Health Tips

Poverty in America blogger Leigh Graham wrote some months ago about planned budget cuts in Arizona in the face of a $2.7 billion budget gap. Now, E.J. Montini of the Arizona Republic makes clear exactly how the state plans to dish out those cuts: kicking sick people off public insurance. (My thanks to commenter Cinder McDonald for alerting me to this issue.)

Currently, 1.3 million people are covered by the state’s Medicare program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. Not for long — coverage for 310,000 is on the chopping block. Lawmakers just approved a state budget that will cut back medical coverage for tens of thousands of sick citizens and completely yank health care out from under countless poor children.

Cuts could go even deeper if voters don’t soon approve a temporary sales tax hike to raise money. State Sen. Jack Harper, a Republican, said, “We’re beyond the point of whether something is a good program, we’re cutting everything we can; the time for whining is over.” Hear that, sick people? Quit your whining!

The articles paint a picture of conservative lawmakers going berserk on the most defenseless of their constituents — the sick, the poor and the young. Not only are Republicans cutting funding for programs their most vulnerable citizens need, but they are also forgoing the 3-for-1 matching funds the federal government provides for the same programs. The Arizona Legislature is like a rusty Schick Quattro — it cuts once, you bleed four times.

Just in case you think this doesn’t affect you, remember that the cream of the Arizona GOP are Senator John McCain and Minority Whip Jon Kyl. The latter has complained about the “good Republican ideas” being thrown out in the debate over health care reform and is among the many voices insisting the White House “start over.” One thing is pretty clear: if there are good Republican ideas on health care, they’re not coming from Arizona.

Photo credit: SeaDave

from: http://healthcare.change.org/blog/view/razing_arizona_budget_cuts_leave_kids_uninsured

Over ten million American kids between ages 10 and 17 are obese. One out of three are either overweight or obese. Those are startling numbers which are finally gaining some serious attention. Yet unlike obvious solutions that protect kids against tobacco and alcohol, there is no clear answer to this health challenge. Still, new research that links childhood obesity to future adult medical problems is forcing public health programs to rally and do something.

In a long-term study, published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, the health of almost 5,000 children, born between 1945 and 1984, was tracked for 24 years. Researchers took measurements of body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Of this group, 559 died before the age of 55 with 166 of those deaths being from natural causes. Liver disease and cardiovascular disease were the most common causes of death.

Of the four key health factors measured, obesity (high BMI) was the telltale link to early death. The kids who made up the heaviest 25 percent had a premature death rate later in life that was more than twice as high as the leanest quartile. Having high blood pressure and high blood sugar as children showed the next two highest correlations (73 percent and 53 percent respectively). Both of these conditions were associated with being overweight as a youngster.

So, the harm is evident. The solution is not. Unlike cigarettes and booze, we can’t pass a law banning food consumption by minors. Even unhealthy foods, when eaten sparingly, won’t become addictive or cause immediate problems. Policymakers would like to find the easy silver bullet but, like adult obesity, there are many variables and lifestyle factors that combine to tip the scales.

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