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COLUMNS & BLOGS

DNA analysis embarrasses justice system

7/29/2010 © Miami Herald
Fred Grimm writes that after an embarrassing string of DNA exonerations, the state Supreme Court appointed an innocence commission to examine procedural flaws that led to so many wrongful convictions. The case of Derrick Williams featured several recurring themes in those lousy cases.

The real legacy of the session that wasn't

7/28/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
Sue Carlton writes that maybe instead of "special session," we should say "special seconds," since that's about how long lawmakers took to playpartisan politics and deny us the chance to vote on a constitutional amendment on drilling.

Scott and Greene should stop ads and start paying us

7/26/2010 © Palm Beach Post
Frank Cerabino writes that It would be so much more efficient for Rick Scott and Jeff Greene to streamline their process of buying votes by eliminating the middleman and making cash payments directly to the voters.

Is Don Berwick going to be Sherrod-ed?

7/27/2010 © Managed Care Matters
Joe Paduda writes that the appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick as head of CMS has incited a furor among politicians who disagree with his views. To support their claims, they are using Berwick's own words, eerily reminiscent of the Shirley Sherrod debacle.

Do you drive on your playground?

7/25/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
Scott Maxwell writes that we are even having a debate is nonsensical. Children and cars do not mix. Period. Here's an idea: Get some parking. That's what leaders in 99 percent of other coastal communities in America have done.

ADA has helped bring about a change in values

7/25/2010 © Fort Myers News Press
Roger Bradley, executive director of LARC, writes that life has changed for the better as a result of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But in the future, we shouldn't need legislation to motivate our community to make changes for anyone.

FDA unconcerned about danger of foster kids in drug trials

7/25/2010 © Sarasota Herald Tribune
Columnist Tom Lyons says FDA was wrong to urge Florida officials to let foster children be enrolled in drug trials.

Could dengue fever be linked to past government experiments?

7/21/2010 © Truthout
The outbreak of dengue fever in Florida’s coastal towns isn't such a surprise when you study historic documents about US Army and CIA experiments; also, dispersants to combat the oil spill may compound the problem.

The spill's staggering true toll

7/24/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
Professor Mark T. Brown, director of the Center for Environmental Policy at UF, writes that few have noted that BP will likely pay nothing for perhaps the most important consequence of its mishap: Damage to natural benefits by a healthy Gulf of Mexico.

Prognosis from reform: Higher premiums

7/23/2010 © Palm Beach Post
Janet Trautwein, CEO of the National Association of Health Underwriters, writes that health reforms may make insurance easier to come by for many Americans, but they may not be able to afford the insurance now available to them.

Berwick seeks more science in medicine

7/21/2010 © Palm Beach Post
Stacey Singer says the health-reform debates are about to re-ignite as the CMS appointee will go to the Senate for confirmation after all.

Do lawmakers think we have amnesia on oil drilling?

7/20/2010 © Florida Today
Matt Reed writes that if politicians had shown any respect for Florida's statutory ban on near-shore drilling, Gov. Charlie Crist would not have ordered them to the Capitol today.

Looking to the future of children's health care

7/20/2010 © Daytona Beach News Journal
Children's health advocate Linda Merrell writes that 750,000 kids in Florida remain uninsured. The community pays the price and consequences for uninsured children. But communities can make a difference.

No way are we 4 times crazier than Texans -- it's gotta be fraud

7/17/2010 © Miami Herald
Carl Hiaasen says So. FL is the "Deepwater Horizon of Medicare corruption in the United States, and the gusher is getting worse. No other place even comes close to matching the number of crooked health-care businesses, or the immense dollar amounts that wind up in the pockets of criminals."

Jeb Bush's hyped bio-tech boom went bust

7/18/2010 © South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Stephen Goldstein writes that four years after Jeb Bush left office, we're reeling from the $1.5 billion cost of the biotech boondoggle he foisted on us with Scripps Florida.

He was sick. And jailed. Was anyone listening?

7/18/2010 © Sarasota Herald Tribune
Tom Lyons writes that six days after the death of a prisoner at the Sarasota County Jail infirmary, the paper got a call from a man who had been there. What a nightmare that place must be for a sick person.

