FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Apr 25

Worsening Air Pollution Leads To Worsening Health

by bcurry

The findings in a new report from the American Lung Association (ALA) show the worst toxic particle pollution in the 25 years since the Association released its first annual “State of the Air” report.  More than 131 million Americans live in areas that indicated unhealthy levels of air pollution.  Higher pollution rates have been found to lead to higher rates of chronic health problems such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease.  In the long term, researchers have even found that pollution very likely is linked to brain damage that puts people at higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. 

The ALA report used only data from 2020 to 2022.  It did not include the impact of the historic wildfires across Canada in 2023 that choked many eastern U.S. and Canadian cities, often turning skies orange.  Air quality across American and Canadian cities is once again expected to deteriorate due to an early start to the wildfire season already underway this spring, notably in Alberta and British Columbia.

The costs of health impacts due to pollution, especially on the health care system, are enormous.  A University of B.C. study in 2007 claimed that pollution is killing 25,000 Canadians a year and costing the health care system more than $9 billion (Can) annually.  A recent analysis by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggested that further lowering the level of allowable particulate matter in the air would save lives and health costs.  By 2032, the EPA estimates that it would amount to $46 billion (U.S.) in cost savings and help the U.S. avoid 4,500 premature deaths, 800,000 cases of asthma and 290,000 lost workdays.

Paul Billings, ALA’s senior vice president of public policy, told USA TODAY that, despite a lot of progress on air pollution cleanup, we’re seeing the impacts of climate change, particularly wildfires.  The impact is overwhelming a lot of cleanup, particularly with respect to these daily spikes of particle pollution.  There is little doubt that much more needs to be done in both the U.S. and Canada to reduce air pollution and improve air quality.  Both countries have managed to do this with respect to ozone levels which have declined in some places due to governments acting on implementing regulated restrictions and encouraging new greener technologies.

So when you go out for your daily run or bicycling in urban locations, don’t forget that you may be breathing in air that very likely will not be overly healthy for you physically.  If you must, do so in the early morning hours when pollution levels are at their lowest.  Take the appropriate precautions, especially during the wildfire season by wearing an appropriate mask and limiting your outdoor activities when applicable.  Fortunately, most municipalities have good air quality monitoring on a continuing basis which can be accessed daily via the Internet.  I know that I’ll be using these information sources once again this coming summer.  Good luck and good health!

Canada Climate Change Health Care Urban Issues US

Leave a comment »
Mar 16

Why Are So Many People In North America On Antidepressants?

by bcurry

At no time in our history have so many Americans and Canadians been prescribed antidepressants.  Firstly, one should remember that patients who take the drugs often get them from their regular doctor rather than a so-called mental health professional.  Feeling down or unhappy with your life, go see your doctor and get prescribed some form of antidepressant.

According to a 2011 analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, antidepressants were the third-most common drug used by Americans of all ages between 2005 and 2008.  They were the most common drug among people aged 18 to 44.  According to the same survey, U.S. women are 2-1/2 times more likely than men to take antidepressants, and whites are more likely than blacks to take the drugs. Also, fewer than a third of Americans taking one antidepressant drug and fewer than half of those taking more than one have seen a mental health professional in the past year.

Canadians now rank among the highest users of antidepressants in the world.  In 2011, Canadians consumed 86 daily doses of antidepressants for every 1,000 people per day. One of Canada’s top psychiatrists stated that too many Canadians are treating life’s normal spells of misery the way they would handle something they dislike about their bodies: by asking a doctor to make their lives better.  Canadians take twice as many antidepressants as Italians do, and more than Germans or French.  In 2011, Canada reported the third highest level of consumption of antidepressants among 23 member nations surveyed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

What’s even more alarming showed up in a large 2015 American study containing data about the state of children’s mental health in the U.S.  The study found that depression in many children appears to start as early as age 11.  By the time they hit age 17, the analysis found 13.6 percent of boys and a staggering 36.1 percent of girls have been or are considered depressed.  These numbers are significantly higher than previous estimates.  As recently as the 1980s, adolescents were considered too developmentally immature to be able to experience such a grown-up affliction. Today, most scientists recognize that children as young as 4 or 5 years of age can be depressed.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  Diagnosed clinical depression is a very serious mental illness.  Many of us are familiar with persons with such a diagnosis, and who are undergoing treatment which includes antidepressants.  In such cases, antidepressants are essential in treating severe, debilitating and life-threatening depression.  However, the pills including Prozac and its cousins that were held out to be miraculous when they hit the market in the late 1980s, are increasingly being swallowed by millions of Americans and Canadians every day.  However, recent studies suggest that, in cases of mild depression where one is still working and functioning, the drugs often don’t work, or they produce a temporary placebo effect which doesn’t last.

