The courts spoke out about the Constitutionality or lack thereof of the health care mandate. The debate begins all over again as supporters of a health care plan to cover all Americans spring into action and those that don’t support this issue are at odds with them. Is it possible to have health care reform without the mandate?

On November 17, 2010 the PA Superior Court upheld a $20 million dollar award, including $15 million in punitive damages, given by a Philadelphia jury that found a plastic surgeon and a nurse anesthetist liable for an 18 year old college student’s death after an elective liposuction procedure. The lawsuit had been brought by Plaintiff’s on behalf of their deceased daughter, against Dr. XXXXX, XXXXX & Associates, XXXXX and XXXXX Associates, Inc.

Take a look at the following article featuring Xavier Sevilla, MD, who is a pediatrician at Whole Child Pediatrics. That facility is a patient centered medical home, delivering care to 3,400 patients. This medical center is located in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

What’s your opinion on reducing Medicare costs? Do you agree with current news reports that reining in the Medicare costs will, in fact, tame the deficit? According to the Kaiser Health News report, “The program, which covers 47 million people, will spend an estimated $519 billion this year.”

The Radiological Society of North America launched a campaign this week called Image Wisely. One of the aims of Healthcare providers is to stop “overuse of radiation on patients during medical exams through a nationwide campaign.” Approximately 700 healthcare providers have agreed to this pledge to “use the least radiation necessary for a procedure.”

Recently, Senators have criticized mini-med health policies because they claim they are limited in benefits to the insured’s. According to a FierceHealthcare article, “More than one million Americans hold such policies.” Senator Barbara Boxer has called these policies, “Sham policies.”

Dr. Gerald O’Malley, a blogger at Physicians Practice, has an interesting video blog from his tour of a local emergency room in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, what are you thankful for? Has this Thanksgiving given you a new perspective on life?