Juul Company Gets Flavored E-Cugs Banned, But Has Potential Loophole

by bnguyen01, posted in Uncategorized

By : Brianna

Juul Can Breathe After Didging Full FDA Ban on Flavored E-Cigs

https://www.wired.com/story/juul-dodging-ban-flavored-e-cigs/

The Food and Drug Administration has attempted to tackle the e-cigarette epidemic by banning the fruity flavors that the Juul company has to offer. This was the first attempt seen by the FDA to reduce the percentage of those who are abusing the Juul product. These flavors weee said to be “kid appealing” flavors such as; mango, fruit, crepe, and cucumber, but the company kept the flavors, mint, menthol, and tobacco on the shelves for adults who are hoping to aid their nicotine addiction. The fruity flavors were said to be “the core of the epidemic.” The fruity flavors could possibly be back on the shelves if stores managed to create age restricted areas, where these products could not be seen by underaged youth. Vape shops on the other hand, would not be affected by this. E-cigarettes are currently allowed to be sold until August 2022, where they will have to submit a “cumbersome and costly application requiring clinical studies and long-term data.” Juul has already committed to shutting down its social media accounts, but Juul has already gone viral and became a $38 billion company. Along with flavor restrictions, the FDA has released a survey which showed that 3 million high schoolers have stated they use e-cigarettes, which is a 78% increase from last year.

Although the FDA has imposed new restrictions in order to aid the e-cigarette epidemic, the question that pops up is will this really be able to help? It’s a hard topic to clearly pick and choose which decisions will either help or keep data at the same rates in relation to how many are still using the product, which u,timately makes it a struggle. But when we look at this decision, was it truly the “right” one? Although Juul has pulled majority of its flavors from the shelves, they still chose to keep mint on the market as well. Keeping mint, yet eliminating all other “kid appealing” flavors goes against the intent of not marketing to teens any longer. Mint, in fact, is the most popular flavor for 18-21 year olds. Those aged between 15-17 are also 3 times more likely to use mint over menthol. Keeping the mint flavor is arguably controversial as some have compared mint to “a roll of lifesavers” essentially claiming that it is a “candy” flavor as well. The argument against Juuls is definitely a hard one to discuss, as although they may help adult smokers, teens are still finding different ways to get their hands on these devices and the fruity flavors that were pulled from the market.

This article would relate to what we learned in class because when we look at why the FDA chose to make this decision over outright banning Juuls altogether, we understand how hard it is to actually regulate these things without legal complications. An outright ban on all flavors would lead to challenges due to the Tobacco Control Act, as well as issues with the first amendment, since it could go against a corporation’s free speech. It goes to show, it isn’t that easy to tackle this problem without facing other problems due to the legal “pitfalls” that would be encountered.

Introducing Public Health Insurance in Connecticut

by demadelye, posted in health insurance

https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/connecticut-democrats-propose-public-health-insurance-option-11551992377

With the 2020 presidential elections coming up on November 3rd of next year, many candidates are focusing their platforms on health insurance. With political parties choosing sides on many debates, it’s not surprising that health coverage has become one of them in the last few elections. With some Democrats supporting “Medicare for all” and some Republicans supporting the public option, it’s inevitable that politics has come to a gridlock, once again.

Connecticut Democratic Party logo

In this news article published on The Wall Street Journal,  Joseph De Avila focuses on the fact that Democrats in Connecticut are proposing legislation focused on health insurance. In this proposition, health insurance could be brought through the state by small companies and individuals. Of course, this legislation has its ups and its downs. The Democrats in office are stating that through this proposition, more inexpensive coverage options are being offered for those who do not qualify for subsidies through the Affordable Care Act. In contrast, those opposing this legislation, such as certain representatives of the health insurance industry in the state, have pointed out that this legislation will negatively impact the market. They say this will happen since many medical services will be paid below market reimbursement rates and those with insurance through the state will have an advantage. In addition to this, the governor of Connecticut, Ned Lamont (Democrat) has not commented on the legislation. However, a spokesperson representing him has stated that the governor wants to address the challenges of affordability, access, cost, and quality of insurances in Connecticut.