One observer declared that “drugging unhappiness” has far too often become the easy solution, especially one taken by family physicians.  Remember the 1960s and 1970s when someone complaining of some form of anxiety was prescribed Valium.  With its launch in 1963, diazepam, which was patented in 1959 by Hoffmann-La Roche, became one of the most frequently prescribed medications in the world.  In the U.S. it was the best-selling medication between 1968 and 1982, selling more than 2 billion tablets in 1978 alone, prescribed particularly to women.  For some its continuing use became addictive.  In addition, besides dependence, long-term use can result in tolerance and withdrawal symptoms on dose reduction.  Abrupt stopping after long-term use can be potentially dangerous.  For these reasons, the drugs became less prescribed in later years.

Today, our societies must begin to question why people believe that they require medication to deal with their everyday lives and a state of so-called unhappiness.  What’s even more worrisome is the fact that more and more children are being diagnosed with some form of depression at an ever younger age!  Given these facts, one cannot but conclude that something is terribly wrong with our general state of mental health and with our health care systems.

Canada Health Care Health Care Systen US

Leave a comment »
Feb 9

Politicization of Health Issues in North America

by bcurry

The last few decades have seen a greater politicization of a number of issues related to health.  The clear division among pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine proponents during the COVID pandemic was a major indication of such politicization, with even public officials taking up one side or another.  The pandemic raised a number of health issues in both the U.S. and Canada, forcing governments and medical practitioners to support one side or the other.  However, the science was clear and supported the need for a vaccine and the various societal restrictions introduced to protect peoples’ lives.  The high number of COVID-related deaths, particularly in the first year of the pandemic, confirmed the urgency for action in order to minimize the terrible impact of the virus on the population at large.  Results indicated that where individuals were not immunized, the probability of serious health consequences and even death was that much higher.  Many ended up placing an extreme hardship on the health care system and communities.

In the U.S., the recent Supreme Court’s decision which overturned Roe vs. Wade — a 1973 landmark decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion — opened up the door to reviving the whole issue surrounding abortion, another primarily health issue.  Again, pro-life and pro-choice groups became more politically active in many states, with some state governments enacting laws introducing all kinds of restrictions on abortion, sometimes leading in practice to an outright ban.  This placed medical practitioners in a difficult situation, often putting a woman’s health in jeopardy as a result of the loss of the abortion option. 

More recently, governments in Canada and the U.S. have or plan to introduce legislation to support planned policy changes affecting transgender and non-binary youth and adults.  Often under the banner of “parental rights”, the laws aim to restrict health-care options for such youth and inform parents of any name and gender identity changes students request at school.  Age limits are being prescribed for the use by medical practitioners of puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender affirmation.  As a result, medical experts and patients are weighing in on gender-affirming care and the potential impact of such laws on affected youth.  They believe that limiting their access to care will put some kids at risk of self-harm, especially with respect to their mental health.  Psychiatrists who see gender-diverse youth and adult patients believe that to outlaw access to puberty blockers ignores best practices, guidelines and international standards of care endorsed by major medical associations.  Such laws are an unnecessary and unconstitutional political intrusion into the personal health choices of children, their parents and their doctors.  What is difficult to understand is that it appears to be the policy equivalent to hitting a fly with a hammer, given that the issue affects a very tiny portion of the population, often depicted as representing well less than one percent of children and adolescents.

