Doctors, hospitals, state and federal government agencies along with drug and insurance companies have all made concessions to the public during the time of the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. This emergency affects every American so it stands to reason that what follows will too. But will common sense, red tape cutting, sensible changes that benefit patients remain, or be disposed of like so much medical waste? And what about preparations for future outbreaks? Houston based neurologist Dr. Steven Goldstein of the Houston Healthcare Initiative shares his views on this topic with his podcast audience. The podcast is available on iTunes, Soundcloud, Libsyn, and on www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org.
Telemedicine
While remote access to doctors via Internet based communications is nothing new, it was never widely used until the
Telemedicine Video Calls To Doctors On Smartphones became more popular during the Covid 19 pandemic. .
outbreak of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic. But will patients continue to use this convenience? “It depends on what insurance companies will cover as well as what the regulations are from the state board of medical examiners,” Dr. Goldstein told his listeners. “There are plenty of good reasons to maintain this capability. Remote locations, lack of transportation resources and the reality that sick people are not keen to go to a clinic or doctor’s office whether they have the flu, a stomachache or even the Coronavirus should all help persuade the insurance industry to maintain payments for remote appointments.”
Lessons from the Pandemic – Rapid Strike Force
The speed that a viral outbreak is met with can prevent wider infection. Borrowing from an analogy coined by Bill Gates, Dr. Goldstein compared treatment to fighting a war. “We need a standing army to spring into action when a virus is first found and ready to travel anywhere in the world to go to work,” he said.
Dr. Goldstein envisions teams of doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, virologists, and other medical professionals who can very quickly construct field hospitals on the site of the outbreak, isolate and treat the sick people and find treatments for them. “This would be like a ‘Mobile Army Surgical Hospital’ or MASH unit; fully equipped, staffed and right at the front line. The enemy is disease and must be fought aggressively.”
No Excuses
Goldstein thinks that the federal government must put a greater emphasis on public health and do more to keep people from getting sick. “This is not the first epidemic we’ve faced in recent years just the most recent,” Dr. Goldstein said. He described the many recent health crises the world has faced and faces including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika, MERS and lately the Coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak. “There will be no excuse for any lack of preparedness when this happens again, and we know it will happen again.”
How Much Does Medicare Actually Cost? We Break It All Down Here.
Medicare is a huge program that is used by millions of Americans each year, and is a trillion (yes, trillion) dollar government program.
“According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, national health spending will grow at an average annual rate of 5.4 percent for the years 2019-28 and reach $6.2 trillion by 2028,” says Dr. Steven Goldstein, MD, founder of the Houston Healthcare Initiative.
And it is only expected to grow.
How Much Does Medicare Actually Cost? We Break It All Down Here.
From Parade Magazine: How Much Does Medicare Actually Cost? We Break It All Down Here. “Medicare is expected to experience the fastest spending growth of 7.6 percent per year from 2019-to 2028, largely as a result of the highest projected enrollment growth,” adds Dr. Goldstein.
Medicare costs are set by a combination of healthcare providers.
“To provide healthcare for more than 60 million people, including older people and those with disabilities or end-stage renal disease, Medicare sets payments and rules for services provided by a wide range of healthcare providers – physicians, hospitals, laboratories, ambulances, etc.,” says Jennifer Podulka, MPA, Senior Consultant for Health Management Associates. “At the same time, new healthcare products and treatments are constantly being introduced, which is extremely beneficial for consumers, but Medicare has to keep up by regularly setting new payments and issuing new rules.”
These can make the cost of Medicare hard to nail down, as they are constantly changing. However, one general rule is that the price of Medicare will depend on the plan you have.
“Medicare costs differ based on whether people have original Medicare or Medicare Advantage,” says Jane Sung, Senior Strategic Policy Advisor in AARP’s Public Policy Institute.
