Harkin: Increase funding for trauma research

The third annual Extremity War Injuries (EWI-III) Symposium, sponsored by the AAOS, the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, and the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons, resulted in a call of support for additional federal funding for extremity war injury research through the U.S. Department of Defense. In a letter to his colleagues, Sen.

Where do they stand on health care?

By Annie Hayashi, Jennie McKee, Peter Pollack, and Carolyn Rogers In our final report on presidential candidates and their stances on healthcare issues, AAOS Now examines the proposals put forth by Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; Republican attorney Rudolph W. (Rudy) Giuliani; Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass.

Issues facing America: The uninsured

Alok D. Sharan, MD; Samir Mehta, MD; Ryan M. Nunley, MD; the Washington Health Policy Fellows

In an election year, health care takes center stage The year 2008 will be a defining moment in American health care. The United States has always been proud of its robust healthcare system, yet it has not been able to provide access to this system for all of its citizens. By providing access to health care for the elderly and the poor, Medicare and Medicaid are landmark programs, but the rising cost of these programs makes it difficult to sustain their benefits.

Second Look—regulatory

ED overcrowding on the rise, projected to continue An article in the Wichita Eagle examined the issue of overcrowded hospital emergency departments (EDs). Use of EDs has risen 7 percent over the last decade, and a report published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that the visit rate for those 65 and older increased by 26 percent between 1993 and 2003—faster than any other age group. The report projected that ED visits for senior patients could nearly double by 2013.

Election year 2008 and the Orthopaedic PAC

Stuart L. Weinstein, MD

Participation in the process helps shape the debate By the time you read this, you may already know who the two major candidates for president will be, thanks to the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary, and “super Tuesday” (Feb. 5). The hotly contested presidential race will dominate much of the public’s attention until November. But we cannot forget that 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are also in play.