Tagged: Health Care

Research Brief / Science & Technology / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance

Prisoners and Chronic Health Conditions: A Look at the Research

Chronic conditions are health conditions that have lasted or are expected to last twelve or more months and result in functional limitations and/or the need for continuous medical care (Hwang et al. 2001). In a recent study using data from the 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, Paez, Zhao, and Hwang (2009) found that 43.8 percent of non-institutionalized civilians in the U.S. live with one or more chronic conditions. Among adults, it was found that hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes are the...

Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance

Growing Old on the Inside: America’s Aging Prison Population

A one-time mogul of cable television, John Rigas found himself sentenced to 12 years in federal prison following his convictions for bank fraud and securities fraud. His company, Adelphia Communications Corporation, had been the fifth largest cable company in the U.S. before it filed for bankruptcy in 2002 following allegations of internal corruption. The collapse of Adelphia and the subsequent conviction of its founder represented a monumental fall from grace. Rigas had started Adelphia in 1952 while he was still...

Political & Economic Sociology / Social Psychology & Lifecourse

Republican win in Massachusetts – The tipping point for abandoning health care reform?

Last week, Senator Edward Kennedy’s long-held senate seat went to a Republican, Scott Brown and marked what will likely be the beginning of the end for the health care reforms – changes that were likely to pass if this incredibly close race had gone to the Democratic candidate. This election, or more accurately, the discourse surrounding the “big Republican win”  is, in many ways, the tipping point toward more conservative fiscal and social policy. In The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make...

Opinion

Ignoring secondary consequences: the case of climate change

By Dena T. Smith Global warming is a term we hear batted around, to the point that it has become almost trite, but this is an issue vitally important to discuss on the political scene. The issues at the center of the debate tend to be about whether or not climate change is actually occurring and, secondly, if we accept that climate change is occurring, whether human beings and human societies are really affecting the changes in weather patterns and...

Political & Economic Sociology / Social Psychology & Lifecourse

When Emotions Stall Political Change: The case of abortion and health care reform

While abortion is certainly a hot-button issue on the American Political Scene, the fervent debate over the topic – mostly fueled by a clash between liberal and conservative, predominately religiously-oriented moral entrepreneurs – faded into the background after the presidential election season. In short, abortion is an issue that, while always central for some, tends to become peripheral outside of election seasons, during which candidates of both parties accuse one another of either caring too little for life or of obstructing a...

Political & Economic Sociology / Social Psychology & Lifecourse

Health care and emotions – the politics of preaching

By Dena T. Smith Since his inauguration, President Obama has used just about every forum possible to stress the need for health care reform. We’ve heard the pragmatic arguments: in the current system, we spend too much money on treatment rather than focusing on preventative care or that all the power is in the hands of private interests inflates costs. And we’ve also heard plenty of opposition to government intervention from the right. Two Tuesdays ago, I wrote about the...

Political & Economic Sociology

Healthcare Reform and "Emotional Economics"

by esminihan Debate over health care reform in the United States can be approached from various theoretical frameworks.  Economists tend to frame arguments for government intervention on the “externalities” associated with health care, or, the benefits to society as a whole that are not captured in the market.  These externalities range in nature from what could be considered practical (lower rates of communicable disease, greater mobility in the labour market) to emotional (feelings of satisfaction that members of society are...

Science & Technology / Social Psychology & Lifecourse

Health Care Reform? If it’s not too “costly.”

By Dena T. Smith Health care reform is in the foreground of the American political landscape. Politicians in favor of transformation face staunch opposition and must convince the public and their fellow representatives in congress of both the imminent need and potential effectiveness of a major overhaul.  Classical studies on altruistic behavior inform us that actions aimed at helping others, such as supporting health care reform, are more likely when we experience empathy for the person(s) in need. Estimates as to how many...

Class & Stratification / Science & Technology

Health Care Reform: An Uphill Battle Against the Health Insurance Industry?

by smteixeirapoit In the United States, many citizens do not have health insurance. Some people cannot afford health insurance. A recent CNN article explains that other people are unable to obtain health insurance because they have pre-existing medical conditions. People that have group insurance plans are able to receive health care coverage even with pre-existing conditions. However, some people do not have group insurance plans because their employers do not provide health insurance, they are self-employed, or they are unable...