Northern exposure - can the United States learn from Canada?

Article Abstract:

Americans may have to consider adopting a single-payer health insurance system if health care reforms proposed by the Clinton administration fail to control costs and extend access. Canada uses a single-payer system, and two 1993 reports indicate that Canada may provide its citizens with excellent health care even though it spends less than the US. One study found that hospital expenditures in the US were higher even though Americans were admitted less often and spent fewer days in the hospital than their Canadian neighbors. Another found that survival rates after a heart attack were similar in Canadian and American patients even though Canadian doctors were less likely to treat their patients with drugs, angioplasty or bypass surgery. The US may have to adopt its own unique solution to the health care crisis, but if a market approach does not work, it may be wise to take another look at the Canadian system.

Planning, Canada, Medical care, Health insurance, Health care reform

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Conflict of interest in the debate over calcium-channel antagonists

Article Abstract:

Authors supporting the use of calcium-channel antagonists in medical journals are likely to have a financial relationship with companies that make the drugs. Calcium-channel antagonists, or blockers, are used to treat high blood pressure, and some studies have questioned their safety. Researchers reviewed 70 articles and letters published during an 18-month period. Almost every drug supporter had received money for educational functions, travel, research or other uses from a manufacturer of calcium-channel antagonists. Only about a third of critics had received such funding.

Publishing industry, Analysis, Medical research, Media coverage, Conflict of interests (Agency), Calcium channel blockers, Conflicts of interest

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Screening for colon cancer -- can we afford colonoscopy?

Article Abstract:

All patients over 50 years of age should be offered colonoscopy to determine if they have colorectal cancer or its precursor, intestinal polyps. During colonoscopy, doctors use a flexible tube with a small camera at its end to view the inside of the large intestine. It is expensive, but it is also the most accurate method of diagnosing colorectal cancer.

Diagnosis, Colorectal cancer, Colonoscopy

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