When it comes to personal health matters, I believe that the majority of people would prefer that the government stay out of the equation.  In Canada, we saw a similar political split during past debates on the issue of medical assistance in dying (referred to as MAiD).  There were those that opposed MAiD primarily on religious beliefs, compared to the medical profession and civil rights groups who argued in favour of assisting those with terminal diseases, living with pain, in anguish, and with no hope for a cure.  In the six years since assisted dying was decriminalized by the Canadian Parliament in 2016, more patients are seeking MAiD year over year as this option becomes more widely known and available.  Since the introduction of this practice into the Canadian healthcare system, over 40,000 Canadians have taken advantage of the option. Decisions for assisted dying are left to the individual, his or her family and their medical practitioners, using several prescribed guidelines developed under the program.

I don’t know about you, but I want to make decisions about my health with the least amount of government interference or that of politically motivated groups.  I want decisions to be based on the best science at the time and the experience and input of medical practitioners.  There has been far too much politicization of health issues, driven by motives that most likely have nothing to do with the freedom to determine what is right for each person.  Our beliefs are our own.  As long as one is not harming anyone else, our health-related choices are our business. 

Canada Civil Rights COVID-19 Health Care Health Care Systen Mandatory Vaccination US US Politics

Leave a comment »
May 10

America Wanted to be Great Again.  Now It’s Just Sick!

by bcurry

I know what I’m about to write is controversial.  However, it is true and the facts bear it out.  During and after the pandemic, the U.S. like a lot of countries went through very difficult times.  Over a million Americans died due to COVID and many more were ill and now face what has become known as long COVID.  The rate for COVID-related deaths was the highest on a per-capita basis among industrialized countries.  Although a vaccine existed, a large number of Americans refused to get immunized and even prevented their children from being protected against this horrific disease.  Now, corporate giants are buying up primary care practices at a rapid pace in order to institute what is now referred to as corporate medicine.  In order to take advantage of the growing privatization of Medicare and an aging population, deals are being made which will risk shifting the balance in health care from quality treatment to profits.  Today, nearly seven in ten of all American doctors are either employed by a hospital or a corporation, with primary care doctors increasing simply becoming employees.  It’s all tied to billing.  As for Medicaid coverage, as pandemic protection expires, states are again determining which people are eligible for the health insurance program.  Millions could potentially lose access to their current coverage. 

Then there is the issue of abortion.  More and more states have placed either greater restrictions on legal abortions or have effectively banned abortions within their states.  Anti-abortion factions have even initiated lawsuits aimed at questioning the safety of medication abortion, the method used in more than half of abortions in the U.S.  They are trying to block legal access to mifepristone, a drug approved years ago by the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) as being safe.  The Justice Department strongly disputed the claims in these lawsuits The F.D.A.’s rigorous reviews of mifepristone over the years repeatedly reaffirmed its decision to approve mifepristone, which blocks a hormone that allows a pregnancy to develop.  In addition, where states have placed strict prohibitions on abortions, doctors are complaining that the health of pregnant women can be seriously endangered due to their inability to perform an abortion for medical reasons, resulting in needless suffering.

Then there is the record number of mass shootings so far this year in the U.S.  To date, there have been 22 mass killings in 2023, defined as four or more people killed, not including the perpetrator.  According to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit publicly sourced database, there have also been at least 202 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, leaving 792 victims injured and 276 dead.  The archive defines a mass shooting as at least four victims struck by gunfire.  Military-styled assault weapons, used in most of these shooting are everywhere, and apparently easily purchased by anyone without stringent background checks.  As usual, Republicans and gun owners offer their condolences and prayers, often alluding to some form of mental illness as the primary cause.  While mental illness is a concern, studies have shown that the majority of the shooters acted because of other motivations, including hate and anger directed at particular groups and individuals.  There appears to be no end to these tragedies in sight.

Then there are the growing actions by certain states over transgender youth.  Over the past three years, Republican state lawmakers have put forward a barrage of bills to regulate the lives of transgender youths, restricting the sports teams they can play on, bathrooms they can use and medical care they can receive.  The people pushing these laws include Christian conservatives — among them some of the same figures who fought the legalization of gay marriage.  Medical groups have overwhelmingly rejected arguments by conservative activists emphasizing parental control and child protection and calling transition care harmful.  They note that transgender people have higher rates of depression and suicide.  Research shows that transition care — which can involve puberty blockers, hormones or surgery, though minors rarely receive surgery — can improve mental health.

Over all, the list goes on and on and on.  I have not even touched on issues related to climate change which several state governments continue to ignore and disavow.  I used to look up to the U.S., but no more.  Its policies now represent the elements of one very sick society.