For original Medicare, costs are calculated the same way for everyone in the program, with monthly premiums and cost-sharing responsibilities such as annual deductibles and coinsurance, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (See Medicare Costs at a Glance here.) The costs for 2021 are estimated as follows:
Medicare 2021 Costs
Part A monthly premium: Most people don’t pay a Part A premium because they paid Medicare taxes while working. If you don’t get premium-free Part A, you pay up to $471 each month. If you paid Medicare taxes for 30-39 quarters, the standard Part A premium is $259.
Part B monthly premium: Most people pay the standard Part B premium amount ($148.50 in 2021). For Part B deductible and coinsurance, it is $203. After your deductible is met, you typically pay 20% of the Medicare-Approved Amount.
Part C Premium: The Part C monthly premium varies by plan, and can be compared here.
Part D monthly premium: Your estimated drug plan monthly premium is based on your income, and higher-income consumers may pay more. (See link above for chart.)
“Original Medicare requires cost-sharing, so many people have some form of supplemental coverage that helps pay for their share of the costs, either through a retiree health plan, Medicaid or by purchasing a Medigap policy,” says Sung.
But for those on Medicare Advantage, this differs.
“For people with a Medicare Advantage plan, the insurance company sets the costs that consumers pay so cost responsibilities such as copays and coinsurance may vary from plan to plan,” says Sung.
If you recently joined Medicare, you likely have a lot to learn about how the program works and what services are covered. However, Medicare is a huge program, and it can feel overwhelming to find out which services are covered by your plan and those that are not. On top of that, healthcare products and treatments are constantly evolving, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in Medicare currently covering many items and services on a temporary basis.
“Most people learn about new healthcare products and treatments that have been added to Medicare from their physicians. To share this information with their patients, physicians must find time to keep up with the latest information about Medicare offerings, while continuing to focus on their core mission of treating patients,” says Jennifer Podulka, MPA, Senior Consultant for Health Management Associates. “It’s hardly surprising that some new things slip through the cracks.”
To help you get informed, we created a list of 12 things that you may be surprised to learn are covered by Medicare from various experts.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, telehealth services covered under Medicare were very limited, notes Wyatt Koma, Policy Analyst for the Kaiser Family Foundation. However, as a result of it and the declaration of a public health emergency, Medicare lifted restrictions for telehealth on a temporary basis.
“Through the rest of the public health emergency, which will likely be the remainder of 2021, people with traditional Medicare can use telehealth to video chat with their doctor or talk to them over the phone if they have a medical problem,” says Koma. “People in a Medicare HMO or PPO—known as Medicare Advantage plans—can also use telehealth to get needed care, if offered by their plan.”
Surprising Thing #2: Substance use disorder treatment
“This is a new benefit offered by Medicare that is potentially life-saving. Opioid use disorder treatment was added in 2020, and treatment for other substance use disorders was added January 1, 2021,” says Podulka.
She notes that medicare pays for ongoing, medication-assisted treatment for people with substance use disorders. And eligible providers include clinics that focus on opioid use disorder, as well as physicians who opt to provide this service for their patients.
“Providers can tailor treatment to the unique needs of each patient by determining the best mix of counseling sessions and appropriate medication,” says Podulka.
Older adults continue to be one of the populations hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and have been at the greatest risk of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19 compared to other age groups. Seniors and younger adults with permanent disabilities with health coverage under Medicare can get free COVID vaccines and tests, without having to pay any cost-sharing for these services.
If you struggle with pain, certain treatments are covered by Medicare. “If you are in pain, Medicare covers acupuncture and chiropractic services under certain circumstances,” says Alison Reeves, Press Officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Surprising Thing #5: Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP)
Half of adults age 65 or older have prediabetes, the condition that may lead to type 2 diabetes, according to Harvard Medical School. In response, Medicare created a program for those with prediabetes with the goal of prevention.
