"We, as a global community, could and should be doing more if we value our women. The majority of the global burden of maternal deaths occurs in the developing world. In fact, 66% occur in just 11 countries. While this statistic is an unjust reality, it may not be all that surprising. What did rattle me was the fact that the United States was ranked behind 40 other countries with regard to maternal care, leaving us in 41st place.
As recently as last year, this number has dropped again. According to new UN data released late last year, we now find ourselves behind 49 other countries, positioning ourselves in 50th place when it comes to a woman’s risk of dying from complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
I don’t know about you, but I find this news deplorable. The US spends more on healthcare per capita than any other country in the world and yet we are 50th in assuring women and children safer outcomes. If anything, I hope this information makes you pause, think and ask the same question I asked myself; how is this possible?
Today marks the first anniversary of Health Care Reform. Since the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act went into effect last year, now seems like as good an opportunity as any to take account of what was accomplished and what still remains precariously unsteady for those who might need care the most."
http://www.momsrising.org/blog/why-families-need-health-care-reform-now-more-than-ever/
Maternal Death during pregnancy, is there more we can do to prevent it?
Sincerely,
Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618
150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links. Let's Connect!
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http://www.nursingexperts.comThis as the Tea Party is doing all they can to take away a womans right to choose for her health care.
Sorry this reply is so late. Crucial point Andrew. Long before the Healthcare Reform Bill was the Millenium Development Goals project which initially revealed the statistical trends you mentioned from the World Health Organization I believe, regarding maternal and child health. Then, because of our rising infant mortality rates, the U.S. was technically considered a developing, third world nation. More pause, right? I believe the Healthcare Reform Bill would be more efficiently crafted if it were placed in the hands of a committee made up of representatives from Institute of Health, the AMA and the ANA. Take the insurance industry and bipartisan bureaucracy out of it.
My two cents,
R
So I'm assuming no one here works in research, right? What is the foundation for the UN stats? What percentage of births are by non-citizen/illegal immigrants from "developing nations"(read: grossly indaequate prenatal care, multiple con-cons, lowere SES initially)? What percentage of post-partum mortality is related to susbtance abuse? Some (coughBritaincough) nations do not include these populations in the same categories, when reporting.
Is it an issue, yes. Is it a critical issue. Mmm, not so much, unless we are the American continent's hospital.
Personally, higher education for women is the best prophylactic for overpopulation, domestic abuse, social inequity, and most of our other ills. Women with better paying jobs, and higher social standards are less likely to take Flotsam and Jetsom to bed. Women are (generally) motivated by stability. Men are motivated by sex.
In a paradigm of, "you stoopid-you no worky- you no get money-you no get laid", valuation of females tends to increase, historically.
Edit: of course, a blog is opinion. The problem is that it poses a question within a limited framework. Some research falls into this pattern as well(i.e., women don't need mammograms until >60 yoa). If you must support your theory... you will.
Oh, heck, I'll just keep on going. We also have the highest trauma survibility rate (last time I checked) on any nation in the world. Of course, this is also premium care $$$. What no one is examining is the specific incidental use of trauma care, i.e., how many members of the same family/community use these services per annum? Is this oprtimized use of the healthcare dollar, are we saving people who contribute taxes, mentorship, education and children with the same qualities to the society?
Delivery of care is a heart-strings issue. Problem is, the law of unintended consequences will invariably have effect. Save the drunk teenager, involved in his Level I 85mph MVA twice, giving him a chance to finally wipe out a family of 6. Sure, we saved little Johnnie, but what was the real cost...
I have to say I'm with Rob on this one - my own personal research into health care and so-called reform shows that Stats especially those put out by the UN and WHO are grossly misleading and in that they let each country self report things like infant mortality. For instance In the US all babies born at 28 weeks or greater who take their first breath are considered live births but they have a much higher rate of morbidity and mortality. In Canada babies born at or below 28 weeks are not counted in the mortality statistics even if they take their first breath. There are no heroic measures taken and when they die they are not counted as they weren't considered a live birth in the first place.
As a person who is involved in the healthcare of a grossly underserved population I can tell you the Healthcare as it is unfolding will be a nightmare. It will offer coverage to more people but drastic cuts in cost will mean a lower level of care - such as that provided in the UK where heart attack victims are routinely sent home on tylenol and even routine surgeries for things like gallstones and kidney stones and treatment for many cancers can be delayed by waiting lists for as long as two years.
I just hope the people come to their senses and repeal this dog before it's too late.