Abortion Civil Rights Conservative Political Groups Health Care US US Politics

Leave a comment »
Feb 20

Telehealth Raises New Concerns About How Drugs Are Dispensed in North America

by bcurry

Back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Trump administration made it easier to treat patients by telehealth or telemedicine, including remotely prescribing certain controlled substances.  Today, all manner of medical care, from management of chronic diseases like diabetes to substance abuse treatment, have become more accessible and affordable.  While many patients have benefited, the rapid growth of remote prescribing and at-home use of various drugs has outpaced the evidence that doing so is safe and effective.  As the gap between medical treatment and online shopping has narrowed, already-thorny debates over the proper balance between availability and safety have become increasingly urgent.  The introduction of telehealth has created a whole new industry when it comes to providing health care, especially with the provision of drugs used to treat such mental health issues such as depression.

Back in 2017, I read about a new use for the drug ketamine, a long-used anesthetic that was primarily used to sedate patients during surgery but has also been used as a date-rape drug.   Ketamine was undergoing studies by several researchers both in Canada and the U.S. for its ability to rapidly stop suicidal thoughts in a high percentage of patients.  As far back as 2013, one Canadian researcher, Dr. Pierre Blier, director of the mood disorders research unit at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, called ketamine the biggest breakthrough since the introduction of anti-depressants.  For patients resistant to other drug treatments, it is considered an alternative to one of the only remaining treatments — electroconvulsive therapy, which has potential long-lasting side effects and is more invasive and often requires hospitalization.  For anyone suffering from clinical depression, ketamine has been shown to be effective and safe if prescribed and closely monitored by an attending physician.  Needless-to-say, there are known serious side-effects from the use of ketamine, and there is a potential for addiction and abuse.

The access to cheaper sources of ketamine for at-home treatment has been facilitated by the emergence of telehealth.  Marketing to doctors is often done through social media posts and mailers, wherein they extol the benefits of ketamine.  Companies that once served primarily local customers now ship their products across the country.  The ketamine boom has presented an alluring opportunity.  Because ketamine is regulated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Health Canada as a controlled substance, provision of the drug still requires a physician’s prescription.  Previously, while prescribing ketamine for depression was allowed, patients needed to first meet in person with a doctor, and treatment was mostly limited to infusions in clinics.  Now, telehealth providers will accommodate patients by providing online access to a physician.  Patients have the option to schedule live telemedicine visits with their providers at any time for no additional cost.  Needless-to-say, this isn’t an ideal situation when it comes to providing medical follow-up for monitoring purposes.  Some at-home providers simply view ketamine as just another medicine to be taken regularly.

Covid-19 exacerbated the nation’s mental health crisis and underscored the inadequacy of many existing treatments, accelerating a reconsideration of once-stigmatized psychedelics.  The sale of ketamine has reportedly grown ten times what it was in 2019.  People who are using telehealth to acquire the drug are desperate, but may also be prone to addiction and abuse.  Some suffer serious health side-effects but are hesitant to report them for fear of loosing their cheaper access to the drug.  One the one hand, the growth of telehealth is yet one more example of reacting to the lack of availability and affordable access to mental health services in many communities.  On the other hand, there are those that worry that this potentially lifesaving treatment could become inaccessible if more rigorous intervention by regulators is implemented.  In addition, more research on the long-term use of such drugs as ketamine is needed to determine if its continuous medical use might be harmful.  Since many online users are reluctant to provide information about its use, such needed research may be more difficult to undertake.  Like access to other controlled substances, regulators need to take a closer look at the growth of telemedicine in both countries.  After all, if there are profits to be made and drug costs are reduced, one can certainly foresee the continuing growth of this sector.

Canada Health Care Health Care Systen US

Leave a comment »
Sep 5

Shouldn’t We Pay Health Care and Education Workers More Because of the Valuable Work They Do?

by bcurry

If there’s one thing to take from the pandemic is that workers in the health care sector and in our schools merit more pay than they currently have.  What could be more important than ensuring that our health and the education of our children meet today’s standards as modern industrialized countries?  Yet, the pandemic and an aging population have resulted in tens of thousands of teachers and health care workers to leave or retire from their profession.  The numbers don’t lie.  Take for example in the U.S., where recent statistics highlight that there is a massive teacher shortage, particularly severe in several states and many localities.  In Canada, the Canadian Nurses Association in a 2009 report predicted that Canada could see a shortage of 60,000 full-time nurses by 2022.  The estimate is based on a number of factors, including retirement projections, but of course doesn’t account for the serious impacts of the pandemic.

