"WE THE PEOPLE" Invite you to join us......
Have you read the Constitution?.... Come get a copy to read on TAX DAY April 15th, 2010
Ped Mall at the Fountain (Behind the Sheraton in Iowa City)
11:30AM - 1PM
P.S. Take our short civics test!
March 12, 2010
March 11, 2010
UI radiologist wants to reduce excessive medical imaging
PHOTO: A CT scan shows the abdomen of a patient with lymphoma. Doctors are reviewing how often such scans should be used during diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with cancer. Credit: University of Iowa.
Medical organizations, legislators and government regulators have recently raised concerns about patient safety and costs associated with over-use of medical imaging.
Writing in the March 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, University of Iowa Health Care radiologist Malik Juweid, M.D., said that cancer physicians and radiologists should do more to identify and eliminate medical imaging that is neither cost-effective nor beneficial to patients.
"We want to ensure that imaging used to diagnose and treat cancer is provided in a way that maximizes the benefit to the patient and minimizes both the cost and the potential risks posed by exposure to medical radiation," said Juweid, who is a professor of radiology with the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.
To illustrate the point, Juweid and Julie Vose, M.D., a colleague at University of Nebraska, use their letter to the journal to highlight the case for eliminating post-treatment imaging for patients with nonbulky early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma.
This cancer, which often occurs in younger individuals, has a recurrence rate of less than 10 percent following the best standard of care. In addition, about 80 percent of recurrences of this form of cancer are discovered without the aid of imaging by the physician or the patients themselves.
This means that multiple use of post-therapy imaging provides "earlier" disease detection in only about 2 percent of treated patients, and there is no proven benefit from this early detection.
However, patients currently might receive as many as five to 10 CT scans and/or several PET/CT scans during the three to five years following treatment. This could amount to an accumulated radiation dose of over 50 millisieverts, which is the equivalent of 2,500 chest X-rays.
Juweid and Vose conclude that for this particular cancer, routine post-treatment imaging is not beneficial and should be reserved only for situations where it is needed to guide further treatment.
"This is one example of imaging being over-used without clear benefit to the patients," Juweid said. "We believe that identifying and eliminating this type of unnecessary imaging will help us ensure patient safety and provide the most cost-effective, beneficial treatment."
Juweid added that he is planning to work with professional organizations, such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and National Cancer Institute cooperative groups to find the best way to apply his findings.
The Hahn Report - 03/11/2010
Higher Property Taxes and Sluggish Job Numbers Once Again Remind Iowans Why A New Direction Is Needed
When Governor Culver made his ten percent across-the-board reduction last fall as a result of his fiscal mismanagement, hundreds of millions of dollars were cut from Iowa’s school districts. This action forced schools to make serious reductions and increase local property taxes to cover any funding difference – an amount that is estimated to be between $230 and $270 million dollars.
Iowans are now being made aware just exactly how much of an impact it will have on their own family’s pocketbook. They can point to their own higher tax bills as proof of the disappointing fiscal record of Governor Culver and legislative Democrats, but the headlines from media all over the state serve as another unfortunate reminder.
For example, last Saturday the Iowa City Press-Citizen ran a story about the 14 percent tax increase that local property tax payers will be experiencing in that school district this year. The school’s superintendent was quoted in the newspaper as saying, "Property taxes are our means of covering the (lost state funding).” Cedar Rapids TV station KGAN CBS 2 reported that local Linn County property taxpayers, already having to contend with flood recovery from the devastation of 2008, will end up receiving a hefty property tax increase.
While those are just two recent headlines from two Iowa communities, the same property tax increases are happening in every community at a time when our citizens can least afford it. To make things worse, Governor Culver broke his promise to the people of Iowa when he said he would not raise taxes. Iowans are tired of politicians espousing hollow rhetoric when they know the true results are substantially different. With some of the highest property tax rates in the country already, Governor Culver’s property tax increase makes Iowa even less competitive when it comes to attracting and keeping employers and entrepreneurs who are the job creators we need to grow our state.
His property tax increase is just the latest barrier to job creation at a time when we have over 111,000 Iowans unemployed along with many who are underemployed, have stopped looking or are yet hoping to join our workforce. Iowa’s unemployment rate jumped another tenth of a percent higher to 6.6 percent this past week. In the year of 2009 alone, Iowa lost 222 manufacturing plants and 11,072 factory jobs. This represented an industrial employment decline of 4.1 percent.
While our strong agriculturally based economy has been able to shield us better than some other states, those overwhelming numbers should alarm every Iowan and should serve as a wake-up call to elected officials. On every one of these key issues, whether it is responsible and sustainable budgeting, protecting the property taxpayers or working to make it easier for long-term private sector jobs to be created, Senate Republicans have offered real, tangible leadership. On every occasion, the current party in power has obstructed our bold efforts.
Republicans have put forth an ambitious package of job creation proposals that would provide an immediate jolt of energy to Iowa’s economy and stimulate lasting private sector job creation. We have offered a series of common sense budget reforms that, if implemented, would put an end to the kinds of budgeting tactics that have imperiled our state’s fiscal standing the last three years. Senate Republicans have even presented Governor Culver and legislative Democrats with a proposal to help our students, schools and shield our property taxpayers by giving them more flexibility and local control over the dollars they receive from state government. They should be able to spend it how they see fit instead of raising property taxes and being forced to obey unfunded mandates.
Now with just a few short weeks left in the Legislative session, Iowans have yet to see tangible progress on the important issues. Yet there is still time to make improvements. These are challenging times but challenges always provide opportunities. As Iowans, we should take this opportunity to grow our state and provide a future for our children and grandchildren. As always, Senate Republicans stand ready to lead the way.
Please visit our web page: www.iowasenaterepublicans.org
McKinley Comments on Revenue Estimating Conference Projections
DES MOINES, IA. -- Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) today commented on the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) report detailing Iowa’s estimated revenue levels:
“With spending far exceeding revenue during the last three years, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Iowans are upset with the current fiscal condition of our state. Senate Republicans believe we should take the new revenue projections and ensure Iowa’s new budget spends less than our state takes in and truly reflects the priorities of Iowans. This is not the time to continue the unsustainable spending of the last three years that have resulted in higher job-killing property taxes.”
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