“The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is a proven, structured lifestyle intervention that includes dietary coaching, lifestyle intervention, and moderate physical activity, all with the goal of preventing the onset of diabetes in individuals who are pre-diabetic,” says Podulka. “The clinical intervention consists of 16 intensive ‘core’ sessions of a curriculum in a group-based, classroom-style setting that provides practical training in long-term dietary change, increased physical activity, and behavior change strategies for weight control. After the 16 core sessions, less intensive monthly follow-up meetings help ensure that the participants maintain healthy behaviors.”
According to Podulka, this benefit began to be offered by Medicare beginning in 2018.
Surprising Thing #6: Coverage of dental services in emergency situations
“Dental benefits are not generally covered by Medicare, except under limited circumstances, and many people on Medicare do not have any dental coverage at all,” says Koma. “Medicare does not generally cover preventive dental care, although it may be offered as an extra benefit in Medicare HMOs or PPOs (also known as Medicare Advantage plans).”
He also notes that because many Medicare beneficiaries do not have dental coverage, Congress is now debating whether to add a dental benefit to Medicare, along with hearing and vision benefits.
Many older Americans not only struggle with making healthy nutrition decisions, they also suffer from chronic diseases caused by poor diet, including diabetes.
“Medicare offers 1) medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for people with diabetes or renal disease and 2) diabetes self-management training (DSMT) for people with diabetes,” says Podulka. “Eligible patients must be referred by their treating physician and can receive 3 hours of 1-on-1 MNT counseling in the first year and two hours in subsequent years or up to 10 hours initial DSMT training in the first year and up to 2 hours follow-up training each calendar year after completing the initial 10 hours.”
As cancer treatments continue to evolve, Medicare has also begun to cover the latest and greatest treatments available.“Medicare coversinnovative technologies, including next-generation sequencing cancer treatments,” says Reeves.
“Within their first year of Medicare coverage, people are eligible for a free ‘Welcome to Medicare’ physical exam, and for each year moving forward they can get a free annual wellness visit,” says Koma.
Surprising Thing #10: Transitional care management (TCM) services
Transitioning from an inpatient to an outpatient setting is a new and stressful experience for many people, and Medicare has responded with TCM services to support patients.
“As part of TCM services, Medicare pays physicians or qualifying nonphysician practitioners to provide care management services for a patient to facilitate the transition,” says Podulka.
Surprising Thing #11: Obesity screenings and counseling
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of adults age 60 and older are obese, and obesity contributes to serious health risks.
“Medicare covers obesity screenings and behavioral therapy sessions, including a dietary assessment to help beneficiaries lose weight by changing their diet and exercise,” says Koma. “These services are offered without cost-sharing.”
Off-Label Ivermectin for Covid-19 Creates Controversy & Conflict
October 14, 2021 – A doctors’ right to prescribe medicine for their patients is attracting attention of the wrong type when it comes to Covid-19 and ‘off-label’ prescriptions written for Ivermectin. This is the subject of the latest Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast from respected neurologist, Dr. Steven Goldstein. The podcast can be heard on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, Soundcloud, and the Houston Healthcare Initiative website.
Doctors’ Rights to Off-Label Prescriptions
Ivermectin as an off-label treatment for Covid-19 is causing doctors issues for a long standing medical practice.
Off-label prescriptions occur when a physician gives a drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to treat a condition other than the one diagnosed. This practice is legal and even common as one in five prescriptions written are for off-label use.
The Same But Different
Last year Dr. Goldstein discussed the controversy and government interference with the way hydroxychloroquine, a common treatment for Malaria was prescribed off-label for patients suffering with Covid-19. Fast forward from September 2020 to October 2021 and the same thing is happening with Ivermectin, a drug that is approved for treatment of certain parasitic worm infestations, and its possible use as a treatment for Covid-19.
Is Ivermectin OK to Use?
As Dr. Goldstein told his listeners, “there are studies that show Ivermectin has no anti-viral benefit, some that show it has those qualities for some diseases and others that show it is a miraculous treatment.” So far there is no consensus among physicians about the utility of ivermectin. “My view is that doctors who suspect it to be of value should be allowed to study it,” Dr. Goldstein said.