In addition to this article, I’ve included a screenshot of a data table that I found on a ballotpedia, a website I constantly go to in order to understand what is happening in politics today. This data table compares the total population without health insurance coverage in 4 states and the United States in 2013 and 2016. It also includes the difference in exact number and percentage. This table shows that the number of those who are uninsured has decreased throughout the entire country. This decline can be traced back to the influence of the Affordable Care Act, which has expanded eligibility for state Medicaid programs.

As I read this article, I made connections to what I have learned in class about what powers the state and federal governments have. The Democrats of Connecticut have the right to propose this legislation, due to the power that state governments hold. Since states are able to take measures for public health and safety, this action is constitutional. In addition, I kept in the mind the fact that the federal government is able to spend money for the general welfare. When it comes down to health insurance, I feel as though the federal and state governments should come together and propose ideas that can create effective and efficient health insurance plans for every citizen in the United States because living is a right.

“We make Connecticut small businesses competitive and more attractive to workers and we decrease the state’s healthcare cost for its own employees by increasing its buying power of its health plan. This is something that everyone regardless of party can get behind.”

Christine Cohen, Connecticut State Senator 12th District 

Article: Connecticut democrats propose public health insurance option 
Author: Joseph De Avila 
Date of publication: March 7, 2019 
Source: Wall Street Journal

America’s Need For Research On Nutrition

by Reuel, posted in Uncategorized

By: Reuel

The U.S. is overdue to establish an institute devoted to research on the top cause of poor health. By Joon Yun, David A. Kessler and Dan Glickman

This article talks about how America needs a research facility for nutrition. The authors give facts such as poor eating causes about 1,000 deaths in America and that obesity is the leading disqualify for Americans joining the military. They then say that we need an institution that specifies on nutrition and the affects it has on the human body such as the effect that foods have on a person’s mental health. They say that this would be different than the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) because they do not specifically focus on healthy food but on safe drugs that can be used on foods.

Early in the article the authors talked about how other departments for health such as Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense have about $1.5 billion annually, but the national spending on candy is about $40 billion. From that point I do agree with this article and that we need a specific facility for nutrition. We need something in the government that is able to conduct research on nutritional foods and diets that can help people and America as a whole.

This article relates to class because it talks about government facilities such as the FDA and the department of Defense. The FDA is apart of the executive branch which I believe this new facility would also be apart of. We’ve talked about the different branches of the government and what each of them do, that is how this article relates to class.

Western Penn. Overdose Deaths Fall by half.

by Luphi, posted in Uncategorized

March 10, 2019

https://www.emsworld.com/news/1222382/western-penn-overdose-deaths-fall-nearly-50-percent

This article informed the readers about the decline of overdose deaths across West Pensylanvania in 2018. Federal authorities said they continue to combat the opiod crisis and work to further reduce the death rate. Drug overdose deaths fell by 47 percent in Allegheny County between 2017 and 2018, while the number was cut in half in both Beaver and Butler counties. Such deaths fell 44 percent in Washington County and 37 percent in Westmoreland County, according to Brady. The aggressive tactics on both the supply side and demand side significantly reduced the deaths of drug overdose. EMTs and first responders have saved thousands of lives. Federal prosecutors have been hired to go after medical professional who illegally prescribe opioids.

With this on going opioid crisis, we are finally start to seeing some progress. The federal government spend billions of dollars to combat the opioid crsis. The Congress is continuing to pass bills to regulate opioid. I believe that the local government should address this issue more often through the news, it will raise awareness of this epidemic and encourage people to make a safe choice.

