Report: U.S. on Short End of Health Care ‘Value Gap’

March 16, 2009

If the global economy were a 100-yard dash, the U.S. would start 23 yards behind its closest competitors because of health care that costs too much and delivers too little, a business group says in a report to be released Thursday.

 

The report from the Business Roundtable, which represents CEOs of major companies, says America’s health care system has become a liability in a global economy.

 

Concern about high U.S. costs has existed for years, and business executives — whose companies provide health coverage for workers — have long called for getting costs under control. Now President Barack Obama says the costs have become unsustainable and the system must be overhauled.

 

Read Article: New York Times

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Bills Would Ban BPA From Food and Drink Containers

Leaders from the House and Senate introduced legislation yesterday that would establish a federal ban on bisphenol A in all food and beverage containers.

 

The bills, introduced by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), would greatly expand efforts to limit the chemical from products for young children.

 

The move came a day after Sunoco, the gas and chemical company, sent word to investors that it is now refusing to sell bisphenol A, known as BPA, to companies for use in food and water containers for children younger than 3. The company told investors that it cannot be certain of the chemical compound’s safety. Last week, six baby-bottle manufacturers, including Playtex and Gerber, announced that they will stop using BPA in bottles.

 

Read Article: Washington Post

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Smithsonian and 27-Year Employee in Battle Over Asbestos

A year ago, the National Air and Space Museum gathered a group of workers for a safety briefing on “asbestos awareness.” Nearly 45 minutes into the session, the museum’s safety coordinator said something that Richard Pullman thought at first he’d misheard: There was asbestos in the museum walls.

 

Pullman, a 53-year-old lighting specialist, had worked in the building for 27 years, frequently cutting into interior walls to install and update artifacts at one of the world’s most visited museums.

 

“Are you telling us that I’ve been working with this stuff for that long, drilling into these walls, sawing and sanding, unprotected?” Pullman recalls asking. “Why didn’t you guys say anything?”

 

Read Article: Washington Post

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Appeal Claims Juror Bias in ‘Tweets’ Sent During $12 Million Case

A building materials company and its owner have appealed a $12.6 million verdict against them, alleging that a juror posted messages on Twitter during the trial that show he’s biased against them.

 

The motion seeking a new trial was filed Thursday on behalf of Russell Wright and his company, Stoam Holdings. It claims juror Johnathan Powell sent eight messages — or “tweets” — to the microblogging Web site via his cellular phone.

 

According to the motion, one posting listed the company’s Web address and read in part: “oh and nobody buy Stoam. Its bad mojo and they’ll probably cease to Exist, now that their wallet is 12m lighter.”

 

Another described what “Juror Jonathan” did today: “I just gave away TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS of somebody else’s money.”

 

Read Article: Law.com

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

President Promises to Bolster Food Safety

Describing the government’s failure to inspect 95 percent of food processing plants as “a hazard to the public health,” President Obama promised Saturday to bolster and reorganize the nation’s fractured food-safety system.

 

“In the end, food safety is something I take seriously, not just as your president, but as a parent,” Mr. Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.

 

Mr. Obama announced the creation of a Food Safety Working Group, which will include the secretaries of health and agriculture, to advise him on which laws and regulations need to be changed, to foster coordination across federal agencies, and to ensure that laws are enforced.

 

Read Article: New York Times

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

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