From Unconventional to Accepted
There are many examples from the history of medicine where an individual physician working alone has made a major breakthrough with what was at the time thought unconventional. “Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis saved the lives of numerous mothers by suggesting OB doctors wash their hands before delivering a baby,” Dr. Goldstein said. “He was ridiculed by the medical establishment at the time as the germ theory of infections was not yet discovered.”
More recently 2 Australian doctors, Barry J. Marshall and Robin Warren found that stomach ulcers were caused by bacteria. “They also were ridiculed by the medical establishment until they won the Nobel Prize,” Dr. Goldstein told his listeners. His conclusion for this latest flap regarding off-label prescriptions, “allow physicians to pursue different treatments for Covid. Stop politicizing the treatments and stop publishing premature articles in the press for or against any unproven treatment.”
About The Houston Healthcare Initiative
The Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast with Dr. Steven Goldstein is an information vehicle for people who want to know all medical options for themselves and are interested in reforming the healthcare industry. To learn more about the Houston Healthcare Initiative please visit www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org.
3 Goals: Healthcare Changes to the American Families Plan & Health Savings Plans Could Make Medical Expenses More Affordable.
The new administration, like all of them, has plans for Americans and their healthcare. On this edition of the podcast Dr. Steven Goldstein, who founded the Houston Healthcare Initiative, will get us all better acquainted with what those proposals are and explore other possible ways for how healthcare can be fixed. The Biden administration has three goals.
There are three healthcare priorities for the Biden administration plus one more that Dr. Steven Goldstein suggests.
Of the three goals, first is the Covid-19 pandemic response. Part of the goal is to prevent over capacity of limited hospital beds and critical care space during spikes in the virus outbreak, like those occurring now. Others include the ability to establish temporary hospitals and better ways to track Covid surges via technology. Making telehealth options more widely available, tasking all relevant federal agencies to set up temporary hospitals and getting the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to develop real-time tracking dashboards to better predict when surges will happen, where they are and other details needed to better inform healthcare professionals about the evolution of the pandemic.
The Affordable Care Act
The second of the three priorities has to do with the Affordable Care Act, or as it is more popularly known, ObamaCare.
The idea is to reduce medical costs for the American public. As part of a separate pandemic relief bill, there is $34 billion to help Americans who buy insurance from the health plan marketplaces that were created by Obama Care now through 2022. Those who know about it state that this would help lower and middle-income Americans who have fallen through the cracks of the government’s eligibility requirements for ObamaCare subsidies. It would also help people who choose policies with lower premiums and higher deductibles. There is also assistance for the unemployed.
Medicare Reform
One of the more visible proposals is to increase the age of people who are eligible for Medicare from the current 65 to 60 years of age.
“While we can think of these as beneficial to society, there is a considerable cost that comes along with it,” Dr. Goldstein told his listeners. “Instead of transferring more money to people, there are other ways to use existing healthcare payment strategies that will benefit everyone.” So why not fund Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s) with this same amount of money? It is tax-advantaged when received, if the money earns interest while in the health savings account the account owner can keep it and be prepared to pay cash for more health-related expenses. So what is a health savings plan?
Prescription Drugs
The Trump Administration launched a “Transparency in Coverage” ruling in December of 2020 that required health insurers to disclose current drug prices and provide patients with personalized cost estimates. The Biden Administration hopes to increase these efforts by repealing existing laws that prevent Medicare from negotiating lower prices with drug corporations. “Plenty of people believe that the government already uses its mass buying power with Medicare to negotiate better rates,” Dr. Goldstein said. “That is not the case.”
Health Savings Accounts
The Health Savings Account. or HSA, is a type of savings account that is used for medical expenses. HSA’s were established for those with high deductible health insurance coverage. HSAs and high-deductible health plans were created to help control health care costs. The idea is that people will spend their health care dollars more wisely if they’re using their own money. The money deposited by individuals into their HSA account is not taxed.