Public Health Consequences of E-cigarettes

by bnguyen01, posted in Uncategorized

By: Brianna

New Report One of the Most Comprehensive Studies on Health Effects of E-Cigarettes; Finds That Using E-Cigarettes May Lead Youth to Start Smoking, Adults to Stop Smoking

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=24952&_ga=2.227315540.810940964.1516640363-1933305849.1453397105

A newly mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine takes a look at the human health effects of e-cigarettes. It was found that although e-cigarettes could potentionally help adult smokers transition from conventional cigarettes, there is substantial evidence among youth that use of e-cigarettes increases the risk of transitioning to conventional cigarettes. Not only has this risk increased the amount of young smokers, their health is also at risk as it was found that the use of e-cigarettes has been linked to things such as symptoms of dependence, cough and wheeze, and asthma exacerbations. Accidental or intentional exposure to the e-liquid itself can result in adverse health effects such as seizures, anoxic brain injury, vomiting, and lactic acidosis. Drinking or injecting this liquid has also been found to be fatal.

Although scientists are still learning of the effects that e-cigarettes could potentially have on your body, they have already found an substantial amount of evidence to justify efforts to prevent the use of them by the youth. Because most tobacco use starts during adolescence, it is crucial for the public to prevent the youth from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and other long term health effects. Our nation should work together to protect the youth from dangers associated with tobacco use and abuse liability. More than 6 out of 10 teens believe that the use of e-cigarettes cause little or no harm to their minds and bodies, but this has been proven otherwise.

If the government puts more of an effort to educate the youth on how this could effect their lives in the long run, we could reduce the amount of adolescents using these products and developing a dependency on them. Developing more intensive research on this topic could possibly allow the public to understand it and be able to spread awareness. It is now up to government officials to address this problem and create a solution for it.

Eating Better Could Improve Your Mental Health

by Reuel, posted in Uncategorized

By: Reuel

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/18/health/diet-mental-health-partner/index.html

A study conducted in Australia and in the UK have found that after you eat more fruits and vegetables would increase your physical and mental well being. The study says that changing one portion of your diet per day could help your mental self as well as going for a walk for about a week. The study says that even though they have not counted for other foods that people have eaten, studies have further lead to people’s mental health , with their motivation and their vitality is improved. However this study has not shown any improvements for depression.

Even though I mostly focus on obesity in these blogs, this study could also help with dealing with that. It is important to have a good mental and physical body to the best of your abilities. It is always good to see how doing one thing can have multiple benefits. Eating healthy and exercising will lead to more improvements then just your body, but also how you feel.

The U.S.​ Leads in Drug Overdose Deaths

by Luphi, posted in Uncategorized
Image result for drug dose pictures

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20190221/us-leads-rich-nations-in-drug-overdose-deaths#1

years, driven largely by the opioid epidemic, the researchers noted.

This news article by Steven Reinberg revealed that America has taken the lead in drug overdose deaths, with rates four times higher than 17 wealthy nations. Deaths caused by drug overdose have tripled over the past 20 years. In 2017, more than 70,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. The odds of dying from opioid overdose has surpassed those dying in a car accident. “For over a decade now, the United States has had the highest drug overdose mortality among its peer countries,” Ho said in a university news release. Drug deaths in the U.S. are more than 27 times higher than in Italy and Japan. Drug overdose deaths have also affected life expectancy. It made up 12 percent of the life expectancy gap among men and 8 percent among women between the U.S. and other wealthy countries.

In 2017, more than 70,000 Americans died from opioid epidemic. An average of 130 Americans dies from opioid overdose every day. It is becoming the leading cause of death. People often do not recognize this crisis. We discussed the process of passing public policies in class. How will the government respond to this crisis?

The researchers said the epidemic is being driven by factors that include fee-for-service reimbursement systems and linking doctors’ pay to patient satisfaction. Between 2013-2015, almost $40 million were spent on opioid marketing targeting doctors. I think there should be a limit on prescription drugs.