What is more disconcerting is the fact that within the teacher shortage, there are certain disciplines which are critical to developing a new labour force in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.  Up until now, in both Canada and the U.S. immigrants continue to be a major source of STEM labour.  In Canada, adult immigrants accounted for 44% of all individuals aged 25 to 64 with a university degree in a STEM field in 2016, compared with 24% in the United States.  Can we continue to rely on immigrants to fill those job vacancies in high tech industries?  The teaching profession has grappled with a labour supply issue in STEM for years.  For example, according to a March 2022 report by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, over the last decade, the number of teaching degrees and certificates conferred fell 27 percent in science and mathematics education.

On top of which, there are places that serve economically disadvantaged students where they are more likely to have vacant positions.  In lower income communities and in rural areas, school boards have a hard time attracting teachers to their schools.  We know certain types of teachers are also hard to attract, in particular STEM teachers and special education teachers.  As for special education teachers, the demand outpaces the supply.  Parents with autistic children or those with learning disabilities have complained, and rightly so, for a number of years about the lack of special education support in schools.  While something has to be done to encourage students enrolled in teachers’ colleges to become special education teachers, better pay and working conditions need to be promoted and implemented.

One of the things the pandemic has really shown the public is the value that nurses particularly bring to the health system.  As a result, I would hope that people recognize the importance that nurses play in making sure we all have access to care.  Interestingly, the media coverage during the pandemic did highlight the courageous acts by and commitment of nurses.  As a result, nursing colleges have seen a recent increase in applications within both countries.  However, burnout, wage competition with other sectors and early retirement has contributed to the current nursing shortage in the short-term.  When compared to health care workers in general, nurses continue to be underpaid given the extensive degree of training and responsibilities they have.

As a modern society, one needs to take a close look at where our priorities lie.  Everyone is touched by how well our health care and education systems work or don’t work.  Following the consequences of the pandemic for our children and aging population, we need to get our priorities straight.  This takes political and societal will and commitment to resolve these current specific worker shortage issues.  This is not something that technology alone can resolve.  These are people issues, requiring people solutions.  Unfortunately, up until now, most jurisdictions have been unable or unwilling to adequately address these immediate and long-term challenges.  I predict that within the next year, one will see this issue becoming increasingly a concern in both countries.

Canada Education Education in U.S. Health Care Health Care Systen Labor Force US

Leave a comment »
Jan 22

It’s Hard to be Optimistic About the Rest of 2022 — Here’s Why

by bcurry

Well, the New Year began much as the old year ended.  Across the board there are numerous reasons for North Americans not to be overly optimistic about the rest of the year.  Several key factors are leading us to this conclusion.