H
Rob72 wrote:So I'm assuming no one here works in research, right? What is the foundation for the UN stats? What percentage of births are by non-citizen/illegal immigrants from "developing nations"(read: grossly indaequate prenatal care, multiple con-cons, lowere SES initially)? What percentage of post-partum mortality is related to susbtance abuse? Some (coughBritaincough) nations do not include these populations in the same categories, when reporting.
Is it an issue, yes. Is it a critical issue. Mmm, not so much, unless we are the American continent's hospital.
Personally, higher education for women is the best prophylactic for overpopulation, domestic abuse, social inequity, and most of our other ills. Women with better paying jobs, and higher social standards are less likely to take Flotsam and Jetsom to bed. Women are (generally) motivated by stability. Men are motivated by sex.
In a paradigm of, "you stoopid-you no worky- you no get money-you no get laid", valuation of females tends to increase, historically.
Edit: of course, a blog is opinion. The problem is that it poses a question within a limited framework. Some research falls into this pattern as well(i.e., women don't need mammograms until >60 yoa). If you must support your theory... you will.
Who are Flotsam and Jetsom, I taint never heard of those guys befores. Are the Basketball playa's.
hppygr8ful wrote:I have to say I'm with Rob on this one - my own personal research into health care and so-called reform shows that Stats especially those put out by the UN and WHO are grossly misleading and in that they let each country self report things like infant mortality. For instance In the US all babies born at 28 weeks or greater who take their first breath are considered live births but they have a much higher rate of morbidity and mortality. In Canada babies born at or below 28 weeks are not counted in the mortality statistics even if they take their first breath. There are no heroic measures taken and when they die they are not counted as they weren't considered a live birth in the first place.
As a person who is involved in the healthcare of a grossly underserved population I can tell you the Healthcare as it is unfolding will be a nightmare. It will offer coverage to more people but drastic cuts in cost will mean a lower level of care - such as that provided in the UK where heart attack victims are routinely sent home on tylenol and even routine surgeries for things like gallstones and kidney stones and treatment for many cancers can be delayed by waiting lists for as long as two years.
I just hope the people come to their senses and repeal this dog before it's too late.
H
I thought for a moment you were talking about this country. Where insurances are denying treatments that are too expensive and not worthwhile in saving lives or alleviating pain. Where insurance companies are denying coverage to women for mammograms, because they feel they are done to often and they do not want to pay for them. Where they are denying coverage for Colonoscopies as they do not need to be done every 5 years as recommended as they cost to much. And the list goes on. I see all these repeat gall bladders pains in the ER as Insurance companies feel they are not necessary, and if people would just change their diet, it would not be needed at all.
PS were you saying Under served or undeserved. just curious
Rob72 wrote:Oh, heck, I'll just keep on going. We also have the highest trauma survibility rate (last time I checked) on any nation in the world. Of course, this is also premium care $$$. What no one is examining is the specific incidental use of trauma care, i.e., how many members of the same family/community use these services per annum? Is this oprtimized use of the healthcare dollar, are we saving people who contribute taxes, mentorship, education and children with the same qualities to the society?
Delivery of care is a heart-strings issue. Problem is, the law of unintended consequences will invariably have effect. Save the drunk teenager, involved in his Level I 85mph MVA twice, giving him a chance to finally wipe out a family of 6. Sure, we saved little Johnnie, but what was the real cost...
But little Johnnie might turn out to be Governor Perry. Or the Tan Man himself or is he now the crying man. For that we should pull the plug on little johnny. I have helped so many be saved. I truly admit I never wonder anymore who are what these people become. All that does is interfere with my golf.
Tom by Under served I mean the population of developmentally disabled adults in this country. I work with a group of people who since the passage of healthcare reform have slowly and in some cases quickly had their healthcare taken away. They don't get dental or eye care. Because most are on Medicaid - and they truly have no means to make money - they are being denied right and left for care. If it weren't for teaching hospitals they’d get no care at all. Most were abandoned financially by their families years ago. Those with families are often strapped for cash just paying for their day to day incidentals. They do qualify for Medicare after a parent who has paid in turns 65 and has been on Social Security for 24 months. But since Medicare will soon be a thing of the past I guess we don't have to worry about that. Did you know under the new health care reform provisions health insurance both private and public will do not have to pay for routine cardiac risk screenings - Most will only be required to pay for them only after a cardiac event has happened - so preventive care is going out the window.
PS - My insurance has paid for a mammogram every year no questions asked and until recently a pap as well - though the CDC now says Paps can be done every three years for women who are monogamous or celibate and have had 3 negative tests in row.