Republicans and the ACA

by demadelye, posted in health insurance

Link to article:

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2019/02/21/obamacare-is-looking-better-and-better-to-republicans/

The Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare, has caused many heads around the nation to turn swiftly. The health care debate has been in politics for many years and may seem to be extinguishing ever-so-slowly. However, it doesn’t take much for the fire to be ignited once again.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi speak following a meeting with U.S.President Barack Obama on congressional Republicans’ effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

In this opinion piece written by Martin Longman, the idea of Republicans accepting the Affordable Care Act in order to fulfill their desires is being explored. He makes it known that he is astonished when listening to conservatives talk about health care. He highlights Kevin Williamson from the National Review and his ideas of why Republicans should look to Europe for better health care systems. Longman makes it clear that the ACA provides Americans what they want, which is to have everyone covered by private insurances that can actively participate in the market, but to also limit mandates and regulations. In addition, Longman points out the fact that the ACA would be in favor of the Republicans if they had not demonized it. Obamacare was modeled on the health care laws in Massachusetts, which were enacted while Mitt Romney (a Republican) was serving as governor. Furthermore, these laws were based on a plan to oppose HillaryCare in 1993. So why would Republicans demonize and bash on a system that was initially suggested by them?

Link to Kaiser Health Tracking Poll:
https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/kaiser-health-tracking-poll-future-directions-for-the-aca-and-medicaid/

In addition to this article, I included this visual from a poll conducted in 2017 concerning how Americans feel about ACA. As presented, Americans are split between repealing the act and keeping it. More Americans want to wait until a replacement plan is proposed in order to repeal the act. However, there are still some Americans who want to repeal the act immediately and work out the replacement later.

As I read this article, I made many connections from how laws are proposed to elements proposed in the More in Common study. I though of the 2/3 votes needed in the House and Senate to approve the repealing of the bill. Furthermore, I began to think of the More in Common study we focused on. I tried to come up with an answer as to why Republicans would discredit something based on their previous actions. The only reason I could think of was because they want to contribute to the polarization of this country through political parties. Politicians are using this act to carry out their agendas in making one another look back, instead of working with each other and creating a solution since there may be a slight difference in views and the priority of health insurance.

“That suggests to me that the consensus on health care will soon move to the left. In a tug-a-war, things don’t remain contested when one side lets go of the rope.”

Martin Longman,
Web editor of washington monthly

I will have to agree with Longman’s astounded reaction when listening to conservatives and Republicans talk of health care systems in America. They want certain concepts, yet demonize the very concept that they want. This only furthers the confusion and the hypocritical tendencies politics may involve. Furthermore, I feel as though this debate intensifies the polarization of the country between different political parties since they cannot agree on one thing. One thing is for certain, it is very hypocritical that Republicans do not support the ACA, even though it was inspired by Republican health care systems established around the country. Although this continues, I feel as though the Republican party has put themselves in a position of immobility they cannot get themselves out of, which will then in turn only allow the Democrats to act in order to bring change. 

Article: ObamaCare is looking better and better to republicans
Author: Martin Longman
Date of publication: February 21, 2019 
Source: Washington Monthly

The Affordable Care Act Today

by demadelye, posted in health insurance

Health insurance can seem like a complex construct of American politics when you’re a teenager about to be propelled into the frightening adult world. With public schools teaching students that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, how are teenagers supposed to know which health insurance coverage best suits their needs?

Click on picture or copy link below to read article: 
https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-02-07/lack-of-health-insurance-coverage-leads-people-to-avoid-seeking-care

In this news article written by staff writer, Gaby Galvin, of US News, she introduces health care insurance and the entanglement of the Affordable Care Act in addition to its effects it has had on health insurance. In a report published by the Commonwealth Fund, it shows that more Americans are insured compared to previous years, but they also tend to be underinsured. Because of this, out-of-pocket health care costs are becoming more expensive and common. In turn, people are putting off care or struggle to pay for medical expenses, which can lead to medical debt. A lot of these people that are underinsured tend to have an employer based health coverage. The president and vice president of the Commonwealth Fund strongly believe that policymakers should get involved and focus on workers and their employer based coverage.

“But the improvement in uninsured rates has stalled (and) more people have health plans that fail to adequately protect them from health care costs.”