  • The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has created a fourth or fifth wave, depending on who you are talking to.  Although Omicron appears to have possibly peaked, it has once again severely strained our health care systems.  In addition, the unvaccinated continue to represent the largest number of hospitalizations, especially when it comes to patients in our ICUs.  Our health care providers continue to be under a great deal of strain, especially after two years of treating COVID patients.  There is now a tremendous backlog of elective surgeries and treatments.  In addition, although CDC studies show the effectiveness of booster vaccine shots in preventing severe COVID cases, far fewer adults have gotten booster shots to date.  When will we move from a pandemic to an endemic?
  • In most jurisdictions, kids are back for in-person learning in schools.  However, there are still a large number of children under the age of twelve who have not received their first dose of a COVID vaccine.  With the Omicron variant being twice as contagious as the Delta variant, many parents are concerned about the safety of schools and the potential effect of the disease on their children.  Indeed, statistics have shown that more children are being hospitalized due to Omicron.  Questions have been raised about whether in-person learning can continue in the near future.
  • Even with the economy starting to reopen, a number of economic issues have arisen.  Among these is the forecast of continuing hyperinflation over the coming months.  There continue to be supply chain problems, shortages of skilled labour and increasing fuel, food and housing prices.  With the current annual inflation rate running at around six percent, Canadians have not seen such a high inflation rate since 1991.  A survey of consumer expectations showed Canadian households also expect inflation to stay above 3 percent over the next couple of years, above the two percent average considered normally acceptable.  Central banks have little choice but to raise interest rates this year which will have a major effect on government and personal debt payments down the road.
  • Internationally, both the U.S. and Canada, as members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), will have to deal with on-going Russian threats suggesting a possible military incursion into eastern Ukraine.  Although the Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the allied countries strongly believe that there needs to be an immediate and firm reaction to any Russian incursion.  As a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, NATO countries are arming and training the Ukraine military and defence forces in preparation for such an event.
  • China’s economy is slowing, a worrying sign for the world.  China’s National Bureau of Statistics indicates that economic output from October through December of 2021 was only 4% higher than during the same period a year earlier.  This is a far cry from previous annual growth rates ranging between 6 and 9 percent in recent years.  The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is now starting to spread in China, leading to more restrictions around the country and raising fears of renewed disruption of supply chains.  Being a major supplier to the North American markets, any continuing slowdown in China’s economy will have a severe impact on U.S. and Canadian businesses and consumers.
  • COVID-19 government relief programs for the unemployed and businesses affected by government-imposed lockdowns and public health measures are being phased out.  This could result in many hardships for lower income individuals and small to medium-sized businesses.  The resulting loss of income due to the pandemic will have an impact on government revenues in the near future.  Many government support programs may have to be reviewed for termination or reduction under expected future austerity measures.

Canada China Coronavirus COVID-19 Economy Economy Federal Government Federal Government Health Care Ukraine US

Leave a comment »
Mar 14

U.S. has tended to prioritize private wealth over public resources

by bcurry

Kids are sitting in front of fast food outlets trying to do their homework on their note books or lap tops because they have no access to the Internet at home.  This has been a major issue during the pandemic because of school closures and children being forced to do full-time on-line learning.  This is happening in the same country that just put another rover, fresh off its flawless landing, on the surface of Mars — an extraordinary engineering feat and once again proving that when it comes to space exploration, no one does it better than the U.S.  Yet when it comes to maintaining its public infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers earlier this month gave the country a C-minus for the overall quality of its infrastructure.  Then there was Texas’s  failure to properly weatherize and maintain power generation systems which led to the most recent massive power crisis and subsequent water crisis which lasted for weeks in some counties.

Take the American health care system which is among the most advanced in the world, but only for some.  Remember that the U.S. is the only major industrialized country that doesn’t have a universal healthcare system.  Instead, a significant proportion of the population lack sufficient health insurance and have to depend on publicly under-funded hospitals and clinics that in turn lack adequate resources to treat their patients.  Even in good times the U.S. records higher mortality rates and earlier deaths than other countries, especially among Black, Latino or Native American citizens.  Unfortunately, the pandemic highlighted this tragic situation whereby the U.S., accounting for just four percent of the world’s population, had 20 percent of worldwide coronavirus deaths.  While, American scientists, laboratories and pharmaceutical companies helped in record time to develop effective vaccines, the country has consistently lagged behind other developed nations in the more elementary tasks of coronavirus testing and prevention.

The U.S. once was at the forefront of advances in green technologies, much like it had been in computer technologies.  Unfortunately, the Trump administration ended American participation in the Paris Accord on Climate Change and set back American initiatives in tackling the causes of global climate change.  Although the Biden administration has indicated that climate change is once again a priority issue on its agenda, it will take time to repair the damage inflicted by Trump on the Department of Environment and its programs related to air, water and soil quality.  Instead, numerous federally protected lands were opened up to pipeline construction, mining and drilling by the private sector.  The negative impact on valuable non-renewable resources will no doubt take time to be reversed, much to consternation of Americans.

If anything, the pandemic has drawn attention to the need for the U.S. to adequately invest in upgrading, maintaining and expanding its existing public infrastructure.  This applies not only to energy sources, public roads and bridges, but also to Internet access and the public health care system.  Failure to do so will only further lead to great inequities among Americans at the expense of their livelihoods and health and safety.