Mine have been negative for years buy my insurance still pays for them.
As for eroding womans choices - what happened to personal responsibility conservatives only want to have the govt stop paying for birth control and abortion. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where babies come from. If you can't keep you pants buttoned or your knees together pay for your own abortion or birth control. Pregnancy is 100% preventable. Lets not forget that with choice comes responsibility.
H
Teeituptom wrote:I thought for a moment you were talking about this country. Where insurances are denying treatments that are too expensive and not worthwhile in saving lives or alleviating pain. Where insurance companies are denying coverage to women for mammograms, because they feel they are done to often and they do not want to pay for them. Where they are denying coverage for Colonoscopies as they do not need to be done every 5 years as recommended as they cost to much. And the list goes on. I see all these repeat gall bladders pains in the ER as Insurance companies feel they are not necessary, and if people would just change their diet, it would not be needed at all.
PS were you saying Under served or undeserved. just curious
Hyperbolic exaggeration is not a valid argument model./:) "Denying mammograms" was/is a debated component of the Healthcare Reform Act, that the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force(established by the current administration) floated a little "let's see what everyone says", pseudo-study and press release. Haven't heard of any insurers doing that. it is much cheaper to pay for a scan, biopsy and removal than chemo.
I work for a teaching hospital, and as such, we accept pretty much any insurance, including Medicare/Medicade, and our own negotiated plans. I have yet to see an insurance company denying screens on a generally accepted basis for common conditions. I'm sure there are some that do, but my suspicion is that they would be the very limited, traditional insurance model, that insures for catastrophic events, not maintenance.
As for frequent consumers of trauma care constituting highly contributing members of society, I'd love to see your longitudinal info on that.:slap: I'm not a eugenecist, but neither do I ascribe to the theory that anyone can be anything they want to be.
We know (Fact->) that higher SES and education = increased longevity. Now, just as we have outliers in this group, we have outliers at the lower end of SES. For society to function, and not devolve into some Turd World model where The Gifted lead/have priveledge and everyone else has "common means" (read hand-to-mouth), we have to base social decisions on the majority- not the vocal minority.(Please don't waste time comparing the US to the aforementioned model. Statements such as that indicate a gross lack of extra-national experience. Its all cool & stuff on the campus, but real world, it don't fly) I have no problem with this, being in a (health)minority myself.;)
I do truly have a lack in extra national experience. I have not been out of this country in well over 3 decades. Jamaica, the D.R., and Mexico don't count as out of country in my thoughts. I agree not everyone can be what they want to be. Personally I always wanted to be Jack, or Arnie, or Tiger.
I agree the gifted lead. Look at Donald Trump. Look at Sarah Palin. Look at Rush Limbaugh and Beck. I as a nurse live paycheck to paycheck just like everyone else. Yes I am doing well at it. I have been doing better than a 100k for over 15 yrs now. But I can not yield to the point that we all have the chance to succeed to a higher degree. Ive done well but I have developed some health issues in my older age now. Nothing that interferes with Golf however.
hppygr8ful wrote:Tom by Under served I mean the population of developmentally disabled adults in this country. I work with a group of people who since the passage of healthcare reform have slowly and in some cases quickly had their healthcare taken away. They don't get dental or eye care. Because most are on Medicaid - and they truly have no means to make money - they are being denied right and left for care. If it weren't for teaching hospitals they’d get no care at all. Most were abandoned financially by their families years ago. Those with families are often strapped for cash just paying for their day to day incidentals. They do qualify for Medicare after a parent who has paid in turns 65 and has been on Social Security for 24 months. But since Medicare will soon be a thing of the past I guess we don't have to worry about that. Did you know under the new health care reform provisions health insurance both private and public will do not have to pay for routine cardiac risk screenings - Most will only be required to pay for them only after a cardiac event has happened - so preventive care is going out the window.
PS - My insurance has paid for a mammogram every year no questions asked and until recently a pap as well - though the CDC now says Paps can be done every three years for women who are monogamous or celibate and have had 3 negative tests in row.
Mine have been negative for years buy my insurance still pays for them.
As for eroding womans choices - what happened to personal responsibility conservatives only want to have the govt stop paying for birth control and abortion. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where babies come from. If you can't keep you pants buttoned or your knees together pay for your own abortion or birth control. Pregnancy is 100% preventable. Lets not forget that with choice comes responsibility.
H
Why should the disabled be losing health care.Why should medicaid or other form of health care be cut when we are the richest nation on the planet. We are so rich we are giving tax breaks and money to the largest and most profitable of all the oil companies. With their huge gains in profits. But we can not help the poor and disabled. Something wrong here.
