TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalCost of Diabetes: Financial toll of diabetes extends beyond those diagnosed with disease
Cross-posted in the Health Group and Texas Group.[font color=green]This story is a part of a series of articles that have appeared in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times this year. This is a long, informative article so it may be appropriate to bookmark for later reading.
Full disclosure: I have type-I diabetes and was diagnosed 15 years ago.[/font]
CORPUS CHRISTI — Jerry Madrigal’s life is spent in medical offices.
What started as a small sore on the 49-year-old’s foot has turned into a diabetes diagnosis and an endless series of pricey procedures and prescription medications.
No longer able to work, Madrigal lives on disability checks and his wife’s part-time pay. He has no clue how much all of this costs; his medical bills are fully covered by government-funded Medicaid.
One of the state’s costliest diseases, diabetes’ financial toll extends beyond those diagnosed, reaching into the pocketbooks of taxpayers and those with health insurance who pick up the tab for the uninsured or those on government-funded health care plans.
More at http://www.caller.com/news/2013/mar/03/cost-of-diabetes-financial-toll-of-diabetes-with/ .
Cost of Diabetes: Financial toll of diabetes extends beyond those diagnosed with disease
Cross-posted in the Texas Group and General Discussion forum.[font color=green]This story is a part of a series of articles that have appeared in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times this year. This is a long, informative article so it may be appropriate to bookmark for later reading.
Full disclosure: I have type-I diabetes and was diagnosed 15 years ago.[/font]
CORPUS CHRISTI — Jerry Madrigal’s life is spent in medical offices.
What started as a small sore on the 49-year-old’s foot has turned into a diabetes diagnosis and an endless series of pricey procedures and prescription medications.
No longer able to work, Madrigal lives on disability checks and his wife’s part-time pay. He has no clue how much all of this costs; his medical bills are fully covered by government-funded Medicaid.
One of the state’s costliest diseases, diabetes’ financial toll extends beyond those diagnosed, reaching into the pocketbooks of taxpayers and those with health insurance who pick up the tab for the uninsured or those on government-funded health care plans.
More at http://www.caller.com/news/2013/mar/03/cost-of-diabetes-financial-toll-of-diabetes-with/ .
Cost of Diabetes: Financial toll of diabetes extends beyond those diagnosed with disease
Cross-posted in the Health Group and General Discussion forum.[font color=green]This story is a part of a series of articles that have appeared in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times this year. This is a long, informative article so it may be appropriate to bookmark for later reading.
Full disclosure: I have type-I diabetes and was diagnosed 15 years ago.[/font]
CORPUS CHRISTI — Jerry Madrigal’s life is spent in medical offices.
What started as a small sore on the 49-year-old’s foot has turned into a diabetes diagnosis and an endless series of pricey procedures and prescription medications.
No longer able to work, Madrigal lives on disability checks and his wife’s part-time pay. He has no clue how much all of this costs; his medical bills are fully covered by government-funded Medicaid.
One of the state’s costliest diseases, diabetes’ financial toll extends beyond those diagnosed, reaching into the pocketbooks of taxpayers and those with health insurance who pick up the tab for the uninsured or those on government-funded health care plans.
More at http://www.caller.com/news/2013/mar/03/cost-of-diabetes-financial-toll-of-diabetes-with/ .
Bernanke defends Fed's low-interest-rate policies
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke is standing by the Federal Reserve's low-interest-rate policies, cautioning that any move to raise rates prematurely could derail a still-modest economic recovery.
Bernanke also sought to calm fears that super-low rates risk igniting inflation or rattling investors, during a speech late Friday in San Francisco to an economic conference sponsored by the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank.
The central bank's low-rate policies are intended to encourage borrowing and spending to boost the economy. Higher rates would make borrowing more expensive.
Bernanke said the Fed's policies mirror what other central banks around the world are doing.
More at http://hosted2.ap.org/NMSAN/81cd4a0d30d142e589a37e5adb2ec62c/Article_2013-03-02-Bernanke/id-a9365c8eb55046bc8395450913cf8138 .
Romney back on national stage
Source: AP
BOSTON — Mitt Romney is back, if only briefly.