GOP candidates for governor running against health reform

7/16/2010 © South Florida Sun Sentinel
Stephen Goldstein writes that the two Republican candidates for governor want to deprive Floridians of the benefits people are already getting, or will soon get, from federal health reform.

Medicare waste, fraud and self destruction

7/14/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
Mike Thomas writes that unless we rein in the outlandish costs and fraud in a Medicare program that has trillions in unfunded liabilities, we might as well write off our kids' future, print up a bunch more money, and go hang with the Greeks.

Veterans deserve all the help they need

7/14/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
Scott Maxwell writes that too many of our politicians are oh-so-willing to send soldiers off to war — and unwilling to deal with the home-wrecking consequences that sometimes follow.

Introducing new bacteria won't help degrade oil

7/11/2010 © Pensacola News Journal
Professor Richard A. Snyder writes that until the effects of adding nutrients to Panhandle beaches are known, the most prudent approach is to avoid adding anything that might cause adverse effects.

'Time to get to work'? How about time to get a tutor

7/9/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
Daniel Ruth writes that Rick Scott doesn't need to get to work. He needs to get a tutor. It is not an unreasonable expectation that anyone who wants to be governor ought to know something about the job or the state they claim they want to lead.

Climate skeptics take cue from Big Tobacco

7/9/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
Environmental activist Lee Bidgood Jr. writes that signs that greenhouse-gas emissions have overheated and destabilized the climate are unmistakable. Yet climate skeptics and deniers have spread confusion, very much like the well-paid skeptics of tobacco's hazards.

Rick Scott's troubling story of convenience

7/7/2010 © Tampa Tribune
Steve Forbes, who supports Bill McCollum in the governor's race, writes that it's hard to know what to make of Rick Scott. He boasts of his experience building HCA/Columbia, but doesn't like to talk about how that story ends.

Medicaid Reform reduces fraud, improves care

Alan Levine says the bad actors at WellCare have been replaced by good people, and it would be a mistake to think Medicaid reform had anything to do with the fraud. In fact, he says, the opposite is true.

It takes a village to fight obesity

7/6/2010 © Sarasota Herald Tribune
Eric Ernst writes that cultural habits are hard to change. And we all know fighting childhood isn't really a school's problem. It's a societal one. Public health advocates are working on a communitywide approach to fighting obesity.

A peaceful death: Just what the doctor ordered

FSU geriatrics professor Marshall Kapp tells how health-care providers, caregivers and patient advocates can collaborate to prevent aggressive, pointless end-of-life resuscitation.

Drilling moratorium more about politics than science

7/2/2010 © South Florida Sun Sentinel
Kingsley Guy writes that the decision to impose a moratorium on oil drilling was based not on technical or economic rationales, but on the political calculation that it would make President Obama look like he was being tough on the oil companies so hated by his political base.

Why should a little fraud mess up a state contract?

7/1/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
Howard Troxler writes that the top brass who were supposed to be riding herd on WellCare sometimes simply went to work for WellCare, or joined its board. How is that legal? How is the company's contract not canceled?

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Health News Florida takes no positions on issues or candidates; instead, we post links to editorials, columns and letters that appear in publications around the state. The cartoons also run the gamut of opinions; if you disagree with the one we’ve posted today, you may like the one we post tomorrow.

Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News
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Editorials

Make Central FL nation's medical-simulation capital

7/29/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
Central Florida's leaders have made progress in reducing the region's dependence on tourism and construction, but they have more to do. The potential to lead the nation in medical simulation is too good an opportunity to pass up.

Vote on Jackson Labs gives plan momentum

7/28/2010 © Naples Daily News
Moving forward. That is what Jackson Laboratory’s proposed expansion to Collier County is doing after commissioners listened to prolonged protests and praise.

Keep after the Medicare fraudsters

7/28/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
The Obama administration needs to keep turning up the pressure and make examples of those who perpetrate Medicare fraud that affects all taxpayers.

