American Morning
Caring for the uninsured
It's a startling statistic. 47 million Americans with no health insurance. Where do they go to get treatment? In many cases, they rely on charities like the one we profiled: Remote Area Medical, based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The organization sets up free health care events all over the country. We visited one in the small town of Newport, Tennessee in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
It was held at the local high school. And before sunrise, people were lining up in wheelchairs and holding babies for a chance to receive medical, dental and eye care at no cost. We met one man whose blood pressure was so high, doctors said he was on the verge of having a stroke.
The organization was founded by Stan Brock, who once appeared regularly on the hit wildlife adventure program "Wild America." Now he leads what he calls "medical expeditions" in remote parts of the U.S. where you'll find scores of Americans with little or no health insurance. The demand is so great in the U.S., Brock says, he's had to cut back on his expeditions to places like Haiti and Guatemala.
The services and equipment are all covered by donations to the organization. And many of the doctors, dentists, and nurses on-hand fly in from across the country on their own dime. Later this summer, Remote Area will be holding events in Southwestern Virginia, on an Indian Reservation in Utah and in Los Angeles where the group expects over ten thousand patients.
While Washington is debating national health care reform, Brock is calling on governors across the country to change little-known laws that stop many doctors from practicing outside of their home states. Tennessee, he says, is one of the few places where any doctor or dentist can fly in from other states to heal the uninsured.
Sebelius: Possible tax on rich for health care
WASHINGTON (CNN) - More work is needed on proposed health care legislation to make sure that it doesn't add to the budget deficit, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Sunday.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/07/20/sebelius.getty.art.jpg caption="Health Secretary Kathleeen Sebelius said it may be necessary to tax the wealthy to pay for health care reform."]
Appearing on the NBC program "Meet the Press," Sebelius said a tax surcharge on wealthy Americans is "a legitimate way to go forward."
The taxes would start with people making $350,000.
She noted the tax surcharge provision in a House proposal was one of several options under discussion to help pay for overhauling the nation's ailing health system.
A final bill "will be paid for - it will not add to the deficit," Sebelius said of health care reform, which is President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.
Both the House and Senate are working on proposals that would create a government-funded public health insurance option intended to drive down costs of private coverage.
However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported last week that the measures currently under consideration in both chambers would not pay for themselves, increasing the budget deficit.
Democrats pushing the health care bills argue the CBO analysis lacks the impact of cost-cutting measures under discussion for existing programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Keep reading this story »
What do you think? Should the government tax the rich to help pay for health care reform?
Obama pushes Congress on health care overhaul
One interesting side note about my piece for American Morning on how the battle over health care reform is getting personal. We talked to Hilda Sarkisyan whose daughter Nataline died almost two years ago due to complications with her leukemia.
After getting a bone marrow transplant, her doctors told her she needed a liver transplant to stay alive. Her insurance company denied coverage. But after the family raised a ruckus, the company reversed its decision.
Now, Sarkisyan's mother is visiting lawmakers on Capitol Hill in the hopes that her story will convince members of Congress to pass health care reform. As for the insurance company, its corporate spokesman at the time was Wendell Potter.
Two weeks ago, I sat down with Potter who is now blowing the whistle on the industry's practices. He says Sarkisyan's story was the final straw for him, prompting him to leave the insurance industry after a two decade career.
Join Dr. Gupta’s ‘Four Months to Fitness’ initiative!
Editor's Note: CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta originally posted this blog on June 23, 2009 to kick off his "Four Months to Fitness" initiative.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/06/20/sanjay.gupta.cnn.jpg caption="Dr. Sanjay Gupta says his upcoming birthday motivated him to launch the fitness forum with viewers. He wants himself, and America, to get in the best shape of their lives."]
Today, I am starting something I have wanted to do for a very long time.
Using this blog and my @SanjayGuptaCNN Twitter account, I am going to try to harness some of the best practices people employ every day to stay in the best shape of their lives.
Truth is, there are hundreds of sites like this, so I want to make this one different. First of all, I am hoping it becomes a living, breathing forum that users, like you, use to share your best health and fitness tips. I learn new things every day from CNN bloggers and tweeters. You all are a great resource of information.
I am also going to call on my friends and others I find inspiring to help as well.
For example, @JoePerez helped create something called the Daily Plate, which partners with the non-profit cancer foundation LIVESTRONG, where I sit on the board of directors. After surveying lots of different ways of tracking diets, I think this is one of the best. I will introduce you to Joe and the Web site.
There are also sites out there that will start to help you heart rate train. After doing lots of research, I believe this is one of the most effective and efficient ways of training. Ironically, my friends who listened to this recommendation from me say they work out less intensely and still increase their fitness more than before.
Small drinks promise big energy, but experts say effects unclear
By Danielle Dellorto, CNN Medical Producer
(CNN) - From supermarkets to the office supply store, it's hard to miss those tiny bottles of 5-hour Energy.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/07/15/art.energy.drink.ad.ho.jpg caption="The makers of 5-hour Energy call it a 'no-nonsense drink.'"]
"It would be easier for me to tell you where we didn't sell them in the U.S. than list all the places we do," said Carl Sperber, spokesman for Living Essentials, the Detroit, Michigan-based manufacturer of 5-hour Energy shot.
The small, shot-glass size bottles promise to provide energy and alertness without jitters to fatigued Americans. Unlike other popular energy drinks that market to college students, 5-Hour Energy's audience is multitasking, working professionals. The market demand has skyrocketed since the product hit store shelves in 2004. The company expects to move more than 350 million shots this year, Sperber said, up from 174 million in 2008.
"This is a no-nonsense drink," Sperber said. "It is not a fashion statement. It doesn't have a cool name; it is just a simple grab-and-go product to help busy adults when they can't afford a letdown."
Each 2-ounce bottle contains zero grams of sugar, 4 calories and about the same amount of caffeine as a small coffee. It also contains about a dozen ingredients that are broken down into B vitamins (B3, B6, B9, B12) and what the manufacturer lists as an "energy blend."
But don't expect superhuman results, one expert said.
"The B vitamins are given at extraordinarily high levels, and people need to know they are not some magic potion that's going to immediately raise your energy level," said Dr. Brent Bauer, Mayo Clinic director of complementary and integrative medicine. "There is no data that show that."
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