Archive for the ‘Congress’ Category

jseng
John
Seng

Mr. Obama: Unite The Health Of Our State With The State Of Our Health

Friday, January 29th, 2010
Green area highlighted denotes the health reform section in the White House transcript of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, a little less than 8 percent.

Green area highlighted denotes the health reform section in the White House transcript of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, a little less than 8 percent.

My fellow Americans: President Obama read through nearly half of his 2010 State of the Union speech Wednesday evening before he arrived at, and all-too-briefly reviewed, what I still consider the nation's number one challenge, and indeed crisis: health care.

Interestingly, he described it as health insurance reform, which is a curious refinement from "health reform" or "health care reform." More unfortunate is that  the subject of health reform as Mr. Obama's #1 agenda item - prior to Scott Brown's surprise win of the open Senate seat in Massachusetts just nine days earlier -ultimately won less than eight percent space and time overall in the President's speech.

Whatever your politics, the newly sidelined health reform and our declining health as a nation deserved more time and a profound call-to-action from our leader. (more...)

Posted in Congress, Food Policy and Nutrition, Health Care Industry, Health Care Reform, Health Policy, Public Health
By John Seng | No Comments »

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eanderson
Erica
Anderson

Pre-Existing America

Friday, September 25th, 2009

In 2002, seven years before the current health care reform debate consumed America, 17-year-old Jerome Mitchell made the news when his insurance policy was revoked based on a pre-existing condition cited by the insurance company: HIV.

Today, with our nation in the throes of a high stakes and often emotional health care debate, Mitchell's story once again makes the news.

Seven years after it first caught our attention, his story now burns anew in the blogosphere, on discussion boards, in the Huffington Post, on the homepage of DIGG - reignited by a Sept. 16 South Carolina Supreme Court decision that ordered Fortis Insurance Company, now operating as Assurant Health, to pay Mitchell $10 million in damages for abandoning him when he needed it the most. (more...)

Posted in Community Involvement, Congress, Disease Awareness, Health Care Reform, Health Policy, Public Health
By Erica Anderson | No Comments »

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MollyHippolitus
Molly
Hippolitus

Top Digital Technology and Social Media News this Week

Friday, September 11th, 2009

google_wave_logo1. Google Makes Waves in Social Media World

This week Google announced the newest way to participate in the digital conversation: the Wave. Google Wave is a collaborative online conversation that allows multiple forms of media to be shared among the participants.  Why wait for an email or check your replies on Twitter when you can "listen" to the conversation keystroke by keystroke? With features such as real-time typing, recorded transcripts (for those recently joining the conversation), and the ability to embed the Wave on different sites for others to view and partake in, the Wave is speculated to make Tweeting and e-mailing look archaic.  Blogger, author, and social media expert Mark Senak is so fired up about the revolutionary communication tool, he goes so far as to compare it to the invention of air conditioning - something we will never be able to imagine what it was like to go without.  Read more about the revolutionary Google Wave, and also what it means for Pharma, Eye on FDA: Google Wave 3 - How Will Google Wave Communications Be Regulated - If At All? (more...)

Posted in Congress, New Media, Technology
By MollyHippolitus | 1 Comment »

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Spectrum

Something’s Gotta Give, But What Will It Take?

Monday, August 24th, 2009

At the end of July, the Spectrum team attended the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Weight of the Nation conference, which featured public health experts, medical personnel, and policymakers, coming together to discuss obesity in America. The conference - the CDC's first on the topic - was a direct response to the fast growing epidemic of obesity in America. For example:

  • More than 60 percent of American adults and 30 percent of American children are overweight and obese, which can lead to many chronic health risks, including diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, and
  • The United States ranks last among nations in reducing the number of preventable deaths resulting from obesity-related chronic illnesses (CDC).

(more...)

Posted in Congress, Disease Awareness, Health Policy, Public Affairs
By Spectrum | No Comments »

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jseng
John
Seng

IASLC Pushes Ahead In Global Lung Cancer Research News, Issues

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Unite to Reduce Lung Cancer Stigma, Infuse Lung Cancer Respect

"Reducing lung cancer stigma is central to promoting respect for lung cancer" was my message to about 60 oncologists, oncology nurses, and other professional and patient advocates at a scientific session on advocacy and the media at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer in San Francisco Sunday morning.

Convened by our client, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, this year's meeting gathered more than 6,400 researchers to share in the latest in lung cancer findings.

IASLC

My charge was to present an overview of lung cancer awareness in the media, but I decided several months out to redirect my talk and target mass stigma as the underlying reason that the leading killer among all cancers ranks as one of the poorest funded. Too many people, including members of Congress, decision-makers at NIH, the general public, as well as lung cancer patients themselves conclude that since smoking leads to lung cancer, why should we prioritize and adequately fund research on this disease? After all, smokers chose unwisely. Why should policymakers show deference?

But beneath all stigmas lies the truth. I compared patterns of stigma in HIV/AIDS and mental illness, where advocates have made varying degrees of progress to reduce myth and stereotypes in the past 25 years. I underscored a handful of pivotal moments that if applied in lung cancer could help open some doors and change attitudes.

I was privileged to join principals from the Lung Cancer Alliance  (another Spectrum client), the National Lung Cancer Partnership, the Bonnie Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, the UK-based Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, and Selma Schimmel of Vital Options, who co-chaired the panel with Bonnie Addario herself.

(more...)

Posted in Congress, Disease Awareness, Health Policy, Media Relations, Research, Technology
By John Seng | 1 Comment »

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CMorrison
Catherine
Morrison

Health Care Reform: What Gives?

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

In the last week, we saw the official start of the debate on health reform legislation, after months of speculation on its form.  Two pieces of legislation have been released- albeit incomplete, from the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and the trio of Committees with jurisdiction on the House side.  The Senate Finance Committee has delayed the release of its bill until after the July 4 recess; until then we have an outline.  (Here's a chart to help tell the differences).

Conversation continues on how these three bills will converge into one, and form a health policy document that creates real system change.  However, no matter the enrollment strategies or financing mechanism used, health reform, even at its best, will not produce a healthier population.  Even after ten or 15 years with an improved health care infrastructure in the United States, we are not guaranteed to see dramatic shifts in our health outcomes.  What gives?

We are unlikely to see greatly improved outcomes because health is determined by a variety of factors - and medical care is only a small determinant.  Actually, good health is based on a variety of factors including income, education, environmental and social conditions, genetics, and lifestyle choices (Grossman 1972; Pappas 1993; Marra and Boland 1995, and many others).

In recent years, a lot of attention has been paid to the social determinants of health (SDOH): education, crime rates, the availability of parks and grocery stores are just a few.  The figure below demonstrates how SDOH act as "roots" to cultivate the health of a community by providing pathways to either fragmented systems and restricted power or a sense of community and strong social networks towards health outcomes.  The assets determine the pathways and the health outcomes. (more...)

Posted in Congress, Health Care Industry, Health Care Reform, Health Policy, Public Affairs
By CMorrison | 2 Comments »

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