Dr. Government

Mom settles for $143,000 after infant taken away over faulty drug test

"A Pennsylvania woman whose infant daughter was taken away from her by state authorities when she was just three days old, all due to a false positive on a drug test, won a $143,500 settlement Tuesday. The lawsuit alleged that a drug test she and her child were unknowingly subjected came back positive for opiates because she ate an 'Everything' bagel hours before giving birth. That carb-heavy treat turned into a genuine nightmare for Elizabeth Mort, who had her infant daughter Isabella literally taken out of her arms at her home days after returning from the hospital, all authorized by an emergency protective custody order." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMom settles for $143,000 after infant taken away over faulty drug test

Treasury Delays Obamacare Implementation For Businesses Until 2015

"The Obama administration left it to a relatively low level Treasury official to announce the blockbuster news that the Obama administration will not begin enforcing employer mandates in the Obamacare law until 2015 - one year later than originally planned. Mark Mazur, the Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy, announced on the agency's blog that the administration 'will provide an additional year before the ... mandatory employer and insurer reporting requirements begin.' At this point the individual mandate remains, meaning individuals must obtain health insurance or face penalties." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTreasury Delays Obamacare Implementation For Businesses Until 2015

Obama administration pushes new public health research agenda on gun control

"Americans who own or want guns likely will be subject to rafts of new questions from social scientists, medical researchers and law enforcement officials intent to discover just what guns they own, why they own them and what they intend to use them for — not to mention where and how they keep them. They will also likely have more researchers poring over such issues as whether childhood education programs against gun violence actually work; whether there actually is any relationship between violence in the media and in real life; and whether school safety plans drawn up by in the wake of highly publicized mass shootings actually are effective." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama administration pushes new public health research agenda on gun control

Public Approval of Supreme Court Falls to All-Time Low

"The U.S. Supreme Court finished its term with big decisions on voting rights, affirmative action and same-sex marriage. Following those rulings, public approval of the court has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded in more than nine years of polling. Just 28% believe the Supreme Court is doing a good or an excellent job. At the same time, 30% rate its performance as poor. That’s the highest-ever poor rating. It’s also the first time ever that the poor ratings have topped the positive assessments. These numbers are even weaker than the numbers recorded following the Supreme Court ruling upholding the president’s health care law last year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPublic Approval of Supreme Court Falls to All-Time Low

Georgia required woman to get vaginal exam to correct birth certificate error

"A 37-year-old Georgia woman says that she was humiliated when the state told her she would need to have her vagina probed to prove she was a woman before she could renew her driver’s license. Nakia Grimes told WAGA that she never had a reason to notice that her birth certificate had incorrectly listed her gender as male. But because of new rules at the Georgia Department of Driver Services, Grimes was required to go to Vital Records Services to obtain a copy of her birth certificate before she could renew her driver’s license. That’s when the mother noticed that the document listed her as a male." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGeorgia required woman to get vaginal exam to correct birth certificate error

Dentists vs. Smiles

"Everyone wants an attractive smile, which is why teeth whitening is a rapidly growing industry. But thanks to lobbying by licensed dentists, Alabama—like a growing number of states—has made it a crime to sell teeth-whitening products, even if customers apply those products to their own teeth. Alabama is not the only state to shut down non-dentist teeth whiteners. In 2011, the Connecticut State Dental Commission outlawed the practice. In fact, at least 30 states have tried to shut down teeth-whitening entrepreneurs either through new statutes and regulations or through new interpretations of existing statutes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDentists vs. Smiles

Hospital investors ‘sold’ on Obamacare

"Shares of U.S. hospital operators have been on a tear this year, on average posting triple the gains of the broader stock market, as investors tallied up the benefits of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform. They expect company earnings to strengthen as more Americans gain insurance coverage and hospitals lose less money treating the uninsured. The reform law has spurred consolidation among hospitals, and further merger activity could lift valuations. The biggest benefit from health reform is expected to be an influx of patients whose treatment will be paid for either through expanded Medicaid programs or from state-based exchanges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHospital investors ‘sold’ on Obamacare

The Obamacare Problem Isn’t Messaging, It’s Statism

"The Obama administration and its health-law allies are gearing up this summer to slice through three years of confusion and opposition to Obamacare. They’ve got their work cut out for them. Obamacare won’t have a shot at success unless millions of people sign up for insurance — the healthy as well as the sick. …Organizing for Action, spun off from Obama’s campaign operation, went up with a seven-figure TV ad buy in June, touting the new benefits and promising to offer 'the truth' about the law. Enroll America, a nonprofit group with ties to the White House, wants to leverage the grass roots across the country and engage big-name celebrities for the cause." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Obamacare Problem Isn’t Messaging, It’s Statism

NFL Rejects Obama Administration: We Won’t Promote Obamacare

"NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy emailed the Washington Examiner's Philip Klein to say the NFL had no plans to help promote Obamacare: 'We have responded to the letters we received from members of Congress to inform them we currently have no plans to engage in this area and have had no substantive contact with the administration about PPACA’s implementation.' Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had said this week the Obama administration was looking to partner with professional sports leagues to market Obamacare exchanges this fall to sell the unpopular healthcare law to the public." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNFL Rejects Obama Administration: We Won’t Promote Obamacare

Teens urged to promote ObamaCare to parents under California grant

"The Los Angeles school system reportedly plans to use a state grant to promote ObamaCare, in part by teaching students to become 'messengers' for the law. The Heartland Institute first reported on the grant, one of $37 million in state grants announced in May by Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange. Of that, $990,000 was awarded to The Los Angeles Unified School District. A brief synopsis of the grant says it would be used for 'outreach calls' to families and 'adult-student class presentations.' But it also states as an objective: 'Teens trained to be messengers to family members.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTeens urged to promote ObamaCare to parents under California grant