Monday, December 06, 2004

The Disparate Consensus on Health Care for All
New York Times story - "In Washington, the phrase 'universal coverage' is rarely mentioned as the way to provide health insurance for the 45 million uninsured Americans. It evokes memories of the Clinton administration's sobering failure to forge a national health care plan. Yet among health care experts there is a surprising consensus that the United States must inevitably adopt some kind of universal coverage..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Medical Costs Likely to Slow, but Not Soon
New York Times story - "Double digit annual increases in the cost of health care cannot go on much longer, industry specialists say, but American consumers will have to wait at least a couple of more years before the increases start to slow. Many health plan members, meanwhile, will again face higher costs in the form of rising deductibles, co-payments and monthly premiums. The insurance companies will continue to thrive, even though they have begun to compete more on prices to gain market share in some localities, Wall Street securities analysts say. To maintain profit margins, they are reducing overhead costs with the help of improved technology..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Documentary film focuses on transition from hospital to community
Item in CMHA/Ontario's Mental Health Notes - "Inside Outside: Building a Meaningful Life after the Hospital, a new documentary film by ex-patient filmmakers Pat Deegan and Terry Strecker, shows that recovery is possible, even for people who are seen as severely disabled. People with significant personal histories of psychiatric hospitalization are interviewed about their experience of developing meaningful lives for themselves in the community. They discuss their fear of leaving hospital and talk about the different therapeutic, self-help, practical (housing, employment, transportation) and spiritual supports they used to rebuild their lives..."  
  

Experts complete review on safety of antidepressants (UK)
Story at 4NI - "The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued new advice to patients and doctors about the group of antidepressants known as SSRI's, today. The updated advice follows the biggest and most thorough review of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants, by an independent group of medical experts. The review, which examined hundreds of clinical trials, was set up to look at the safety of SSRIs, with a particular emphasis on possible suicidal behaviour and withdrawal reactions..." See also, at the MHRA web site, a letter sent to health professionals and a questions and answers document, and a Wyeth press release, disagreeing with the proposed label changes for Effexor and Effexor XL.