The Federal Government declared a COVID-19 public health emergency in January of 2020 and decreed many changes in healthcare and healthcare insurance to help people better cope with the pandemic. The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020 provided $6.7 billion for the federal and state governments to respond to the COVID epidemic in the United States. An additional $1.6 billion was included to contribute to the international response. The majority of the funds were used to control the virus in the form of research into treatment and prevention measures; keeping track of all aspects of the […]
Author: Mike Woods
Mifepristone: Science vs Politics
The overruling of Roe v. Wade made a personal medical decision even more of a contentious political battle. Despite the majority of the population being in favor of abortion rights, far-right politicians and judges are intent on passing legislation and making rulings to empower state and federal governments to make these decisions for their citizens. The usurpation of the right of people who can become pregnant to make their own decisions about their healthcare and well-being has gotten even more political with a new ruling from an extremist federal judge in Texas. While the original focus of the abortion […]
Antibiotic Resistance – Dangerous and Expensive
Antibiotic resistance is a problem most healthcare providers are aware of, but many patients are not. While I learned about MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) in medical school over 40 years ago, as a pediatrician antibiotic resistance was most evident when my patients returned with persistent ear infections. In retrospect, it was more complicated than I knew at the time. While some of the resistant ear infections appeared to respond to a different antibiotic — many of which were likely caused by bacteria resistant to the initial antibiotic chosen — others did not. It is now known that a lot of […]
The Hidden Health Consequences of COVID
This article originally appeared on BeMedWise. An up-to-date version can be found here. COVID-19 has left its mark in more ways than the number of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and long-term consequences indicate. While the COVID-19 pandemic is having a direct detrimental effect on public health, the economy, and our social lives, there are many indirect medical consequences as well. In 2021, the death rate in the United States was the highest it has ever been — especially in the 15-44 age range. While the death rates for cancer, diabetes, chronic liver disease, and stroke rose slightly, deaths […]
Politics Affect Interpretation of COVID Science, Prolong Pandemic
This article originally appeared on BeMedWise. An up-to-date version can be found here. The response to COVID-19 is still a political issue and the resulting division between political parties within the United States has persisted and is still having an adverse effect on the pandemic. The division began almost as soon as the presence of the novel coronavirus was confirmed in this country. Much of this division was the result of some politicians downplaying the pandemic for political reasons by giving false information: it doesn’t look good to voters to have a major pandemic during your term in office. Another […]