Social Security had a huge surplus of money. Which the Gov't took or allegedly borrowed away from the security of the elderly. A lot of which was used to fund wars. So they could make more money on oil. Makes perfect sense.
Pregnancy is preventable.Yes. But yes they are eroding women's health choices. By laying all this on women. It takes men for them to get pregnant.That isnt rocket science either.Yes with choice comes responsibility. But errors also occur with choices. Should all people who make errors be judged harshly and punished and the fruit of those errors should they also be punished. We are not that kind of country thank God.
Count the fact you have good affordable health care a blessing. A lot dont have the finances to afford health care and yes they do get denied. Doctors refuse to see them or care for them. Insurance companies that are mediocre or immoral do deny care all for the sake of making huge profits. Shall we talk about United Health Care's track record in violating the poor.
Tom, I had to chuckle over your womens' healthcare bit and pregnancy. True, it does take guys---you have how many kids?
Re: the disabled: they, as a whole, are not considered 'productive to society'.
Yet, look at major sport stars--baseball, football, and yes, golf: Tiger, Arnie, etc. Major bucks shelled out.
Reform is not always good, and one just can't change genetics that easily.
The adult persons with disabilities on medicaid lost their dental and vision care a year ago(In California) . If they live in an Intermediate Care Facility they get a yearly dental screening once a year - during which all problem teeth are routinely extracted - no root canals, repairs, dentures or bridges. They also get an "Eye Health Screening" every three years but have to pay for their own glasses and forget about corrective surgeries for cataracts - so much sheaper for the Govt to let them go blind.
I have a consumer with a compression fracture to her lumbar spine who has been waiting almost 3 months now for a wheelchair from Medicare.
As far as wars for oil goes - I am with you. Leave the Middle East to it's own devices and lets go after our own oil! We have enough domestic oil reserves to supply the US at current consumption rates for 200 years. During which time we could work on alternative energy.
It's funny how everyone is angry at Bush for going to war on a full vote of congress but do not have anything to say about Obama sending trooops into harms on his word alone. True he did have a bit to do with getting Osama but not that much. The information that led to last week's raid was developed during the Bush presidency through interrogation techniques that Obama has oulawed.
Gotta go now
The Man Cub is Bridging into Webelos today
P & N
H
cougarnurse wrote:Tom, I had to chuckle over your womens' healthcare bit and pregnancy. True, it does take guys---you have how many kids?
Re: the disabled: they, as a whole, are not considered 'productive to society'.
Yet, look at major sport stars--baseball, football, and yes, golf: Tiger, Arnie, etc. Major bucks shelled out.
Reform is not always good, and one just can't change genetics that easily.
Well there are 7 with my wife. and few others elsewhere. my misspent youth.
So why are disabled not considered productive to society.
hppygr8ful wrote:The adult persons with disabilities on medicaid lost their dental and vision care a year ago(In California) . If they live in an Intermediate Care Facility they get a yearly dental screening once a year - during which all problem teeth are routinely extracted - no root canals, repairs, dentures or bridges. They also get an "Eye Health Screening" every three years but have to pay for their own glasses and forget about corrective surgeries for cataracts - so much sheaper for the Govt to let them go blind.
I have a consumer with a compression fracture to her lumbar spine who has been waiting almost 3 months now for a wheelchair from Medicare.
As far as wars for oil goes - I am with you. Leave the Middle East to it's own devices and lets go after our own oil! We have enough domestic oil reserves to supply the US at current consumption rates for 200 years. During which time we could work on alternative energy.
It's funny how everyone is angry at Bush for going to war on a full vote of congress but do not have anything to say about Obama sending trooops into harms on his word alone. True he did have a bit to do with getting Osama but not that much. The information that led to last week's raid was developed during the Bush presidency through interrogation techniques that Obama has oulawed.
Gotta go now
The Man Cub is Bridging into Webelos today
P & N
H
So you along with the GOP are going to condone waterboarding and other torture. I like the way they call Torture now referred to as "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" Bush and Cheesy Cheney have been out of the white house for 2 years now. What could they have contributed to it now. Sorry do not by that reasoning. GWB failed while he was president. Failed while he was Governor. He should be tried as a war criminal.
Good luck with the Webelos.
Remember Webelos wobble but they do not fall down.
I wonder what all FDR, Kennedy, and Johnson did and knew about that we don't know/won't find out about. Sorry, but just mho. BTW, neither Dem or GOP; vote what I think is right.
Webelos: We Be Loyal Scouts.