Claims process can't give BP a quick ending

7/27/2010 © Palm Beach Post
Gov. Crist and the Legislature missed an opportunity last week when they wasted a special session posturing at each other. The state needs to examine its liability laws.

Safety derailed

7/27/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
Drivers will find creative ways to get around rail crossings and ignore flashing lights in hopes of saving time, but not necessarily their lives. That attitude has to change if Florida wants to rid itself of this enduring safety problem.

Make it easier to be organ donor

7/26/2010 © Ocala Star-Banner
People should be assumed to want their organs donated after death unless they opt out, rather than the reverse.

Florida must reduce rail crossing accidents

7/26/2010 © South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Florida Department of Transportation will have to develop an intense public awareness campaign to help change driver behavior. It won't be easy, but it's essential if Florida hopes to improve safety.

Keep beach driving but improve safety

7/25/2010 © Daytona Beach News Journal
The Volusia County Council showed good judgment Thursday when it decided to take a step back from the emotions of the moment and reconsider beach driving in light of a study or third-party consultant's report.

In AG race, vote for prosecutor to go after Medicare fraud

7/23/2010 © Miami Herald
Holly Benson has been a legislator and Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration and Jeff Kottkamp is Lieutenant Governor. But in the Republican primary for governor, the best candidate is prosecutor Pam Bondi.

Lawmakers wasted chance to help Panhandle

7/22/2010 © Miami Herald
In just two hours Tuesday, the Legislature decided to not even debate Gov. Crist's proposed constitutional amendment banning oil drilling 10 miles off the coast. Lawmakers put political payback to the governor before the welfare of Floridians hit by a disaster.

Congress should push to make mines safer

7/23/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
In the past decade, 600 miners have died in the nation's mines, with the Upper Big Branch disaster being the worst in 40 years. This disaster exposes a regulatory scheme that is insufficient to keep miners safe underground.

Hopkins deal provides research, funding benefits for All Children's

7/22/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
All Children's Hospital and Johns Hopkins were in talks for three years before this week's announcement — a time line that suggests both parties came to this decision soberly. It will be exciting to watch what they accomplish.

BP session produces only posturing and hypocrisy

7/21/2010 © Palm Beach Post
Gov. Crist wrongly limited the special session to a constitutional amendment that would ban oil and gas drilling in Florida waters. This from someone who in 2008 dropped his longstanding opposition to expanded drilling. The Tampa Tribune comes to a similar conclusion.

Maybe employer liability will drive message home about texting

7/21/2010 © Naples News
Perhaps corporate liability will resonate with employers and employees who have seen no need to heed years of basic traffic safety warnings.

Political posturing no substitute for action

7/20/2010 © South Florida Sun Sentinel
It's encouraging to hear legislative leaders talking up a second session to be held in September to address oil spill-related issues. But don't expect much from this session, which begins today.

Short takes on beach driving, curbing hospital complications

7/20/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
After the death of another 4-year-old on the beach, how many more deaths will it take before Volusia stops mixing people and cars? The Sentinel also says that it's heartening to see that 81 Florida hospitals are joining forces to curb complications and infections that often follow surgery.

Ban drop-side cribs

7/19/2010 © South Florida Sun Sentinel
With so many companies putting out a product with similar deadly design flaws, it's clear that the problem in drop-side cribs is not isolated. The CPSC is now moving to ban all drop-side cribs; nothing less will suffice.

Accusations against Gelber don't hold up

7/18/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
In the Democratic primary for attorney general, state Sen. Dave Aronberg's attempt to tar state Sen. Dan Gelber with the BP oil spill is out of bounds.

Legislature should let voters have say on oil drilling

7/16/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
The only sin worse than calling a special session without a deal is sabotaging one out of political spite.

FL vets with PTSD need boosted response

7/14/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
In a long overdue move, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs officials took shears to the red tape that tangled up veterans pursuing disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Rick Scott's deceitful, heartless ploy

7/13/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
By shamelessly exploiting the tragedy of a family of a disabled young woman, gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott's latest effort to burnish his credentials as a "pro-life leader'' are deceitful and lack any sense of decency.

