Viewpoints: How Much Should A Physician Do To Save A Life?
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
The Los Angeles Times:
'The Patient Is Code 3 Critical. Her Frail, 90-Year-Old Body Is Failing. How Much Should I Do To Save Her Life?'
Awake, alert and intensely focused, every effort of her frail, 90-year-old body was concentrated on the simple act of breathing. Her weak heart and failed kidneys had caused her lungs to fill with fluid, every breath becoming a mixture of water and air. The analogy to drowning is inevitable. As her physician, I was going to have to make some big decisions quickly, including this one: How much should I do to save her life? (Eric Snoey, 5/22)
The San Jose Mercury News:
Veterans' Wait For Health Care Is No Disneyland
Bob McDonald inherited a stink bomb when he was appointed Veterans Affairs secretary in July 2014. The agency was bloated with a backlog of nearly 350,000 unprocessed disability claims filed by veterans who put their life on the line for their country. Wait times ranged from months to years. Worst of all, it had come to light that VA employees were covering up average wait times to make the VA appear more efficient than it was. (Gary Peterson, 5/25)
The Orange County Register:
Putting Cost Ahead Of Medical Outcomes
Unlike most markets, prices do not convey value in health care. In light of this problem, the Boston-based Institute for Clinical and Economic Review has been attempting to calculate the value of new medical technologies in order to assign a reasonable price to the latest innovations. (Wayne Winegarden, 5/22)
The Los Angeles Times:
Congress Exploits Zika To Loosen Pesticide Regulations (But Won't Pay For An Anti-Zika Program)
Chronic dysfunction on Capitol Hill is often cause for amusement, but not when lives and public health are at stake. That's what's happening now, with the menace of the spread of the Zika virus to the United States becoming ever more concrete. (Michael Hiltzik, 5/25)
The Orange County Register:
Naloxone Intervention, Clean-Needle Programs Should Expand To Reduce Harm To Drug Users
A recent report in the Register offered a worrisome statistic. At least 400 people died last year from drug overdoses in Orange County – a 6 percent increase from the previous year and a 63 percent increase from a decade ago. (5/22)
The Desert Sun:
What To Do If You Think Your Doctor Has An Addiction
If you suspect, but aren’t certain, that a health care professional charged with your care is under the influence at work, start by taking steps to protect yourself. First, you can make an anonymous call to the medical board and report your concerns or suspicions. The board will take immediate and direct action. (Dr. Harry Haroutunian, 5/24)
Fresno Bee:
Bill Seeks More Tools To Help The Mentally Ill
Nearly 30 percent of the California’s 128,000 prison inmates are diagnosed with some form of mental illness, and many are seriously ill. County jails house other mentally ill inmates. And while they have committed crimes for which they should be incarcerated, no expert seriously argues that jails or prison are ideal places to house and treat them. Alternatives are needed. (Editorial Board, 5/24)
Ventura County Star:
Health Care Costs
It's easy to point out that insurance premiums have risen since the Affordable Care Act took effect, but how have they compared with premium increases before ACA? I run my corporation's health care (small business) plan and have been doing so for 14 years. Our yearly increase in premiums after the ACA are half of what they were in the decade before the ACA. (David McNamara, 5/24)
The Los Angeles Times:
How Do We Pay For Homeless Housing? Here's One Idea: Tap State Mental Health Funds
There are nearly 47,000 homeless people living on the streets or in shelters in Los Angeles County. Their problems are all complex, but none are as challenging as those of the chronically homeless, who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse or a physical disability. Over the last few decades, experts have concluded that what this group needs most, generally speaking, is permanent supportive housing, the kind that comes girded with social services such as mental health care, primary care, drug treatment and case management by a professional. (5/21)
The San Jose Mercury News:
CDC Won't Slow Palo Alto Youth Suicide Epidemic
For many years I was a Palo Alto high-school teacher, looking high and low for relief--and so, believe me, I'm loath to rob others of feelings I've sought myself. But serious matters call for realism. And the truth about the CDC study -- undergoing clearances now for a June release -- is not what you've been led to think. Incomplete, indeed slanted news and publicity have left unexplained what the study actually is and actually isn't. (Marc Vincenti, 5/20)