Sara collins, lead author of the study and vice president of the commonwealth fund

Through this article, I used a lot of my previous knowledge gained in class. This includes the powers of the state and federal governments and the topics we talked about during Trump’s State of the Union address. From previous knowledge, I know that health care is not a constitutional right and that the federal government can uphold laws through it with the Elastic Clause. In addition to this, the article mentions the State of the Union address given by Trump merely days ago. Both in class and in the speech, dropping the cost of prescriptions were mentioned.

Link to Commonwealth Fund report:
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2019/feb/health-insurance-coverage-eight-years-after-aca

This data chart is from the Commonwealth Fund report mentioned in article. I pulled this chart out of the many that were available due to what it represents. This chart shows that less people are uninsured in 2018 compared to 2003. However, it also shows that there has been a major increase of those who are underinsured since 2003. In order for someone to be considered “underinsured” in this report, they must have been an adult who experienced “out-of-pocket costs, excluding premiums, equaled 10% or more of income; out-of-pocket costs, excluding premiums, equaled 5% or more of income if low-income (<200% of poverty); or deductibles equaled 5% or more of income.” (Collins, S. Bhupal, H. Doty, M.)

As I come to understand how health insurance policies work, I notice the limited amount of restrictions health insurance companies have. I agree with the idea presented by Dr. David Blumenthal, stating that policy makers should focus on “the erosion of employer coverage and its impact on workers.” In fact, there should be more federal policies focused on health insurance to protect the people. By simply providing federal programs to assist with health insurance, the people are still being taken advantage of and that is a real injustice. In addition, the concept of coverage gap is a major inconvenience and should not exist. The coverage gap can be eradicated through the use of careful planning of insurers.

Article: Lack of health insurance coverage leads people to avoid seeking care
Author: Gaby Galvin
Date of publication: February 7, 2019
Source: U.S. News & World Report

How E-cigarettes Could Potentially Effect Your Health

by bnguyen01, posted in Uncategorized

By : Brianna h

The FDA is preparing to crackdown on e-cigs like the juul – here’s why vaping is so dangerous

https://www.businessinsider.com/vaping-e-cigs-juul-health-effects-2018-10

Smoking has been one of the major reasons Americans are dying due to addiction. But there are very few studies that looks at how vaping effects the body and brain. Even fewer, focus on Juuls which contain more nicotine than a pack of cigarettes and is very popular among young teens today. Researchers were able to find toxic metals inside e-cigarette devices such as lead which is also found in conventional cigarettes. Another study confirmed that these toxins make their way through vapers’ bodies through a urine analysis. In addition to this, research has found that nicotine can have dramatic impacts on the development of young adults. Nicotine is known to impair brain and lung development if used during adolescence. Surveys also suggest that teens who use e-cigarettes aren’t aware of these risks. Researchers have observed that those who have stated they use Juuls over other electronic devices tend to vape more than those who don’t use Juuls. Juul users are also less aware of how addictive thee devices can be compared to those who used different e-cigarettes.

“I was surprised and concerned that so many youths were using Juul more frequently than other products… We need to help them understand the risks of addiction”

Bonnie Halpern-Feisher, Professer of Pediatrics and lead author of the study

Many people who are avid users of the Juul, tend to not understand how they are putting their bodies and lives at risk, especially young teens who started using them even though they were intended to get rid of nicotine addiction, not create one. This leads us to the question, does the youth really understand what they are doing to their bodies and their minds? And if they did, would that be enough for them to stop? Spreading awareness of the effects nicotine has on the adolescent mind could be a potential strategy to eliminate the large number of kids who abuse these products. This research would also go to show that many are ignorant about what the product could do to their bodies. Even though our information on this topic is very limited, learning more about nicotine effects could help educate the public and help them find ways to get rid of their addiction.

To initiate this process and help the public, local government must implement new rules and find research that could potentially educate those who do not know much about how they could be jeopardizing their lives. Especially when those who are using these products are aged 13-18, an age in which the development of their minds and bodies are crucial. If we don’t take a step to help the youth who are addicted to nicotine now, then we could see a rise in deteriorating health levels of those users during their years of growth.