Easing PTSD claims process the right move

7/13/2010 © Florida Today
The Obama administration and Congress have increased funding for post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, and now the VA is taking another important step forward.

Slowing the 'pill pipeline'

7/13/2010 © Sarasota Herald Tribune
I-75 is often called the "pill pipeline." Law enforcement agencies have stepped up efforts to fight this scourge, but regulatory changes at the state and local level are under way, as well, including a ban on those highway billboards.

Don't let WellCare off lightly for fraud

7/12/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
After WellCare agreed to settle a criminal charge, Florida should have looked for someone else to do the work. Could it be that the millions of dollars it has contributed to politicians over the years is helping to shield the company?

Nursing's not naughty

7/10/2010 © Orlando Sentinel
It's shameful that breast-feeding mothers still are persecuted for doing what comes naturally. Mothers who choose to publicly breast-feed ought to be able to in peace. Florida's nursing mothers have the law on their side. Yet, awareness and acceptance always lag legislation.

Scott wants to buy Governor's Mansion, not campaign for it

7/9/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
Public campaign financing does not silence Rick Scott; it ensures his opponents will have an opportunity to speak. The candidate with the biggest checkbook should not be able to muffle everyone else.

Drilling proponents painted false picture

7/9/2010 © Pensacola News Journal
The current oil spill opened our eyes to the reality of the risks involved in drilling for offshore oil. And now it appears that the harder we look at this industry, the more scales that will fall from our eyes.

Health risks to oil exposure largely unknown

7/9/2010 © Bradenton Herald
Thousands of workers and volunteers are already involved in the demanding labor of cleaning up the Gulf oil spill. But anyone considering applying for a job with BP should think long and hard about the health risks.

Holes in the safe-drilling theory

7//8/2010 © Sarasota Herald Tribune
Thanks to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, oil industry lobbyists can no longer get away with the fiction that offshore drilling is safe and clean. But an AP investigation provides still more evidence that the risks were, and are, underplayed.

Clinic cutbacks cost the broader community

7/7/2010 © Fort Myers News Press
The closure of one health clinic in Lee County’s poorest neighborhood and the cutback in hours of another could increase health costs and add to ER crowding. That makes restoring these services a high community priority.

FDA needs more muscle to go after bad drugs

7/7/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
FDA needs the manpower and regulatory muscle to regularly inspect manufacturing facilities, pull dangerous drugs off the market immediately and hold manufacturers accountable.

Plan for bicyclists, runners can serve as model for success

7/7/2010 © Miami Herald
Miami-Dade County's five-year, $4.5 million plan would give bikers long-needed lanes and paths for runners and walkers and study reducing speed limits for vehicles.

Dangerous 'Katrina trailers' are back

7/6/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
New FEMA trailers don't have the formaldehyde problem and could be used for emergency housing, but the old ones never should have been released to the private marketplace and certainly should not be used to house oil cleanup workers.

Many Floridians already benefiting from reforms

7/2/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
Health reform hit another important milestone this week when uninsured Floridians with pre-existing conditions could begin applying for coverage through a new government-run plan.

Court gun ruling threatens public safety

7/2/2010 © Florida Today
States and localities should have the authority to act in the best interests of their citizens and retain reasonable limits on guns.

Traffic fatalities drop, but could be even lower

7/2/2010 © St. Petersburg Times
State officials recently announced that the fatality rate on Florida roads dropped to a historic low last year, but think how many more lives could be saved if the Legislature would be a little more progressive.

Awareness is key to suicide prevention

7/2/2010 © Florida Times Union
Suicide is preventable. But people can't be stopped unless others around them recognize the difference between having a bad day and being clinically depressed.

Silver linings among the muck and mayhem

7/1/2010 © Florida Times Union
Operation New Hope, which helps people with criminal records find work, anticipates 300 to 500 potential ex-offender jobs for Gulf cleanup work in the next six months. BP is paying for the work resulting from its spill and hiring contractors to do it.

Solar energy incentives worth pursuing

6/29/2010 © Bradenton Herald
The gulf oil spill is a constant reminder that we must move away from our dependence on oil and embrace alternative energy sources like solar. Government should encourage that movement, too.