Minnesota

2008 wasn’t such a great year for health insurance, poverty and income

By Minnesota Budget Bites

by Christina Wessel | September 10, 2009 • Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released numbers looking at health insurance, poverty and income statistics from 2008. The verdict: Not good.

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Minnesota Budget Bites

Minnesotans willing to pay for quality services

By Minnesota 2020

by Nora Ferrell | September 10, 2009 • Despite staggering revenue problems at the state level, some elected officials may have you believe that Minnesotans are against tax increases at every turn.

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Minnesota 2020

Former Sen. Coleman has Bell’s Palsy

By Paul Schmelzer, Minnesota Independent

Norm Coleman has Bell's Palsy, a paralysis of the cranial nerve that affects the muscles in the face, according to the inaugural story by BringMeTheNe

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NEWS DAY | Uninsured in Minnesota

By Mary Turck, News Day Blog

Continuing the health care theme of this morning’s posts … About 450,000 people are uninsured in Minnesota, according to the latest Census Bureau report. That’s great, says AP, noting that Minnesota’s 8.7 percent uninsured rate, while up from previous years, is still among the lowest in the country. Not so fast, says David Brauer at MinnPost:

Another way to put it: if the state’s nearly half a million uninsured gathered in one spot, they would comprise Minnesota’s largest city … with enough left over to fill the Metrodome for a Vikings game.

Also notable is the source of people’s health insurance, as reported by the Census Bureau:

Between 2007 and 2008, the number of people covered by private health insurance decreased from 202.0 million to 201.0 million, while the number covered by government health insurance climbed from 83.0 million to 87.4 million. The number covered by employment-based health insurance declined from 177.4 million to 176.3 million.

Other news from the Census Bureau report:

[R]eal median household income in the United States fell 3.6 percent between 2007 and 2008, from $52,163 to $50,303. This breaks a string of three years of annual income increases and coincides with the recession that started in December 2007.

The nation’s official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. There were 39.8 million people in poverty in 2008, up from 37.3 million in 2007.

 

 

News with attitude, mostly from MN but with occasional forays abroad.News Day summarizes, links to, and comments on reports from news media around the world, with particular attention to Minnesota news.

NEWS DAY | MN swine flu update

By Mary Turck, News Day Blog

Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, had dire warnings yesterday of what the next few weeks could bring, reports MPR:

“I actually have the data from just as late as last night in the emergency departments of Atlanta and I’m telling you they are in free fall,” Osterholm said. “As we speak today, they tripled the highest number of in-patient visits they’d ever had, even dating into June and July time period, for kids with influenza-like illness. They have virtually run out of liquid Tamiflu.

“That is a harbinger of things to come that we’re going to see here because we’re off by about two to three weeks,” he said.

The most important news is still prevention. Most of the prevention advice is the same: wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes and nose, stay home if you have the flu.

The “new” news is that the swine flu vaccine is on the way, probably arriving in October, and possibly effective after only a single shot.

Some of the regular flu vaccines are in now, but not for all clinics. (My clinic won’t get their shipment until October 15, and won’t get the swine flu vaccine at all.) Call around to see where this vaccine is available – maybe local drug stores or grocery stores. The swine flu vaccine should arrive in the state some time in October.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the swine flu vaccine will be available at some pharmacies and local public health departments. They say they have a website that will help you find a flu shot location near you – for regular flu shots now, and for swine flu shots once they become available. The website is www.mdhflu.com, but as of this morning, it is not working.

 

 

News with attitude, mostly from MN but with occasional forays abroad.News Day summarizes, links to, and comments on reports from news media around the world, with particular attention to Minnesota news.

Tribute to the Troops rides into town

By Roger Huelsnitz, KFAI Radio

Tribute to the Troops is a non-profit corporation that helps the families of fallen soldiers.

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Pawlenty disbands political committee, gives $85,000 to controversial charity

By Paul Demko, Minnesota Independent

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has disbanded his gubernatorial committee, formalizing his decision not to seek a third term.

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Health care reform: where Minnesota Congress members stand

By Jessica Van Berkel, The Minnesota Daily

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., speaks at a health care rally on Sept. 3 in North Minneapolis.

Congress resumed work on a health care bill Tuesday after members returned from a month-long recess, during which Minnesota representatives and senators heard constituents' opinions on health care

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Al Franken is no Odd Fellow … no matter what Wikipedia says

By Chris Steller, Minnesota Independent

U.S. Sen.

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Bachmann to join ‘birthers’ at St. Cloud tea party?

By Paul Schmelzer, Minnesota Independent

Following her Saturday morning forum on health care reform in St. Cloud, Rep.

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