Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

References:

1. Sept. 17, 2009 — U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied in the Los Angeles Times

WUSTL economics professor David Levine says abolishing 'intellectual property' won't solve all social ills, but it would be a big step in the right direction for solving a range of problems from the high cost of health care, to innovating our way out of the current recession. In a series of posts with his co-author, WUSTL economics professor Michele Boldrin, they will be posting here about green technology, entertainment, free speech, multinationals, and innovation over the next weeks.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — Save the Whales! Abolish Patents! in the Huffingtonpost.com

How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Elusive price tag for universal health coverage in the MSNBC.com

Health-reform moves proposed by the White House and pursued in Congress have largely steered clear of direct hits to the medical-technology sector, with one big exception: medical imaging.
Such proposals follow years of rapid growth for medical scanning that has provoked questions about overuse.
William Peck, who directs WUSTL's Center for Health Policy, suggests the House legislation needs to get at the causes of overuse, such as doctors hedging against the threat of malpractice suits.

References:

1. Aug. 14, 2009 — Medical Imaging Under The Gun In Health-Reform Push in the The Wall Street Journal

and 5 others.

Should states' rights trump the fed? It seems to be a trend across the country. At least 20 states have introduced resolutions reasserting states' rights because they think that federal government is way too involved in what states do with things like taxes and health care and education. WUSTL law professor David Law comments.

References:

1. July 31, 2009 — Should states' rights trump the fed? in the CNN American Morning

The new science of measuring happiness has transformed self-help. Now scholars suggest it could transform society — from tort law to urban planning to medical care. WUSTL law professors Samuel Bagenstos and Margo Schlanger co-wrote a law review article in 2007 suggesting that the emphasis on lost enjoyment of life in jury awards actually makes it harder for the plaintiff to recover.

References:

1. May 10, 2009 — Perfectly Happy in the The Boston Globe

Two Kenyan brothers are in this country studying to be doctors. They are also fulfilling their father's dream of building a clinic in their remote home village to fight AIDS, the disease that killed both of their parents. Milton Ochieng is a resident at WUSTL's medical school. Fred is at Vanderbilt.

References:

1. Feb. 8, 2009 — Fulfilling a father's dream in the CNN Newsroom (national)

The largest prostate cancer screening program in U.S. history is showing high compliance and consistent results. The authors, led by Dr. Gerald L. Andriole at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, found that after the third annual follow-up round, compliance with screening had decreased only slightly, to 85%, from 89% at baseline.

References:

1. Jan. 1, 2009 — With annual prostate cancer screening, new cases are less advanced in the Reuters Health Medical News

Black churches that hold blood drives after informing parishioners about the importance of blood donations for children with sickle cell disease will get a big upsurge in first-time donors, new research shows. WUSTL School of Medicine sickle cell researcher Michael DeBaun comments.

References:

1. Dec. 24, 2008 — Black churches help enlist first-time blood donors in the Reuters Health Medical News

and 4 others.

Debra Harp, WUSTL's associate director of Student Health Services, comments on mandatory health insurance mandates by universities, including WUSTL.

References:

1. Feb. 1, 2008 — Campus Health's Hidden Costs in the U.S. News & World Report online

WUSTL is exploring the possibility of increasing its involvement in the health of the region by establishing its own school of public health.
As part of a strategic planning process currently under way at the university, WUSTL medical school dean Larry Shapiro and social work dean Edward Lawlor are investigating how the university can expand its focus on public health, according to Rob Wild, assistant to the chancellor.

References:

1. Dec. 28, 2007 — Washington U. studies creation of public health school in the St. Louis Business Journal

and 3 others.

For the millions of baby boomers who will eventually need cataract surgery, here's some cheering news: New types of implantable lenses promise to restore your youthful vision. Unlike the standard single-power lenses doctors have been implanting for 30 years, the newer multifocal intraocular lenses and accommodating lenses allow patients to see near, far, and in between--and even to shed their glasses.
WUSTL ophthalmology professor Jay Pepose talks about one of the options.

References:

1. Dec. 17, 2007 — The Cataracts Are Gone -- and So Is the Need for Glasses in the U.S. News & World Report

Article looks at why people tend to dismiss symptoms that can indicate a serious illness.
Research has shown that your personality can affect how you react to medical symptoms too.
A 2005 WUSTL study found that men with low overall anxiety levels were more likely to ignore symptoms of rectal cancer and delay treatment. Those with at least moderate anxiety levels, on the other hand, tended to quickly recognize symptoms such as rectal bleeding as a sign of a serious illness.

References:

1. July 31, 2007 — Don't ignore your body's warning signs in the MSNBC.com

WHEN it comes to economic decisions, there are always trade-offs. Gain one thing and you lose something else. This is particularly true in health care, a market in which a scarce good is ridiculously expensive, but needed by everybody.
WUSTL economist Charles Courtemanche looks at the economic points in Michael Moore's movie 'Sicko.'

References:

1. July 7, 2007 — What's Lacking in 'Sicko' in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

Many genetic tests look at DNA inside the patient. A second fast-growing field is the detection of the DNA flaws that make tumor cells grow far more rapidly than regular cells.
WUSTL oncologist Timothy Pluard changes his treatment plan in one-quarter of cases because of the tumor test.

References:

1. June 18, 2007 — The Telltale Tumor in the Forbes

A recent survey by AARP found that nearly 70 percent of adult children have not talked to their parents about issues related to aging. Some children avoid this most intimate of conversations because they believe their parents don't want to talk. Others think they know what their parents want.
WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter is one of the experts offering advice.

References:

1. June 10, 2007 — How to Talk About Aging in the Newsweek

With an agreement to take control of Chrysler, Cerberus, a private equity firm, is venturing into virtually uncharted territory in taking on a company with the problems the size of Chrysler's and with a union as powerful as the United Automobile Workers.
WUSTL law professor and vice dean Daniel Keating comments.

References:

1. May 15, 2007 — Cerberus Goes Where No Firm Has Gone Before in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

A flawed Medicare payment plan encourages aggressive use of a risky and costly anti-anemia drug on many kidney dialysis patients, say researchers who warn the system should be changed.
In an accompanying editorial in JAMA, WUSTL renal expert Daniel Coyne said kidney doctors who work with dialysis centers may not know they are "making dubious dosing decisions" because they sign multipage standing orders and turn over anemia management to chain employees.

References:

1. April 18, 2007 — Study Urges Caution on Anemia Drug Use in the Associated Press Online

and 55 others.

A 2002 survey found that more than 80 percent of the doctors on panels that write clinical practice guidelines had financial ties to drug makers.
This article looks at the serious conflict of interest problem that arises when drug companies pay for drug research.
WUSTL professor and kidney specialist Daniel Coyne recently wrote an editorial in an influential journal decrying guidelines written last year by the kidney foundation that encourage doctors to use more of Amgen's drugs to treat anemia in kidney patients despite studies showing that increased use led to more deaths.

References:

1. March 21, 2007 — Doctors' Ties to Drug Makers Are Put on Close View in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

In an era of bioterrorism, bird flu, an obesity epidemic and exploding health-care costs, the U.S. can ill-afford to reduce research funding, NIH supporters say.
But WUSTL cancer researcher Jeff Michalski and other scientists are finding that funds for adequate research are declining.
Michalski is director of radiation oncology at WUSTL Siteman Cancer Center.
On Monday, scientists from top universities testified before the U.S. Senate Appropriations subcommittee, which will help determine how much money the NIH gets for 2008, about how dire they think the situation is.
WUSTL medical school dean Larry Shapiro comments.

References:

1. March 20, 2007 — Scientists decry decline in research funding in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

and 10 others.