hourly workers.
