Drop in Doctor's Visits Due to Recession; The Digital Download Dilemma; Should Doctors Monitor Detainees During Interrogation?; What can Medical Tests Can tell us?
Drop in Doctor's Visits Due to Recession
Since the start of the economic downturn an estimated 3.7 million working-age Americans, including 500,000 in California, have lost their health insurance. Those with health coverage are being deterred from preventive care visits by high deductibles and copays. The result is a drop in doctor's visits in all areas. People are cutting back on routine screenings and examinations, and cancers and chronic conditions are going undiagnosed and left to become more problematic. Jon Beaupre talks with guests and listeners to find out what medical care people are going without.
The Digital Download Dilemma
A few years ago, there were music stores on every street corner. Now, not so much...why? Because downloading music over the Internet is a much easier way to get your favorite tunes. And Internet download speeds are now so fast that downloading movies is in the process of sending DVD stores the way of CDs. Worst yet--movies that aren't even in the theaters yet are sometimes showing up on the Internet. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is the latest example. What's the net result? At a Congressional field hearing Monday, the industry estimated some $20 billion in sales are lost due to illegally copied and distributed movies, music and other entertainment. What can be done? Is it ethical to download a movie without paying to view it? Is the industry partially to blame for not adjusting to market realities and modern distribution methods? Guest host Jon Beaupre gets the scoop and asks KPCC's listeners--how do you deal with the download dilemma?
Should Doctors Monitor Detainees During Interrogation?
The International Committee of the Red Cross says in a report that doctors monitored CIA interrogations of prisoners at secret overseas sites, and that this is a clear violation of medical ethics. Is it a violation? Or, could Doctors have saved the lives of some detainees during their interrogations? The Red Cross Report says that in some instances, medical staff suggested stopping the treatment; but in others "recommended its continuation, but with adjustments." An ICRC spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the document but deplored the public release of what was supposed to be a confidential report. They refused to comment on its contents. Guest host Jon Beaupre talks with journalist Mark Danner who obtained the Red Cross report and published the findings in The New York Review of Books.
What can Medical Tests Can tell us?
Would you like to know how long you're likely to live, what diseases you're susceptible to, or what genes determine your personality? In his book "Experimental Man", journalist David Ewing Duncan made himself a guinea pig and underwent hundreds of cutting-edge medical tests to find what useful knowledge could be gained. From DNA analyses to blood tests and brain scans, Duncan found out the effects of genetics and the environment on his health. One test predicted that he could have a heart attack by 2017, and another test was positive for hundreds of chemicals, possibly from Duncan's childhood growing up near a toxic waste dump. An MRI scan even measured his inclination for greed and altruism. With the advancing trend of personalized medicine, Duncan asks, which information is useful, and do we really want or need to know so much about ourselves?