Obama signs bill to benefit 9/11 survivors and first responders; but beware of other settlements

President Obama has signed a bill that will provide benefits for survivors of the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks, including Ground Zero first responders.

In August 2009, the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine published an article entitled,  Multiple Myeloma in World Trade Center Responders: A Case Series.  The study concluded by noting, "[we observed] an unusual number of [Multiple Myleoma] cases in WTC responders under 45 years. This finding underscores the importance of maintaining surveillance for cancer and other emerging diseases in this highly exposed population."

"I believe this is a critical step for those who continue to bear the physical scars of [the 9/11 attacks]" said Obama.  The Act – The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act – is named after a New York police officer who passed away as a result of a disease he contracted from Ground Zero.

Congress passed the Act after some expected bargaining on cost. The final version of the Act will come with a $4.2 to $4.3 billion price tag.  FOX reported that this money will be raised by a fee charged to foreign companies that receive certain contracts from the U.S. government.   

The Bill took a long time…some workers have waited nine years for this assistance.  But there is a small catch to this measure.  The New York Post reports that thousands could potentially lose the benefits from the Act if they choose to become involved in a settlement between the Port Authority and private businesses that were involved with cleanup.  This choice stems from one of the requirements to receive benefits under the Act; recipients can’t accept payments from other sources.

Image: thephotoholic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Evan H. Farr on Google +

Should the WikiLeaks fiasco raise healthcare privacy concerns?

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With roughly 250,000 documents released by WikiLeaks and with the aid of some popular media outlets, the ramifications of the diplomatic cables will be far-reaching. My initial thoughts were mixed: perhaps this latest WikiLeaks embarrassment will sound the alarm bells for governments and private industries to protect sensitive information more closely; perhaps it will lead to the development of more sophisticated information technology tools and training methodologies. On the other hand, it is impossible to ignore the obvious – that the United States government failed to prevent a massive theft of classified data. As a result, the logical question raised is “how we can expect, in the future, government agencies (federal, state, or local), or even private industries, to keep sensitive data confidential?”

This chart represents the source of the cables

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In my recent article on the importance of Electronic and Personal Health records, I discussed why the electronic storage of medical information is beneficial to patients, and how the use of smart health information technology can save money and lives. There is no denying that we are living in the “information age,” and to resist this transition would be counterintuitive and counterproductive. But, we also are living in the post-9/11 era. Thus, we must strike a balance between our privacy rights & expectations, and our safety.