The Cause of The Skyrocketing Cost of Healthcare
Dr. Ira Kirschenbaum's Mad About Medicine blog
Imagine adding vice presidents, Board of Directors, stock holders and the other 200-300 other companies all cashing in on your health to that total at the bottom.
Based on this, the next time you want to argue with your Primary Care doctor's front desk about a $5.00 co-pay, remember that he makes an average of $149,000.00 per year. On the other hand -- using United Healthcare as an example -- your insurance company paid their CEO -- one man -- $324,000,000 over a recent five year period.
If you are uninsured, try calling any one of these 23 CEOs and see if they will give you free insurance.
BTW: 10% of 14.9 billion is 1.4 billion. If basic insurance costs $8,000/year for a family then taking 10% from just these CEO salaries would insure 35,000 Americans a year for five years. That is a lot of people that can be helped just by 23 men. Looking at the companies as a whole that profit from health care, we can probably pay for every uninsured person in this country for decades to come.
The numbers are numbing, which is why we should do something about this.
- United Health Group
CEO: William W McGuire
2005: 124.8 mil
5-year: 342 mil - Forest Labs
CEO: Howard Solomon
2005: 92.1 mil
5-year: 295 mil - Caremark Rx
CEO: Edwin M Crawford
2005: 77.9 mil
5-year: 93.6 mil - Abbott Lab
CEO: Miles White
2005: 26.2 mil
5-year: 25.8 mil - Aetna
CEO: John Rowe
2005: 22.1 mil
5-year:57.8 mil - Amgen
CEO: Kevin Sharer
2005:5.7 mil
5-year:59.5 mil - Bectin-Dickinson
CEO: Edwin Ludwig
2005: 10 mil
5-year:18 mil - Boston Scientific
CEO:
2005:38.1 mil
5-year:45 mil - Cardinal Health
CEO: James Tobin
2005:1.1 mil
5-year:33.5 mil - Cigna
CEO: H. Edward Hanway
2005:13.3 mil
5-year:62.8 mil - Genzyme
CEO: Henri Termeer
2005: 19 mil
5-year:60.7 mil - Humana
CEO: Michael McAllister
2005:2.3 mil
5-year:12.9 mil - Johnson & Johnson
CEO: William Weldon
2005:6.1 mil
5-year:19.7 mil - Laboratory Corp America
CEO: Thomas MacMahon
2005:7.9 mil
5-year:41.8 mil - Eli Lilly
CEO: Sidney Taurel
2005:7.2 mil
5-year:37.9 mil - McKesson
CEO: John Hammergen
2005: 13.4 mil
5-year:31.2 mil - Medtronic
CEO: Arthur Collins
2005: 4.7 mil
5-year:39 mil - Merck Raymond Gilmartin
CEO:
2005: 37.8 mil
5-year:49.6 mil - PacifiCare Health
CEO: Howard Phanstiel
2005: 3.4 mil
5-year: 8.5 mil - Pfizer
CEO: Henry McKinnell
2005: 14 mil
5-year: 74 mil - Well Choice
CEO: Michael Stocker
2005: 3.2 mil
5-year: 10.7 mil - WellPoint
CEO: Larry Glasscock
2005: 23 mil
5-year: 46.8 mil - Wyeth
CEO: Robert Essner
2005:6.5 mil
5-year: 28.9 mil
TOTAL 2005: 559.8 mil
TOTAL 5-Year: 14.9 billion
New Office Announcement
We have moved!
Our new office address is 8200 SW 117 Ave. Suite 414
Miami, Fl 33183
Our phone numbers remain the same, 305-221-6161
Take Shape For Life
We now offer a medically supervised, NIH approved heart healthy diet.
The take shape for life is a meal replacement plan that forces your body to consume fat by delivering a 1:1 ratio of fat with a very low total calorie diet designed to force a mild ketosis. The ketosis makes you not feel hungry. You can take the meals everywhere and you only have to be responsible for one meal a day known as the lean and green. The lean and green is composed of one lean meat such as lobster, fish, steak, pork chop, ect., and vegetables and salad.
