Arthritis: Disabling America
According to the Center for Disease Control, Arthritis is attributable to nearly one million hospitalizations and 44 million out-patient visits per year. It is this country’s most common disability, and its costs as well as its associated health risks are far-reaching. It has been estimated that arthritis physically limits approximately 19 million adults annually. And, in terms of work-related limitations, arthritis affects nearly one in three people.
What Is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a general term that refers to over 100 related conditions, many of which are considered autoimmune diseases, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus and gout. In most cases these conditions adversely affect the joints causing moderate to severe pain, stiffness and inflammation. In extreme cases, arthritis can be debilitating, causing long-term joint weakness as well as physical deformities, interfering in a person’s ability to perform even the simplest activities. In instances where the disease is systemic, (lupus, for example), arthritis can wreak havoc on the body’s vital organs.
This Is Serious . . .
Although Arthritis is a common condition, it is far more than a mere inconvenience. Rather, it is a chronic, painful, progressive disease that can have serious consequences. Arthritis substantially limits a person’s physical activity, and a lack of exercise can lead to heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.
Is There An Answer?
Arthritis will not go away. However, there are things you can do to manage the pain and lessen the physical restrictions. First, keep your weight down. If you have arthritis, excess weight only will exacerbate an already painful condition. If you don’t have it, excess weight can increase your chances of getting it.
To the extent that you can, try to exercise. You don’t have to go rock climbing, but swimming, for example, is easier on the joints and can lessen pain and inflammation.
Most important, make sure to see your doctor. He or she may be able to recommend a treatment program that works for you.
If you are totally disabled due to an arthritic condition, contact DeHaanBusse LLP for a free case evaluation.
The Dishonest Keeping NY AG Cuomo Busy
M&E Technical Services, Inc. (METS), a Texas-based company, recruited over 100 workers from Watertown , NY , promising them long-term employment and benefits. METS had obtained a military contract to add armor to vehicles used by military personnel overseas. Although the job assignments were supposed to last just a few weeks, the New York attorney general’s office alleges that job applicants were misled into believing there would be job security.
According to Cuomo, “METS used lies and deceit in order to obtain a commitment from employees who were just looking for a better job. This company used these workers and then dropped them
without fulfilling any of its promises. When any employer promises terms of employment in order to attract workers, the employer must stay true to his word.” According to their military contract, METS needed a full workforce. Unfortunately, many people left secure, good paying jobs to join METS, and then were forced to join the growing ranks of the unemployed and the uninsured.
Employment with METS actually only lasted two weeks, after which employees were let go with no health insurance or promised wages. In addition, some employees were instructed by METS to purchase specific tools for the job. Those tools were stolen from the job site.
Legislative News: The SCHIP is Back
On February 4, the House passed legislation to concur with the Senate amendments to H.R. 2, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization by a vote of 290-135. Later that afternoon, President Obama signed the bill into law. This legislation reauthorizes and improves SCHIP. The Senate-passed version is very similar to the bill that the House passed on January 14 by a vote of 289-139.
SCHIP was created in 1997 to provide health care coverage for children in modest-income families that earn too much for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. Over the last ten years, it has proven to be a successful and cost-effective program for providing health care.
The initial ten-year authorization of the health care program expired in September 2007. After President Bush vetoed two bipartisan reauthorization bills to extend and improve the program in the last Congress (H.R. 976 and H.R. 3963), Congress was left with no choice but to pass a short-term extension of program, until April of 2009. This funding was only enough to maintain current coverage and was insufficient to allow states to reach the six million low-income children who today are uninsured but eligible for coverage.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 is an updated version of the first bipartisan reauthorization bill vetoed by President Bush (H.R. 976). The legislation reauthorizes the SCHIP program through Fiscal Year 2013, providing sufficient federal funds to enable states to maintain their current programs and extend them to 4 million additional uninsured low-income children. The major change from the vetoed bill is the inclusion of an option for states to eliminate the 5-year waiting period for low-income uninsured children who are legally in the U.S. President Obama strongly supports this SCHIP legislation, which provides a much-needed down-payment on children’s health. By extending health coverage to millions more children, this legislation is an important first step in stemming the rising tide of the uninsured.
Source: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, www.speaker.gov
Legal Trivia (Kooky, little known NY Laws)
Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business. It is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing “body hugging” clothing . Citizens may not greet each other by “putting one’s thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers.” A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting . It is against the law to throw a ball at someone’s head for fun. The penalty for jumping off a building is death. A person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his/her pocket. While riding in an elevator, one must talk to no one, and fold his hands while looking toward the door. Slippers are not to be worn after 10:00 P.M.
Historical Trivia: Who Was This Great American?
She was born in Ireland on May 1, 1830.
She migrated to the U.S. and received her teaching certificate in Michigan.
She lost her husband and children to a Yellow Fever epidemic.
She joined the Knights of Labor, fighting on behalf of workers (especially coal miners) during the Industrial Revolution.
Clarence Darrow called her “one of the most forceful and picturesque figures of the American Labor Movement.
Answer: “Mother” Mary Harris Jones