Further, HSAs feature a triple-tax benefit: money you contribute to your HSA can be written off on your taxes and thus reduce your income tax bill; money in your HSA grows and compounds assuming investments rise. All is tax-free over time; and when HSA money is withdrawn for qualified medical expenses, no tax is paid on the withdrawal. It is owned by the individual so that he or she can pay their healthcare costs. These include everything from doctor visits to blood tests, paid for with cash from the health savings accounts.
As always, information about this and more than 50 other podcasts can be heard and read about at the website, www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org.
About The Houston Healthcare Initiative
The Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast with Dr. Steven Goldstein is an information vehicle for people who want to know all medical options for themselves and are interested in reforming the healthcare industry. To learn more about the Houston Healthcare Initiative please visit www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org.
Eating from the added stress of quarantine caused a lot of excess snacking, take-out food and kettle corn consumption while binge watching television.
The solution to this issue is simple but not easy…
Obesity Linked to Greater Risk to and from Covid-19 Infection. People who are overweight were already at more risk of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes. We can now add complications due to the Covid-19 infection to the list. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) obesity increases the risk of hospitalization due to the Covid-19 infection. More than 900,000 adult COVID-19 hospitalizations occurred in the United States between the start of the pandemic and November 18, 2020. Models estimate that 271,800 (30.2%) of these hospitalizations were attributed to obesity.
According to the CDC, a study of COVID-19 cases suggests that risks of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, and death are higher when Body Mass Index (BMI) are higher. “Everyone listening can take control of and make a significant, positive impact on their own health by making better choices about what they choose to eat or drink,” Dr. Goldstein said. “Not smoking and exercising regularly add even more benefits.”
Stress and Eating
Eating from the added stress of quarantine caused a lot of excess snacking, take-out food and kettle corn consumption while binge watching television. Add to that Zoom calls and a day seated in front of the computer screen, there was not much movement to counteract all those questionable decisions about what and when to eat. “People eat and ate more because of stress or boredom but did not increase their movement to counter those extra calories consumed,” he said. “Americans did not move at record levels.”
Seated While Stressing
Motionless is the norm, and Americans are not moving like never before. “I guess we could say that Americans are not moving at a record setting pace,” he said. “But the sad truth is that sedentary workplaces and motionless home lives are really bad for us. But, and to really stress this, it’s what we eat that is the main culprit,” Dr. Goldstein said. Many of the country’s health care problems are “self-inflicted” and are preventable through proper diet. With more people moving less than ever while snacking constantly it is no wonder that our collective weight is so far up. “This is an easy fix for us all if we will just make these changes.”
About The Houston Healthcare Initiative
The Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast with Dr. Steven Goldstein is an information vehicle for people who want to know all medical options for themselves and are interested in reforming the healthcare industry. To learn more about the Houston Healthcare Initiative please visit www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org.
Three in ten uninsured adults in 2019 went without needed medical care due to cost.
In wake of the 2020 election outcome…
For These Uncertain Times What Type of Health Insurance Is Best?
November 24, 2020 – According to Dr. Steven Goldstein, founder of the Houston Healthcare Initiative, “with the current system we have, I would buy a policy that has a high deductible,” he told his podcast audience. “This is sometimes known as ‘catastrophic’ health coverage. Then I would pay cash for my health expenses.”
That times are unsettled was never truer than in 2020. With the U.S. House and the presidential election settled, the majority of the senate remains undecided and will stay that way until the two runoff elections for both Georgia senate seats on January 5, 2021. The implications for the U.S. healthcare system are many. What can or should Americans do in the near term? Listen to “The Houston Healthcare Initiative Podcast to find out. The Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast can be heard on SoundCloud, Google Play, Libsyn Feed, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and the Houston Healthcare Initiative web site.
Cash & Catastrophic Coverage
According to Dr. Goldstein, cash payments are accepted for most if not all medical charges and prescription drugs. Do not try to get the ‘insured’ rate to put against your deductible. Paying cash is much less desirable with the insured rate. “Most people will never reach their deductible amount anyway,” he said. “This arrangement is the best value for people under the current system. So, while at the doctors’ office show them your insurance card but tell them you are paying cash.”
