Second Opinion

Latest Episodes:

How Does the Bill Get That Big? Aug 24, 2008

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Reading a hospital bill is like trying to understand a foreign language but look carefully because more likely than not there will be errors...

More on Rationing Healthcare Aug 03, 2008

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Several letters suggested there were other ways to ration healthcare and many suggested rationing was, well, anti-American.

Rationing Healthcare Jul 27, 2008

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Is it possible that in the US we ration healthcare?

End-of-Life Discussions are NOT Just for Cancer Patients Jul 20, 2008

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While doctors can do a lot better with regard to talking to people with cancer about end-of-life issues, they are still in the dark ages when it comes to talking to people with other disease who have a poor prognosis...

Why Do New Medicines Work Better Than Older Ones? Jul 13, 2008

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There are several explanations for why new medicine appear to work better than older medicines...

Whose Side Is the FDA on? Jul 06, 2008

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There are several pain relievers that contain propoxyphene, a substance that is dangerous and ineffective. Why are these still on the market?

Fluorescent Bulbs Jun 29, 2008

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While fluorescent bulbs use a fraction of the energy required for traditional light bulbs, they pose a potential danger if broken and an even greater danger if improperly discarded...

AIDS in Rural India, Part III Jun 22, 2008

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The impact of village health workers can be enormous but there are still some barriers to what they can accomplish...

AIDS in Rural India, Part II Jun 15, 2008

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While AIDS medicines would life-saving, the need in rural India are for far more than just medicines...

AIDS in Rural India Jun 08, 2008

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After generations of fighting malaria and dysentery rural India is not trying to contend with AIDS...