The Medical Freedom Channel

Well, now they’ve done it! Now they want to insulate the danged “minute clinics”!

According to a Boston Globe news story, the recent rise in low-cost walk-in clinics, sponsored by various chain-stores (Walgreen’s, CVS, et alia), has attracted the interest of the HMO world, at least in Massachusetts.

As the story, “Insurers to cover drugstore clinic visits,” reports, both Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan have signed contracts with CVS Caremark, and are in negotiation with Walgreen’s, seeking to “cover” most of the costs of patient visits to CVS and similar “minute clinics,” by offering reduced “co-pays” to those under their umbrellas who seek care at the clinics.

To some, this might seem a good thing, since the programs call for much lower co-payments from the patients than those exacted for more conventional healthcare visits (doctor’s offices or emergency rooms). Instead of the $75-150 customary for ER drop-ins, the patients will likely be paying only $15-25 for a clinic appearance.

The problem is, the wider effect of this could be the perpetuation of the very thing that got us into the healthcare mess in the first place: the “employee benefit,” third-party payor, institutionalized model for maintaining wellness. Read the rest of this entry »

“The world would change in all kinds of interesting ways. Let’s try to imagine what that world might look like. No FDA. No prescriptions. Any drug could be sold over the counter. And for simplicity, when I speak of drugs I mean purely medicinal drugs, even though my father’s experience might make that a tough line to draw in practice. Would drug companies test their drugs if tests were voluntary? I don’t think drug companies’ profits would be enhanced if their customers died from using their products.” (09/1999)

“Patients often fail to fully comprehend the treatment they receive during an emergency department visit or recall instructions for their care after they leave, new research suggests. More often than not, these patients aren’t even aware that they have not understood what transpired or remembered what they were told, the investigators note in their study, published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. To shed more light on the communication process that occurs in this setting, Dr. Kirsten G. Engel at Northwestern University in Chicago and colleagues interviewed 140 adult English-speaking patients or their primary caregivers after discharge from emergency departments at two teaching hospitals.” (07/22/08)

“Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA Deputy Commissioner for medical and scientific affairs, is now actively involved in the marketing of Eli Lilly’s drug raloxifene, marketed as Evista. Due to his Wall Street connections with the pharmaceutical industry, Gottlieb frequently had to recuse himself from discussions that were part of his FDA duties. He gained notoriety for calling the early termination of a multiple sclerosis drug study ‘an overreaction,’ even though three participants had died, and was highly critical of the groundbreaking Women’s Health Initiative study, which found that hormone replacement therapy posed more risks than benefits to women’s health.” (07/23/08)

“Some of the state’s largest health insurers say they will cover visits to the retail health clinics expected to open in CVS and Walgreens drugstores later this year, making the clinics attractive options for the treatment of everyday ailments. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan have signed contracts with CVS Caremark, the Woonsocket, R.I., company that operates more than 6,000 pharmacies nationwide. … The endorsement by insurers is likely to turn retail clinics into major healthcare providers in the state because, for many patients, they will be less expensive than hospital emergency rooms, with less waiting time. Under the contracts signed and being negotiated, retail clinic copayments range from $10 to $25, compared with the $50 to $150 copays most insurers assess for emergency room care.” [editor’s note: At least now I have a topic for this week’s editorial - SAT] (07/24/08)

“What’s small, sometimes too small to be seen with the eye, and lives off the blood of mammals? Ticks. These small, parasitic creatures feed off the blood of animals and humans and, more importantly, spread disease. The one everyone’s heard about is Lyme disease, but that isn’t the only tick-borne illness outdoors-lovers have to worry about this summer. Babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and human granulocytic anaplasmosis are just a few of the other tick-borne illnesses that are lurking in wooded and grassy areas.” (07/23/08)

“The head of a prominent cancer-research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cellphone use because of the possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don’t find a link between cancer and cellphone use and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says that it takes too long to get answers from science and that he believes people should take action now — especially when it comes to children.” (07/24/08)

“It is one of the most audacious promises in a campaign that has been thick with them. In speech after speech, Senator Barack Obama has vowed that he will lower the country’s healthcare costs enough to ‘bring down premiums by $2,500 for the typical family.’ Moreover, Mr. Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has promised that his health plan will be in place ‘by the end of my first term as president of the United States.’ Whether Mr. Obama can deliver is a matter of considerable dispute among health analysts and economists. While there is consensus that the American health care system is bloated with waste, eliminating enough to save $2,500 per family would require simultaneous and synergistic solutions to a host of problems that have proved intractable for decades.” (07/23/08)

“With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, my patients are cutting back on medical care. A 59-year-old woman decided not to have a mammogram this year. At her age, she should be screened for colon cancer, too, but she is holding off until she becomes eligible for Medicare at 65. Despite having some medical insurance as a self-employed cleaning woman, she is pinching pennies by scrimping on preventive care. … Rising deductibles, stiff drug co-payments and increasing prices for just about everything are forcing some hard choices about health. Care that doesn’t strike patients as critical is getting delayed. As the economy squeezes my patients, they are showing up sicker.” (07/23/08)