Return of the Mandate?
Most Americans get their health insurance through their employer. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama Care, made more choices for insurance available and penalized people who did not purchase health insurance. While not ideal, it was a way to get more people covered by private insurance than before. Plus, it offered subsidies for those who could not afford insurance. But at the same time, it was the mandate and accompanying monetary penalty that seemed to make the policy so unpopular with many. “The overall insurance industry and its approach to paying for healthcare are very flawed in fundamental ways,” Dr. Goldstein told his listeners. “We can spend time and money to make a bad system work better and that is probably what will happen in the near term.”
Likely Short-Term Changes
Some near-term changes are likely to be mandates for private firms and their employees to provide for and buy health insurance. The cost of care for uninsured workers is often passed along to the insured through taxes and other mechanisms. There are employed people now who go without health insurance and keep the part of their pay that would go to health insurance. One economic rationale for employer mandates is that the cost of care for uninsured workers is often passed along to the insured through taxes and other mechanisms. Mandates are, in part, an attempt to eliminate those who opt out of available coverage.
American Attitudes About Caring for Each Other
Generally, Americans have decided that we will treat sick and injured people who do not have insurance, but that treatment is not free. “So, we have all these schemes for the uninsured, or others to make people buy insurance,” Dr. Goldstein said. “While caring for the sick and injured is laudable, paying for it is another matter, like with the Obama Care mandate.”
Three in ten uninsured adults in 2019 went without needed medical care due to cost. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that uninsured people are less likely than those with insurance to receive preventive care and services for major health conditions and chronic diseases. Not having insurance is generally a financial issue and one that leads to unhealthier people. “With the catastrophic coverage, patients are able to be seen as many practices will not see anyone without insurance,” Dr. Goldstein said. “Paying cash for services and not applying them to the deductible will both save money and result in a healthier population.”
About Houston Healthcare Initiative
The Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast with Dr. Steven Goldstein is an information vehicle for people who want to know all medical options for themselves and are interested in reforming the healthcare industry. To learn more about the Houston Healthcare Initiative please visit www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org.
Are There Alternatives To Traditional Health Insurance?
November 16, 2020 — With November the time many Americans are asked to choose their health insurance coverage, the cost, expense, and value are on people’s minds. Are There Alternatives To Traditional Health Insurance? Healthcare is expensive. The healthcare and medical insurance industries are massive with billions of dollars of income. They are able to buy advertising and lobbyists to gain every advantage that money can buy. As Americans try to find ways to pay for it, do any really have any chance of meaningful change for an industry that all but regulates itself? Or should we just resign ourselves to healthcare and insurance companies doing and charging what they want with little if any restriction on them?
Alternatives To Big Insurance
According to Dr. Steven Goldstein, founder of the Houston Healthcare Initiative, there are ways to be insured and save money. As he told his podcast audience, the best alternative to insurance at this time is the healthcare cooperative. The Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast can be heard on SoundCloud, Google Play, Libsyn Feed, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and the Houston Healthcare Initiative web site. When combined with a health savings account and a high deductible, sharing of healthcare costs will go down.
Take Care of Yourself
Of course, the best way to lower costs is to lead a healthy lifestyle. Exercise, diet, limited alcohol consumption, adequate sleep and not smoking are the best ways anyone can be healthier. But for those who refuse these, there should be consequences. “There needs to be consequences for individuals that do not take care of themselves,” Dr. Goldstein told his audience. “For those that do nothing, laws need to be changed so that care would only be provided at charity hospitals. I know this is a radical change of thinking, but I believe it would go a long way to improving public health. Subsidizing unhealthy behavior only leads to more unhealthy behavior.”
