Debunking Certain Myths About Health Care

Paul Krugman debunks many of the misconceptions about the government's role in health care.

Criticism of the law that allows the FDA to regulate tobacco

In a recent article in the journal PLoS Medicine, Stan Glantz and his colleagues highlight several of the strengths and weaknesses of the new law granting FDA authority regulating tobacco products.

a new assessment puts sunbed use on a par with smoking or exposure to asbestos

A recent assessment from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) puts sunbed use on a par with smoking or exposure to asbestos. This assessment appears in Lancet Oncology and is based on a review of existing research on the use of sunbeds and the risk of melanoma. The authors concluded that this risk was increased by 75% in people who started using sunbeds regularly before the age of 30.

The IARC is an expert committee that makes recommendations to the World Health Organization. The Sunbed Association (TSA) disputes these conclusions of the IARC assessment.

Cost of treating obese patients soars to $147 billion

The USA Today reports that obese Americans cost the country an estimated $147 billion in weight-related medical bills in 2008, double what it was a decade ago, a new study shows. This issue of rising health care costs for conditions perceived by some to be the consequence of personal behavior plays prominently in the debate over universal health care.

E-Cigarettes Pose a Health Hazard, FDA Warns

The HealthDay Reporter is reporting that testing of electronic cigarettes, known as e-cigarettes, has shown that they contain cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, including a compound used in antifreeze, U.S. health officials said Wednesday. The article focuses on the harmful ingredients of the e-cigarette and the its potential to normalize and cue smoking behavior. The issue of whether this vapor is harmful to others in the vicinity was not specifically addressed. However, the ingredients are toxic and I would argue that the precautionary principle should guide states and communities to prohibit the use of these devices in indoor public places, and these restrictions should only be removed if scientific consensus emerges that indicates the vapors from these devices poses no harm to others.

Restaurants across the country may have to post calorie-counts

The Economist recently published an article on calorie labels in restaurants. IMHO, this policy intervention can help to inform consumers, while placing little undue government regulation on businesses. As Kelly Brownell points out, we have labels on your clothes to tell us what’s in it and where it’s made, and the consumer has a right to know the calorie-count of a restaurant meal.