Mark Spitz, 7-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, speaks with Ellen Ratner about his high cholesterol and management of high cholesterol, with or without health insurance. He also discusses his first job and how he became successful. (7:01)
President Bush meets with President Talabani of Iraq in the Oval Office. Mr. Bush describes their conversation about elections laws, the Strategic Framework Agreement, and troop reductions. President Talabani thanks the US for liberating their country saying that there is very little terrorism activity left, and now it is time for reconstruction. He also spoke of better relationships with Arab neighbors. (4:57)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says that the Senate is concerned for Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and his health. He says anyone who knows Kennedy knows he is a fighter, and has risen to every challenge he has faced, and that “we’re confident he will rise to this one as well.” (0:32)
Ellen Ratner reports on the infrastructure of southern Sudan and aid operations there. (1:23)
Reporting from the border of Darfur, Ellen Ratner speaks about the living conditions in southern Sudan. (1:42)
Dan Patterson reports from southern Sudan on the poverty there and the contrast between Sudan and Europe. (1:30)
The National Press Club hosted Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to speak on the future of the FDA. He spoke highly of his agency calling it the “gold standard” for health regulation.
Eschenbach’s speech followed a consistent message revolving around a single theme: change. He told the participants that developments in medicine and food production are forcing the FDA to adapt to the world’s changing technologies. He said that the FDA was established a century ago to protect consumers from the dangers of ill goods but that the FDA of the 20th century is not adequate to face challenges in the 21st century posed by cloned animals, genetically modified crops, and medicines that can alter biology. In order to confront the challenges of this new age, Eschenbach said that the FDA needs to be “recreated.”
According to Eschenbach, 700 new officials will be hired as additional FDA employees in 2008 and he will soon launch a fellowship plan to recruit 2,000 people from various fields to receive FDA training. He also announced that the FDA will spend $250 million to update software systems and expand their electronic database. Additionally, he said that the FDA is planning to open up offices overseas in the near future beginning with China to regulate products before they are shipped to the U.S. In order to accomplish these goals, Eschenbach called for Congress to pass legislation granting the FDA increased authority. He also asked for the public’s support and said that industries must accept strong corporate responsibility for the goods they produce.
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) chaired a House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing focused on providing affordable healthcare for uninsured children. The witness panel called into question included five governors from different regions of the country, providing the committee with a diverse group of state leaders to comment on the progress made by the Bush Administration in regard to healthcare.
The progress of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was hotly debated. The purpose of SCHIP is to provide uninsured children whose parents make too much money to qualify for Medicaid with health coverage. Governor Haley Barbour (R-MS) was particularly adamant about reforming SCHIP, arguing that providing affordable coverage for children was growing increasingly more difficult as a result of state funding simply not providing enough money to finance such initiatives.
The benefits of programs such as SCHIP are evident. At the same time, as some such as Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) pointed out, the success of the program has been limited and reforming legislation is necessary to ensuring the success of future government healthcare programs. Children are not the only ones who suffer from unaffordable healthcare, Shadegg explained, as the cost of healthcare is an issue that affects all Americans.
While President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy and limits in government spending have come under fire in recent months, concerns about the lack of funding for healthcare programs have grown to be an increasingly important, and controversial, issue for Americans to debate.
At a Senate Budget Committtee Hearing, Sen. Murray says that under the budget proposal presented by OMB director Jim Nussle, Veterans earning more than $27,000 annually would have to pay for their health care.