About the Houston Healthcare Initiative Podcast
The Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast with Dr. Steven Goldstein is an information vehicle for people who want to know all medical options for themselves and are interested in reforming the healthcare industry. To learn more about the Houston Healthcare Initiative please visit www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org.
NOTE: Child COVID-19 vaccine trials to begin in Florida this week. Watch how Dr. Steven Goldstein, founder of the Houston Healthcare Initiative, contributed to a major television feature on vaccine trials in the state of Florida. You can see him and the full story here:
Child COVID-19 vaccine trials to begin in Florida this week. Starting this week, researchers will begin testing one of the experimental COVID-19 vaccines on children, marking the first trial in the country to do so.
It’s one of several big developments in the race to approve a vaccine.
In this story Dr. Steven Goldstein discusses liability waivers for vaccine trials starting in the state of Florida.
So far, more than 600 Central Floridians have walked into a DeLand lab, willing to test the Moderna vaccine.
Moderna and Pfizer are in the final phases of testing their vaccines. For Pfizer, that includes testing children 12 and over.
On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson paused its study after one person got “an unexplained illness.” And it’s been over a month since AstraZeneca’s trial had been put on hold in the U.S. after two British participants experienced neurological issues.
When a vaccine is approved and available by, at the earliest, the end of the year, companies cannot be held liable for any unexpected complications. A good place to start with answers is here as Child COVID-19 vaccine trials to begin in Florida this week.
“Now, if there are expected complications, and the company hid that information, like they knew about something that it would happen, and they don’t tell people about it, you can still sue for that,” said Dr. Steven Goldstein of the Houston Healthcare Initiative.
A recent Gallup Poll found people are split right down the middle when asked if they’d take a vaccine, down from the 66% of people who were willing to take it three months ago. People in Florida will help the entire country find answers.
What Will Vaccine Liability Waivers Mean For The Covid-19 Inoculation. There will be issues with the new Coronavirus/Covid-19 vaccine because there were issues with every single vaccine introduced before. There are currently numerous studies and trials devoted to finding a shot that will give immunity to the recipient against the deadly and contagious Coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic. The company that is first to introduce a successful shot for immunity will reap big rewards in the form of profits and scientific prestige. But when there are problems with it, as there certainly will be, what recourse does the public have?
Vaccine waivers protect manufacturers from lawsuits and liability other drugs have.
On his regular podcast, respected neurologist Dr. Steven Goldstein describes the risks and benefits of vaccines and a regulation known as the ‘vaccine liability waiver.’ The Houston Healthcare Initiative Podcast can be heard on SoundCloud, LibSyn, Google Play, iHeartRadio, iTunes, Stitcher, Radio.com and many other places where podcasts are heard.
What Is The Vaccine Liability Waiver?
According to Dr. Goldstein, vaccine liability waivers are really what the name implies which is that vaccine makers are not generally held responsible for injuries their vaccines may cause. “This is notable because it is the only part of the healthcare industry where such protection exists,” Dr. Goldstein told his listeners. “The companies that make these vaccines cannot be sued for monetary damages unless a person who died or was seriously injured can demonstrate that the company engaged in “willful misconduct” which is a very high legal standard to achieve.”
The Vaccine Waiver Makes Vaccines Possible
What Will Vaccine Liability Waivers Mean For The Covid-19 Inoculation? It is very likely that were it not for the ‘waiver’ there would be few if any vaccine makers in the U.S. Starting with the Salk vaccine in the 1950’s through the 1970’s and ‘80’s, lawsuits against vaccine makers increased to the point that there was only one Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus (DPT) vaccine maker in the U.S.
In 1986 the U.S. Congress responded to the situation in the vaccine market by passing the ‘National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act’ or NCVIA. The act included a number of regulations related to informed consent and adverse event reporting but also removed many of the monetary recovery options that were putting the industry out of business.
