Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

References:

1. Sept. 17, 2009 — U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied in the Los Angeles Times

WUSTL economics professor David Levine says abolishing 'intellectual property' won't solve all social ills, but it would be a big step in the right direction for solving a range of problems from the high cost of health care, to innovating our way out of the current recession. In a series of posts with his co-author, WUSTL economics professor Michele Boldrin, they will be posting here about green technology, entertainment, free speech, multinationals, and innovation over the next weeks.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — Save the Whales! Abolish Patents! in the Huffingtonpost.com

How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Elusive price tag for universal health coverage in the MSNBC.com

Yoshio Matsumoto was among the 110,000 Japanese-Americans seemingly bound for an internment camp soon after America entered World War II when WUSTL agreed to take him in.

References:

1. Aug. 31, 2009 — Japanese-American graduate recalls wartime ordeal in the Associated Press

and 42 others.

Timothy Kuklo, a former U.S. Army surgeon, "voluntarily" resigned from WUSTL, effective Sept. 30, and "will have no clinical, research or educational duties for the university between now and that date," a spokeswoman for the university's medical school said in a statement.

References:

1. Aug. 20, 2009 — Surgeon accused of faking study resigns in the United Press International

and 1 others.

Health-reform moves proposed by the White House and pursued in Congress have largely steered clear of direct hits to the medical-technology sector, with one big exception: medical imaging.
Such proposals follow years of rapid growth for medical scanning that has provoked questions about overuse.
William Peck, who directs WUSTL's Center for Health Policy, suggests the House legislation needs to get at the causes of overuse, such as doctors hedging against the threat of malpractice suits.

References:

1. Aug. 14, 2009 — Medical Imaging Under The Gun In Health-Reform Push in the The Wall Street Journal

and 5 others.

The rise and fall of bottled water may be the best case study yet in the strange politics of trendy environmental causes.
Bottled water got its foothold in the U.S. as a statement about healthy living.
It wasn't that long ago that making water available everywhere was itself a sort of crusade.
But now schools such as WUSTL have made "Ban the Bottle" a campus cry. Thus does one crusade lead to another, with the solution to yesterday's crisis providing the stuff of today's.

References:

1. Aug. 6, 2009 — A Fashion Trend Meets A Watery Grave in the The Wall Street Journal online

Should states' rights trump the fed? It seems to be a trend across the country. At least 20 states have introduced resolutions reasserting states' rights because they think that federal government is way too involved in what states do with things like taxes and health care and education. WUSTL law professor David Law comments.

References:

1. July 31, 2009 — Should states' rights trump the fed? in the CNN American Morning

The Princeton Review -- an education services company that helps students choose and get in to colleges -- this year collected a wealth of data to help applicants and parents find the highly-coveted financial aid that a majority of them will need to pay for college. WUSTL was among 13 of which received the highest possible score of 99.

References:

1. July 27, 2009 — The Princeton Review gives 623 colleges financial aid ratings in the The Princeton Review

In December 2006, New York City required that artificial trans fats be phased out of restaurant food, and the mandate was in full effect by November 2008. Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at WUSTL and a past president of the American Dietetic Association, said that banning fats is not enough.

References:

1. July 20, 2009 — In New York City, Trans Fat Ban Is Working in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 7 others.

WUSTL orthopaedic surgeon and researcher Timothy Kuklo, who was accused by the Army of falsifying a medical study, delayed disclosing his consulting ties to the school, according to its response to a U.S. Senate investigation. The doctor was put on leave by the university pending an internal review. According to Chancellor Mark Wrighton, WUSTL also suspended open human research projects by Kuklo.

References:

1. July 16, 2009 — Wash. U: Doctor hid Medtronic ties in the St. Louis Business Journal online

and 2 others.

Timothy Kuklo, a former military doctor and Medtronic consultant at the center of a research scandal, did not tell WUSTL, his medical school employer for a year, about his Medtronic ties even as he was conducting company-sponsored research. The new disclosures, which WUSTL medical school dean Larry Shapiro made in response to a Senate investigation, may intensify the controversy surrounding the physician.

References:

1. July 15, 2009 — Medical School Says Former Army Surgeon Hid Ties to Medtronic in the The New York Times

and 9 others.

The allegation that Timothy Kuklo failed to properly disclose his financial relationship with Medtronic was made in a June 23 letter from WUSTL medical school dean Larry Shapiro to Sen. Charles Grassley, who is investigating the Kuklo matter. Kuklo is on paid personal leave at the request of WUSTL, where he is a member of the medical faculty. The university said it is continuing to investigate.

References:

1. July 15, 2009 — Disclosure by Surgeon Is Faulted in the The Wall Street Journal

Americans say they're still in a tunnel, but more are beginning to see a light at its end. Fewer people say they've prospered over the past year than in decades, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds. WUSTL social work professor Mark Rank comments on the 'American Dream.'

References:

1. June 23, 2009 — Despite everything . . . Americans are seeing better times ahead in the USA Today

and 2 others.

Since Facebook started giving out customized Web addresses last Friday, some 9.5 million people have rushed to grab their top choice. But for people signing up for these accounts, the battle over domain names is taking place in murky waters. WUSTL student Jeremy Fancer comments.

References:

1. June 18, 2009 — Keeping a True Identity Becomes a Battle Online in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

Despite the well-advertised healthy lifestyle message, healthy habits are in decline, according to an authoritative national survey on health and nutrition. WUSTL epidemiology professor Ross Brownson, who is a leading expert in chronic disease prevention, comments.

References:

1. June 9, 2009 — Bad Habits Asserting Themselves in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

Nancy Benac reports on Obama's Cairo speech in which he tried to explain the American mindset to Muslims and the world of Islam to Americans. Various experts comment on the speech, including WUSTL presidential rhetoric specialist Wayne Fields.

References:

1. June 6, 2009 — Analysis: Obama tries evenhanded approach in the Associated Press

and 51 others.

Orthopaedic surgeon Timothy Kuklo, a former Army physician accused of falsifying research involving injured soldiers, has taken a leave of absence from WUSTL medical school and its affiliated hospitals.

References:

1. May 23, 2009 — Former Army Doctor Accused of Research Fraud Takes Leave From University in the The New York Times

and 6 others.

A new study by four political scientists, including WUSTL doctoral candidate Ryan Black, to be published in the WUSTL Journal of Law and Policy, looks at whether or not Supreme Court justices tip their hands during oral arguments.

References:

1. May 26, 2009 — When the Justices Ask Questions, Be Prepared to Lose the Case in the The New York Times

Influential Senator Charles Grassley is investigating a former Army surgeon who the Army says forged signatures and falsified data in a study touting the benefits of an implant from Medtronic. Orthopaedic surgeon Timothy Kuklo retired from the Army in 2007 and is now a professor of orthopedic surgery at WUSTL. WUSTL spokeswoman Joni Westerhouse comments.

References:

1. May 19, 2009 — Sen. Grassley investigating army surgeon who allegedly wrote bogus study of Medtronic graft in the Los Angeles Times

and 8 others.