“The Bush administration has done a poor job of cloaking its latest end run around women’s reproductive rights. A Department of Health and Human Services proposed rule would require health-care providers and other recipients of aid from federal health programs to certify they will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who object to abortion and some birth control. No certification; no aid. … [This] clearly is a ploy to limit women’s access to reproductive healthcare. The administration knows attaching strings to funding would have disastrous consequences on access to abortion and contraceptives by women. The proposed change is worded so broadly the restrictions would extend to oral contraceptives and emergency contraception.” [editor’s note: Given that physicians already have the ability to refuse to treat a woman who seeks an abortion (even for unrelated conditions), to formalize the process seems only more draconian - SAT] (07/23/08)

“This once obscure vitamin has been thought to only fortify skeletal structure through the minerals calcium and phosphorous; however, new emerging research shows this vitamin performs many more tasks than just strengthening bones. … Pre-eclampsia is a devastating systemic disorder that is characterized by proteinuria (protein in urine), high blood pressure, and edema. … Type II diabetes is highly publicized since most diabetes sufferers are afflicted with this particular form of the affliction. However, the smaller subset, those suffering with type I diabetes, have a small advantage over their counter parts. Recent research has demonstrated that those who receive high amounts of vitamin D during childhood have a lower risk of developing type I diabetes later on in life, the greater the amount of vitamin D, the greater the benefit.” (07/23/08)

“Aluminum is a space-age metal that forms on the skin of aircrafts and soda pop cans. It is a highly reactive element that readily combines with oxygen. Nutritionally there is no known use for aluminum. Metabolically, aluminum is absorbed in the minutest amounts, since it always finds a molecule to react within the digestive fluids of the stomach. Aluminum has an affinity for the nervous system and can destroy the myelin sheath that surrounds the nerve creating nervous disorders. The body will not allow the aluminum to be free floating in the bloodstream and will transport it to the brain where the cells then become storage units.” (07/23/08)

“It’s not too late to help us make a difference. In the past two weeks we have hit Congress hard. Thousands of our members have written their House representative in support of a resolution that calls upon the FDA to stop their new policy of restricting women’s access to prescriptions containing estriol. The American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) ran a full-page ad in Roll Call supporting H. Con. Res. 342 and highlighting the hypocrisy of Wyeth. … We’re pleased to announce that the Senate has now introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 88 — a companion resolution to H. Con. Res. 342. Slightly different than the House resolution, the Senate resolution adds the language “unless the FDA holds a public comment period on the issue and can document evidence of adverse events and other safety issues to justify such policy.’” (06/11/08)

“A new label from Cinema Libre Studio for films that analyze how we co-exist with our planet, featuring films that examine the environment, health, ecology and sustainability. The DVD is divided into two parts. Part 1, ‘Curing Cancer,’ deals with the failings of conventional cancer treatments and shows how conventional medicine wildly — and deceptively — exaggerates the benefits of treatments, while minimizing the risks. … Part 2, ‘Healing Cancer,’ shows how cancer can be successfully healed with dietary treatments and natural supplementation. … It also discusses supplementation and why attitude is important in reversing not only cancer, but any disease. Healing Cancer goes on sale May 20th and will sell for $19.95.” (posted 05/13/08)

“Are you ready for a life-changing experience? This May 31st through June 1st, [Mike Adams will] be joining David Wolfe, Peter Ragnar, Tony Balistreri, Jay Kordich (formerly the ‘Juiceman’), and other presenters in a live, two-day event called The Vitality Experience. It’s all happening in Atlanta, Georgia at the Marriott Perimeter Hotel. There, we’ll be presenting new information about natural health breakthroughs and solutions for reversing disease, accelerated healing, longevity, and more! Learn more by clicking here. Called, ‘The Best Weekend Ever,’ the event brings together selected pioneers in the natural living movement — pioneers who aren’t afraid to tell the truth about radical new healing technologies, discoveries and paradigm shifts.”

“Of the 47 million uninsured in the U.S., it’s estimated that nearly 30 percent are eligible for free or low-cost government programs but are not aware of them or signed up. The nonprofit Foundation for Health Coverage Education has launched the ‘Coverage For All’ campaign to educate the uninsured about their health coverage options. If you or someone you know needs health coverage, here are three simple, free resources you have to find out if you are eligible.” [editor’s note: While we do not endorse this “coverage” pathway for everyone, it may be well worth considering for some among our readership - SAT] (04/12/08)

Luncheon meeting with Elizabeth Whelan, speaking on health food choices. 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Lloyds Restaurant, 1 South Wacker Drive (southeast corner of Wacker & Madison), Chicago, Illinois

Members $30.00; Non-members $35.00