Complexity Comes With Safeguards
Vaccines are developed, tested, and regulated the same as other drugs but more so. Vaccine development is a complex process that takes usually takes years. That is because the number of people in vaccine clinical trials are usually greater, and, those who receive vaccines are more in number than those who receive or take other prescription drugs. In addition, post-license monitoring of vaccines is closely examined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
So, while the liability waiver exists, all the other pharmaceutical safeguards are in place. Regardless of expectations, no medical treatment is completely risk free. “Vaccines are made to protect us from disease, but they can have negative side effects,” Dr. Goldstein said. “Most of these effects are pretty mild like soreness in the arm from the injection. Others can be more serious. But without these rules it is unlikely anyone in the U.S. would be researching a Covid-19 vaccine.”
What Will Vaccine Liability Waivers Mean For The Covid-19 Inoculation? Nothing in the world of medicine is without risk and the ultimate introduction of the Coronavirus vaccine is no exception. The laws and regulations strike a balance that protects the public and aids in the delivery of a vaccine sooner than later.
The Effectiveness Standard for Covid-19
The minimum requirement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any COVID-19 vaccine is that it should at least prove 50% effective when compared with a placebo — that is, a neutral saline solution. The annual flu vaccine is a success when it is 40% – 60% effective. Fifty percent is right in the same range as the flu vaccine.
About The Houston Healthcare Initiative
Dr. Steven Goldstein is a Houston based neurologist. He founded the Houston Healthcare Initiative and is an advocate for common sense solutions to the healthcare crisis that confronts the citizens and residents of the United States of America.
Overly Zealous Watchdogs Interfere with Patients and their Doctors
October 1, 2020 – Does a physician or the pharmacist know what is best for a patient? When the Ohio
Overly Zealous Watchdogs Interfere with Patients and their Doctors.
Board of Pharmacy ruled that doctors could not prescribe the off-label treatment hydroxychloroquine to treat the Coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic it was a chilling trespass into the rights of people in Ohio and set a dangerous precedent in the other forty nine. Medicines to treat conditions with off-label prescribing occurs when a physician stipulates a drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to treat a condition different than what a patient has. Off label prescribing is nothing new
Unanticipated Consequences of Overly Aggressive Regulators
This practice is legal and common as one in five prescriptions written today are for off-label use. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy decision was without precedent. Americans should be nervous about this instance because it puts the relationships between doctors and patients at risk and removes the judgement of physicians about how to best treat their patients, putting it into the hands of government regulators. “This overreach is a present and future danger for Americans and their doctors in the wake of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic,” Dr. Steven Goldstein told the audience on his podcast. “This puts decision making about how best to treat a patient into the hands of someone who does not know the individual, never mind has any medical experience with them.”
The Future Beyond Covid-19
The prospect that someone other than the doctor and patient are involved in this decision making is bad practice. “Doctors are trained and educated to diagnose and treat patients”, Dr. Goldstein said. “They also have experience treating their patients and know how to evaluate scientific papers about new treatments. Pharmacists and government bureaucrats do not have this training or experience.
In the case of hydroxychloroquine there is no randomized controlled trial to prove scientifically whether or not this drug is effective for Covid-19. It is also true that there is no other treatment that has been proven with a randomized controlled trial to be effective. “Physicians should be able to use any treatment that may be beneficial to their patient,” Dr. Goldstein said. “Interference by government boards or other non-physicians will retard the development of effective treatments and lead to additional mortality and morbidity.” The next outbreak is a certainty, it’s only a matter of time. “If pharmacists and bureaucrats are getting between doctors and patients now, we should be very worried about the future,” Dr. Goldstein concluded.
About the Houston Healthcare Initiative Podcast
The Houston Healthcare Initiative podcast with Dr. Steven Goldstein is an information vehicle for people who want to know all medical options for themselves and are interested in reforming the healthcare industry. To hear the podcast go to: SoundCloud, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Backtracks, LibSyn, or the website at www.houstonhealthcareinitiative.org. Dr. Goldstein insists that for the health and welfare of the American public, the congress must pass reforms that limit the influence of the pharmaceutical industry and its lobby.