Cimate Change Economy Health Care US

Leave a comment »
Sep 25

Governments and Employers Have to Deal With the Implications of an Aging Population

by bcurry

According to Statistics Canada’s most recent population projections, by 2015 there would be more people in Canada over the age of 65 than under the age of 15. The number of seniors is expected to double over the next 25 years.  According to American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), today there are about 44 million adults in the United States who provide unpaid care for a loved one who needs support. The numbers of seniors are increasing every day in each country.  People are also living longer due to advances in medical and health sciences.  This has serious implications for society in light of issues surrounding elder care, an aging workforce, old age income security, long-term care, the increase in persons with health issues such as dementia and Parkinson’s, the impact on health care systems, etc., etc.

A 2017 survey by the U.S. National Business Group on Health, a coalition of large employers, found that 88 percent of employers think care giving will be a big issue over the next few years.  Surprisingly, it has been determined that the average age of care givers is 33 years old.  Many of whom are members of the so-called “sandwich generation”, whereby they have both children and elderly relatives to look after.  Many care givers are experiencing stress as a result of the dual responsibilities. In addition, we are already experiencing serious shortages in long-term care facilities for those seniors who have major health issues.

Many of the millions of baby boomers have turned 65 and their parents are living past 85, joining the fastest-growing segment of the population. The boomers who have retired must now not only look after their own costs of living and their own income security, but also have responsibilities for helping out their aging parents.  As the baby boomers themselves age, their children may also have to help them to cope with continuing to normally function in today’s society.  For those care givers still in the labour force, there are few companies that subsidize elder care benefits, have written policies about elder care or provide for paid elder care leave.

The lack of existing elder care policies in the private sector leaves governments with the responsibility to initiate new approaches to tackling the issues surrounding an aging population, as they did with child care in the past. Canada is in the midst of a federal election. It’s time that all political parties propose how they plan to deal with aging population issues, including old age income security, long-term health and home care, tax breaks for elder caregivers, labour standards directed at those providing elder care, universal drug and dental benefits, etc., etc.  Seniors represent about a quarter of all voting citizens, thus representing a major voting group which political parties cannot continue to ignore. They need to influence employers and future governments.

Canada Federal Election Health Care US

Leave a comment »
May 6

‘Trumpcare’ Danger Is What It Takes Away From Existing Health Insurance

by bcurry

Any politician worth his or her career will tell you that the hardest thing to do in government is to take away what currently exists in law or programs that affect their constituents. Obamacare was often seen as a ‘band-aid’ solution to long-standing problems with health care coverage in the U.S., either private or public. Prior to its introduction at the time, the government estimated that the number of people in the country without health insurance was about 47 million persons.  Furthermore, if the proportions remained constant, it was estimated that there might have been nearly 16 million people with a chronic condition but no insurance to pay for medical care.  Individuals with health preconditions could either not obtain health insurance or could not afford insurance due to much higher premiums.

What the Republicans have to worry about is a real danger to their control of the House and Senate in upcoming elections because of Trumpcare. Based on the current bill, budget analysts estimate 24 million people would lose insurance over a decade, 14 million in the first year. Older Americans would face higher costs. It also gives the states more leeway to reduce coverage under Medicare and Medicaid, as well changing other health care policies. The insurers that will almost certainly feel the strain are those who provide a lot of coverage through Medicaid, which is subsidized. The Democrats have already accused the GOP of favouring the rich over the poor with proposed changes under Trumpcare. One can bet that Democrats will carry this highly emotive issue into the next federal elections. Republicans up for re-election have already faced hostile opposition from affected constituents to the point where some Senators have vowed to write their own bill.

There’s a basic premise in politics that it is always harder for a ruling party to take away provisions or funding that exist under current laws. Given that Obamacare has been around for several years, Americans who have benefited are prepared to fight to maintain their access to health care under the present system. Despite assurances by the GOP and the President, Trumpcare represents a great number of uncertainties. With the health of millions of Americans, both young and old, at stake, these uncertainties represent a real danger to the GOP control of Congress. In dismantling the Affordable Care Act, the stakes are very high, especially if done in a quick and dirty fashion.  No issue has been more contentious in modern times.  If mishandled, this critical issue could eventually lead to the downfall of the GOP, one way or another.

Donald Trump Health Care US US Politics

Leave a comment »
«Older Entries
Blog at WordPress.com.