The Medifast plan has been around for 23 years, however, the success rate goes from 15% in unsupervised dieters to 85% for dieters with a health coach.
The average cost for the diet is only $10.00 per day, the average American spends $16.00 per day!
The take shape for life is a meal replacement plan that forces your body to consume fat by delivering a 1:1 ratio of fat with a very low total calorie diet designed to force a mild ketosis. The ketosis makes you not feel hungry. You can take the meals everywhere and you only have to be responsible for one meal a day known as the lean and green. The lean and green is composed of one lean meat such as lobster, fish, steak, pork chop, ect., and vegetables and salad.
The Medifast plan has been around for 23 years, however, the success rate goes from 15% in unsupervised dieters to 85% for dieters with a health coach.
The average cost for the diet is only $10.00 per day, the average American spends $16.00 per day!
Check us out at:
http://www.abellaheart.tsfl.com/esuite/home/abellaheart/
Please schedule an appointment to consult with us for this wonderful diet.
REFERENCE: Crowell, M.D. & Cheskin L.J, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Multicenter Evaluation of Health Benefits and Weight Loss on the Medifast Weight Management Program.
REFERENCE: Cheskin, MD, FACP, Mitchell, MS, Lewis, BA, Jhaveri, MD Yep, BS. Johns Hopkins University School of Bloomberg Public Health. Efficacy of 2 Diet Plans Designed for People with Type 2 Diabetes on Weight and Health Measures.
REFERENCE: Lawrence J. Cheskin, Lisa M. Davis, Andrea Hanlon-Mitola, Amy Mitchell, Ami Jhaveri, Mary Yep, Vanessa Mitchell. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Baltimore, MD 21205. Efficacy of Parent-Child Dieting Plans Incorporating Medifast Meal Replacements for Weight Loss. RCT Comparing Balanced Energy Deficit Diets With or Without Meal Replacements for Weight Loss and Maintenance Among Children Dieting Alone or With a Parent.
REFERENCE: Drs. Walker S.C. Poston, C. Keith Haddock, Jennifer E. Taylor, John Foreyt. Effectiveness of Medifast Supplements Combined with Obesity Pharmacotherapy: A Clinical Program Evaluation
REFERENCE: National Institutes of Health: Impaired Capacity to Lose Visceral Adipose Tissue During Weight Reduction in Obese Postmenopausal Women With the Trp64Arg B3- Adrenoceptor Gene Variant.
REFERENCE: Vivienne Matalon, M.D. The Bariatrician Summer 2000. An Evaluation of Weight Loss following a Carbohydrate and Fat Restricted Diet with Appetite Suppressant and Dietary Supplementation.
REFERENCE: L. M. Davis, C. D. Coleman1, W. S. Andersen, L. J. Cheskin. The Effect of Metabolism-Boosting Beverages on 24-hr Energy Expenditure. The Open Nutrition Journal 2008; 2: 37-41.
REFERENCE: Crowell, M.D. & Cheskin L.J, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Multicenter Evaluation of Health Benefits and Weight Loss on the Medifast Weight Management Program.
REFERENCE: Cheskin, MD, FACP, Mitchell, MS, Lewis, BA, Jhaveri, MD Yep, BS. Johns Hopkins University School of Bloomberg Public Health. Efficacy of 2 Diet Plans Designed for People with Type 2 Diabetes on Weight and Health Measures.
REFERENCE: Lawrence J. Cheskin, Lisa M. Davis, Andrea Hanlon-Mitola, Amy Mitchell, Ami Jhaveri, Mary Yep, Vanessa Mitchell. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Baltimore, MD 21205. Efficacy of Parent-Child Dieting Plans Incorporating Medifast Meal Replacements for Weight Loss. RCT Comparing Balanced Energy Deficit Diets With or Without Meal Replacements for Weight Loss and Maintenance Among Children Dieting Alone or With a Parent.
