Good Life Medical Systems Newsletter 1, January 2009

President Obama’s Health Care Plan:

          You may have heard that President- Elect Obama is planning on redesigning the USA’s healthcare system, but how is he planning on doing it and how will it affect your healthcare needs? 

There are three cornerstones to the new president’s plan to improve healthcare for all citizens.  His goals are to make available quality, affordable health insurance for everyone.  To modernize the system to lower costs and provide better quality is a priority.   He wants to encourage healthy living habits that will prevent many diseases and improve the overall health of all Americans.

Quality affordable health insurance for everyone

           A new public program, similar to Medicare, for persons who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid and are not eligible for SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Plan) would be offered to individuals who may be unemployed or work for employers who do not offer employer-based health insurance. Obama hopes to reduce the number of uninsured citizens to very low levels with this program as a centerpiece.  He plans to subsidize the premiums of individuals who are not eligible for employer-based insurance or government programs. 

          A “National Health Insurance Exchange” would be established to function as a marketing organization to sell health insurance directly to individuals without health insurance from their employers or the government. 

          The plan requires employers to either provide health insurance or contribute to a fund to finance publicly offered health insurance.  All children would be insured through their parents’ policies or SCHIP.

Improve quality and lower costs by modernizing systems

          Money would be infused into the system to update and computerize patient’s medical history and records.  This medical information would be centralized and accessible only to health providers who have a need for this information.  This should lower costs by eliminating duplication of services and tests.  It could also prevent negative interaction of non-compatible medication. 

           Obama is also in favor of allowing individuals to have the right to buy prescription drugs from pharmacies in other countries whose prices are lower.  He would continue to promote the cost benefit of using generic drugs, which have identical active ingredients as name brand drugs.

          He would also like the government to renegotiate the price Medicare pays for prescription drugs.  Medicare is the largest buyer of prescribed drugs in the world but is prohibited by statute from negotiating a price lower than full retail, the price set by the drug companies. The government has to pay the highest retail price set by pharmaceutical manufacturers, whereas other insurance providers pay less.

Improve the public’s health

          By encouraging healthy habits such as proper diet and exercise with education, Obama hopes to decrease the number of individuals suffering from certain diseases.  Diseases such as emphysema, diabetes, hypertension and venereal disease can be minimized by proper diet, exercise, not using tobacco products, and abstinence or safe sex.  People will be encouraged to maintain good living habits that will help promote healthy living and save health care dollars.

          The government hopes to improve healthcare by encouraging newly graduated doctors to enter the field of Primary Care, whose numbers have been in decline.   New doctors often choose to specialize in higher paying fields of medicine.  Primary care physicians are important because they are the first line of defense against illness, but they are among the lowest paid physicians.  New doctors may be enticed to become primary care physicians with higher salaries and the elimination of some of the debt incurred to pay for medical school. 

Will he succeed?

          The cost of the new president’s healthcare plan may be as high as $100 billion per year, and it can be paid for by ending the current tax cuts for persons earning more than $250,000 per year.  Because of all the money spent by the government to counter the effects of the current deep decline in the economy, there may not be enough money to cover the expense.  Many critics contend that he is trying to create an affordable and sustainable health care system by initiating only minor cost containing ideas. 

          President-Elect Obama states that his plain will be able to save up to $2,500 per family per year in health care premiums.  However, this will be done by shifting costs to the federal government and infusing billions of dollars into the system.  In time, we will find out if these Health Care changes can occur and whether they will be effective.

Stem Cell Research Update:

 When life begins, when human development is in the fetal stage, cells are undifferentiated, which means all cells are alike.  These cells will later develop into one of approximately 200 different types of cells in our body--our organs, such as our heart and lungs, our muscles, bones, etc.  These cells are called embryonic stem cells.  Embryonic stem cells have two important properties:  They can develop into any type of cell in our body or remain as stem cells. 

Embryonic stem cells can replicate almost indefinitely and they are pluripotent.  This means they can change and differentiate into any type of cell in our body. 

Adults also have stem cells in our bodies. These cells are found in our bone marrow, and some organs such as the pancreas, heart and liver.  Because adult stem cells are not pluripotent and cannot differentiate into other types of cells, they are less helpful in their ability to cure disease and regenerate damaged organs. 

Science is now in the beginning stages of stem cell research. Stem cell research is important because it is theoretically possible to use stem cells to repair or replace damaged organs in our body and to treat many diseases such as diabetes type 1 and 2, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, leukemia and more. 

Most researchers have used embryonic stem cells derived from cultures of four to five day old embryos many of which were discarded by fertility clinics.  Opponents of embryonic stem cell research believe that this is a moral and ethical issue because, in the process, the embryo is destroyed.  Proponents of stem cell research argue that it will increase the lifespan of people who now suffer from many diseases and the embryos would be destroyed anyway.

President Bush has twice vetoed bill passed by Congress to expand and fund stem cell research based on his moral belief.  This ban on research will probably end in 2009 after president elect Obama is inaugurated.

Japanese scientists are doing research using adult specialized cells such as blood cells, organ tissue cells, etc and changing them into cells with the same properties as stem cells.  All cells in the body share the same set of genes.  Different cells have a different set of genes either turned on or turned off.  By manipulating the genes in a cell by either turning on or off certain genes, specialized human cells, such as blood or skin cells can be changed into stem cells. 

Scientists at Kyoto University in Japan and Harvard and the University of Wisconsin in the USA, are experimenting with skin cells and by turning off four genes, have been able to change these skin cells into cells that have the same properties as stem cells.  These cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS.)  These cells can be as effective as embryonic stem cells in potentially curing disease and replacing damaged organs.  Like embryonic stem cells, they are also able to reproduce almost indefinitely.    

Years of research must be conducted before new therapies will become viable treatments.  At this time two important problems have arisen.  IPS cells have the potential to morph or change into cancer cells, and it is possible that new iPS cells that are introduced into the blood stream will migrate to the wrong place.  For example, if these cells are supposed to rebuild a damaged heart, they may instead, start growing another heart in the chest cavity.

There are potential barriers, twists and turns that have to be overcome, before stem cell therapy will be able to help humans. One such obstacle is that when embryonic stem cells from a fetus are introduced into a different human, there is the possibility that the immune system will reject the foreign cells.  To counter-act this, potent, toxic anti-rejection drugs may have to be introduced that may cause serious side effects.  

Research is also being conducted to manufacture new drugs that might help treat diseases such as ALS, (Lou Gherig’s disease,) Huntington’s, and diabetes by using “diseased” iPS cells to work for a cure. 

Some of the research being conducted now in laboratory animals include regenerating a damaged heart, repair of the brain after a stroke, and  repair of the damage of the eye caused by macular degeneration.  Other researchers have changed immature pancreatic cells into pancreatic cells that produce insulin, a possible cure for diabetes. 

Stem cell research is a powerful potential tool which in the future may help to eliminate many of the diseases that befall mankind and will potentially extend human lifespan and quality of life.