This morning I had breakfast with a friend who had a scary experience at the hospital. He went to the emergency department with severe stomach pain. Since he’s a man in his 60s, the hospital personnel thought he might be having a heart attack. They spent many hours looking at his heart when all along […]
Health Care
Graduated risks: talk to your teen about drunk driving
Summer can be a dangerous time for teenage drivers. In 2012 the number of teen drivers killed rose 20% during the months of June and July, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. This high school graduation season, the partners of CJG Law Firm would like to remind you and the teenage drivers in your home that […]
Ask the expert: what do I do when I get sent to a doctor I don’t think is helping?
Answer: What you should definitely NOT do is to get treatment from another doctor. Treating with a different doctor without the permission of the employer or its insurance company makes it look like you are not cooperating with the workers’ compensation process and can cause your payments to stop. There is no guarantee that your employer […]
Distracted driving fatalities on the rise
Deaths as the result of distracted driving are on the rise, according to a new study published in Public Health Reports. Distracted drivers are about 1.6 times more likely as non-distracted drivers to mortally hit a pedestrian at marked crosswalk and about three times as likely to hit a pedestrian walking on the shoulder of […]
Leukemia drug puts patients at risk of stroke
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended sales of a once-promising leukemia drug because of “the risk of life-threatening blood clots and severe narrowing of blood vessels.” The drug Iclusig, also known as ponatinib, has been linked to severe and sometimes fatal heart attacks, strokes and loss of blood flow to the extremities, sometimes […]
Kids’ dental clinic sued for negligence, malpractice and Medicaid fraud
A New York judge has allowed a lawsuit to proceed against a pediatric dental chain accused of mistreating children who received treatment through Medicaid. Allegations against the dental chain Small Smiles include horrific accusations of malpractice and negligence, including performing painful procedures like extractions and fillings without anesthesia while using immobilizing devices and radios to […]
Decreasing wages continue trend that helped cause Great Recession
Several recent articles highlight both the continuing pressure on workers’ wages as well how decreasing wages helped cause the Great Recession in the first place. This article points to a troubling reality that even for those unemployed people fortunate to find a new job, that new job often means a decrease in wages and living […]
Helpful information on COBRA and health care reform
The New York Times has a very useful article on COBRA and how it is affected by the recently-enacted health care reform act. It starts: “If you’ve recently joined the ranks of the unemployed or are worried that you soon will, you may be wondering if the sweeping new health law will help you. Will you, […]
President signs landmark health care reform
On March 23, after the House and the Senate were finally able to resolve their differences, President Obama signed into law the landmark health care bill that promises to mark affordable health care a reality for all Americans. Extensive coverage of the act can be found elsewhere, but this is a good summary of how […]
Improvements for employer-provided health insurance
The Obama administration proposed new rules recently that should improve insurance coverage of mental health care for more those fortunate to have medical insurance through their jobs. The rules implement the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). Under the rules, employers and group health plans generally cannot […]