Opiate dependency among the subscribers of a New York area private insurance plan
Article Abstract:
There appears to be a considerable number of narcotic drug users who have stable jobs and private health insurance. Most estimates of heroin use are based on information from publicly-funded drug rehabilitation programs, public hospitals and the criminal justice system. These heroin users are often minorities and tend to be poor and unemployed and living in the inner city. Between 1982 and 1992, 31,810 people insured by Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield (EBCBS), a large private insurance plan, were hospitalized for opiate dependency at least once. Most (76%) were male and 24% were female. The average age at time of first admission to the hospital was 33 for males and 31 for females. Ninety-six percent of the admissions were for detoxification and the rest were for overdose or other severe drug reactions. Most subscribed directly to EBCBS through their employer, 17% were insured through a spouse's policy and 11% were the children of policy holders.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1993
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Ciguatera Fish Poisoning--Texas, 1997. (From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Article Abstract:
An outbreak of ciguatera fish poisoning among crew members of a Norwegian ship illustrates the dangers of eating fish. The ship docked in Freeport, Texas, and many of the crew members ate a barracuda that they caught while fishing in the Bahamas. Seventeen crew members developed nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness, dizziness, and numbness or itching of the mouth, hands, or feet after eating the fish. All 17 had eaten the barracuda but none of the eight crew members who did not eat barracuda became ill. Three samples of leftover raw barracuda tested positive for ciguatoxin.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1998
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