The former Republican presidential candidate is re-emerging after nearly four months in seclusion at his Southern California home.
Former aides describe his burst of activity this month — a national broadcast interview, a speech at a gathering of conservatives — as a thank-you tour of sorts designed to close out a lengthy political career.
His party isn’t exactly clamoring for his return.
Read more: http://theadvocate.com/home/5329376-125/romney-back-on-national-stage
More at link.
Lawmakers get violent emails over gun control
DENVER (AP) — The weekend after a heated debate over gun control, Colorado state Rep. Rhonda Fields was flooded with emails, including some she later told police “disturbed and shocked” her.
Fields usually gets a few dozen emails in a typical weekend, she said. But a handful of the 3,000 she received, along with a letter, were so charged with profanity and references to violence that Denver police arrested the suspected author, and state troopers increased security for the lawmaker.
The heightened emotions highlight a charged debate, pitting those who consider gun ownership a fundamental right against others calling for stricter laws to prevent violence after last year’s mass shootings at suburban Denver theater and a Connecticut school.
Fields, a Democrat who represents the district where 12 people were killed while watching a movie, is a leading proponent for new gun restrictions, and her role has thrust her into the spotlight.
“I will not be deterred by threats,” Fields said in a statement.
More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2013-03-02/lawmakers-get-violent-emails-over-gun-control .
LCRA cutting off water to rice farmers
The Lower Colorado River Authority is cutting off irrigation waters to downstream rice farmers for the second consecutive year.
The LCRA says Saturday a persistent drought that has depleted reservoirs has forced it to again cut off water. The farmers were also cut off last year.
The move is not a surprise because the authority announced in January that barring significant rainfall, the lake levels would be too low to release water to rice farmers in Southeast Texas.
Ronald Gertson is chairman of the Colorado Water Issues Committee, a group that represents rice farmers in the three impacted counties. He says the lack of water will result in a loss of about 55,000 acres of rice.
Texas is one of the largest rice growers in the nation.
Source: http://www.kvue.com/news/LCRA-Cutting-Off-194539961.html
Huge study: 5 mental disorders share genetic links
WASHINGTON -- The largest genetic study of mental illnesses to date finds five major disorders may not look much alike but they share some gene-based risks. The surprising discovery comes in the quest to unravel what causes psychiatric disorders and how to better diagnose and treat them.
The disorders -- autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia -- are considered distinct problems. But findings published online Wednesday suggest they're related in some way.
"These disorders that we thought of as quite different may not have such sharp boundaries," said Dr. Jordan Smoller of Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the lead researchers for the international study appearing in The Lancet.
That has implications for learning how to diagnose mental illnesses with the same precision that physical illnesses are diagnosed, said Dr. Bruce Cuthbert of the National Institute on Mental Health, which funded the research.
More at http://www.khou.com/news/health/Huge-study-5-mental-disorders-share-genetic-links--193738251.html .
DPS discourages spring break travel to Mexico
MEXICO — Every spring break, students from Texas flock to Mexico's beaches. But lately, the crowds have been smaller.
"Now, I think things are getting a little bit better," said Steve Varela, a student at the University of Texas at El Paso.
The situation has improved over previous spring breaks when violence in some parts of Mexico scared students and their parents.
<<<snip>>>
The Texas Department of Public Safety continues to discourage all spring break travel to Mexico, even to popular tourist resorts that many consider safe.
More at http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/194537481.html .
Lawsuit: Texas School Girl Told to Pledge Allegiance to Mexico
The family of a teenager who says she was punished by her South Texas school for refusing to recite the Mexican pledge of allegiance has filed a federal lawsuit claiming her constitutional rights were violated.
The lawsuit said Brenda Brinsdon was a high school sophomore in 2011 when her teacher told students to stand for the pledge of allegiance and to sing the Mexican national anthem.
It said Brinsdon's teacher and principal tried to "coerce" her when the girl declined to participate. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in McAllen.
McAllen school district spokesman Mark May said Thursday the class was conducting a "cultural-awareness assignment."
More at http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Lawsuit-Texas-School-Girl-Told-to-Pledge-Allegiance-to-Mexico-194215441.html .
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
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