REFERENCE: Drs. Walker S.C. Poston, C. Keith Haddock, Jennifer E. Taylor, John Foreyt. Effectiveness of Medifast Supplements Combined with Obesity Pharmacotherapy: A Clinical Program Evaluation
REFERENCE: National Institutes of Health: Impaired Capacity to Lose Visceral Adipose Tissue During Weight Reduction in Obese Postmenopausal Women With the Trp64Arg B3- Adrenoceptor Gene Variant.
REFERENCE: Vivienne Matalon, M.D. The Bariatrician Summer 2000. An Evaluation of Weight Loss following a Carbohydrate and Fat Restricted Diet with Appetite Suppressant and Dietary Supplementation.
REFERENCE: L. M. Davis, C. D. Coleman1, W. S. Andersen, L. J. Cheskin. The Effect of Metabolism-Boosting Beverages on 24-hr Energy Expenditure. The Open Nutrition Journal 2008; 2: 37-41.
Niacin or Vitamin B3
The nicotinic acid form of niacin lowers cholesterol, but other forms of niacin do not. These other forms that do not lower cholesterol include nicotinamide and inositol nicotinate (also called no-flush niacin). Niacin is also known as a B vitamin. I strongly recommend my patients specifically take Twin Labs No Flush B3, which comes in a 640mg capsule.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hpc?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=twinlab+no+flush&x=0&y=0
Nicotinic acid reduces the production of triglycerides and VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein, which is converted to LDL in the blood). This leads to decreased LDL ("bad") cholesterol, increased HDL ("good") cholesterol, and lowered triglycerides. Nicotinic acid raises HDL cholesterol more than other lipid-lowering medicines.
Nicotinic acid is used in people who have low HDL levels and or high triglyceride levels because it raises HDL and lowers triglycerides. Niacin may not be appropriate or is used cautiously in people who have:
Gout.
Active stomach ulcer.
Oversensitivity to niacin.
Glaucoma.
Type II diabetics who do not have their blood sugar levels controlled.
Clotting disorders, such as hemophilia.
Active liver disease.
Alcoholism.
Benefits of B3
LDL can be reduced by 5% to 25%.
HDL can be increased by 15% to 35%.
Triglycerides can be reduced by 20% to 50%.
The immediate-release form is safe for long-term use.
Possible side effects:
Sudden flushing or hot flashes
Itching
Liver problems (hepatotoxicity) High blood sugar (hyperglycemia).
Gout
Stomach upset, gas, nausea, diarrhea.
The extended release form of niacin, such as Niaspan, is a newer form of niacin that does not appear to cause the liver problems associated with sustained-release niacin. Extended release niacin is a prescription medicine.
Facial flushing and itching may never occur, if it does it usually lasts 20-40 min, and gradually diminishes over time for most people. Starting with a low dose and gradually increasing the dose may reduce the flushing and itching.
Tips to avoid flushing
Take regular aspirin 325mg (white non coated tablet) before dinner
Have dinner (avoid alcoholic beverages or spicy foods)
Take Niacin immediately after dinner
If you are going to be having alcoholic beverages with dinner, skip your Niacin dose that evening.
Stop Niacin if you develop hives, and call me.
Tabata Protocol
This exercise protocol will whip you into shape in 6 weeks.
Developed by Dr. Tabata to improve the aerobic conditioning of the Japanese ski team, it only require 13min and 50 sec of intense exercise.
Here is how it works: Pick a cardio exercise you enjoy doing for example running
Jog for 5 min as a warm up
run as fast as you can for 20 seconds then jog for 10 seconds repeat 6 or 7 times
jog 5 minutes to cool down
You're done!
Perfect for those of you who say you don't have time to exercise!
Developed by Dr. Tabata to improve the aerobic conditioning of the Japanese ski team, it only require 13min and 50 sec of intense exercise.
Here is how it works: Pick a cardio exercise you enjoy doing for example running
Jog for 5 min as a warm up
run as fast as you can for 20 seconds then jog for 10 seconds repeat 6 or 7 times
jog 5 minutes to cool down
You're done!
Perfect for those of you who say you don't have time to exercise!
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