Although drunk drivers inflict terrible carnage on others traveling on the nation’s streets and highways, law enforcement agencies and skeevy device makers may be unwinding the trust in what has become a cornerstone of the nation’s safety regimes: roadside alcohol testing machines. The New York Times reported that it “interviewed more than 100 lawyers, scientists, executives….
Continue ReadingArchives for November 2019
Hospital tries to stick ER nurse with $1 million in debt for her preemie’s care
It’s the price and cost problem, stupid. That’s a fictitious but new tattoo that voters might want politicians to take up as they consider the many major problems with the American health care system, especially as yet more medical billing outrages surface. Marshall Allen, a reporter for ProPublica, the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative site, posted about….
Continue Reading‘Any One of Us’ shows harsh realities and hope for spinal cord injury patients
Extreme sports may be to blame. Or it might be a falling tree, an error with a surgery, or an auto wreck. As the title of the tough, direct, and new HBO documentary makes clear, “Any One of Us” might suffer from a calamitous spinal cord injury (SCI). The 1-hour and 25-minute work by first-time….
Continue ReadingHeart failure deaths spike as nation ages and diabetes and obesity abound
Although many Americans fret that old age will afflict them with cognitive impairment, from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, it may be that their hearts will give way first. Experts have expressed growing concern about increasing issues with rises in heart disease, especially in the elderly, and a new study appearing in the online medical….
Continue ReadingSecrecy in drug and medical device lawsuits can imperil patients, experts say
The civil justice system, by regularly closing off and keeping secret key parts of lawsuits involving medical devices and prescription drugs, may contribute to patients’ serious injuries and deaths, according to a “special communication” published in a noted medical journal. The online article in JAMA Internal Medicine argues for greater transparency and disclosures, with a….
Continue ReadingRaging wildfires and major power shutoffs: Big tests in Calif. raise questions for the rest of us
California’s raging wildfires may seem a far coast away, and this seasonal calamity attracts little attention among policy makers in official Washington. But the fires are sending sharp warnings that the rest of the nation might well heed. The disasters have uprooted hundreds of thousands, destroyed dozens of homes and other buildings, and led to….
Continue ReadingWhat Happens if Your Insurance Claim is Denied?
When you are injured in a car accident in Washington D.C., you have a right to be compensated for those injuries by the “at fault” driver’s insurance company. After all, you weren’t the one to blame for the accident. The advice you’re reading here applies only if you’ve experienced minor injuries and you’re expecting a….
Continue ReadingToo many spoons full of sugar going down in kids’ drinks
Grownups shouldn’t be surprised that child obesity is a major and rising concern for 1 in 5 of the nation’s young, putting their short- and long-term health at serious peril: That’s because Big Sugar and major food makers persist in a costly, relentless barrage on kids and adults for unhealthful products, notably sweet drinks that….
Continue ReadingHow Much Damage Can Occur in a 40mph Crash?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 6.4 million car crashes occurred in 2017 alone. These accidents resulted in more than 2.7 million injuries and 34,247 deaths. Some of these severe accidents occurred at speeds of 40 mph or less. When you are driving, traveling 40 mph may seem like an average speed. After….
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