Advertisement

Daily Rounds: Patrick 'Sick' Of Excuses; Fat Stigma Spreads; Birth Rate Going Down; Hospitals Say 'No Strike'

Patrick on insurers: 'Sick of their excuses'"Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick Thursday set a dramatic new standard for the state's health insurers: He doesn't just want them to hold down annual rate increases, he wants them to cut premiums. Period. "I'm sick of their excuses. I want the premiums down. Not just leveled off — down," Patrick said during a regular monthly radio interview segment on Boston's WTKK. " (NECN)

Spreading Fat Stigma Around the Globe - NYTimes.com "At a time when global health officials are stepping up efforts to treat obesity as a worrisome public health threat, some researchers are warning of a troubling side effect: growing stigma against fat people.“Of all the things we could be exporting to help people around the world, really negative body image and low self-esteem are not what we hope is going out with public health messaging,” said Alexandra Brewis, executive director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University." (well.blogs.nytimes.com)

U.S. Birth Rate Drops; Do We Blame Recession Or Abstinence? : The Two-Way : NPR "Some researchers are blaming the lower fertility rate on the recession — and the overall pattern of the map above certainly echoes RealtyTrac's foreclosure map. But another study that came out this week offers another perspective. Research based on interviews with 17,000 college students shows that more college students are now reporting that they are virgins — even as the practice of hooking up for short-term flings or one-night stands has also increased." (npr.org)

Strike won't cure what ails hospitals - The Boston Globe (boston.com) "In light of these challenges, it is disappointing and disturbing to learn that the Massachusetts Nurses Association was reportedly planning a multi-hospital strike for Good Friday, April 22."

This program aired on April 1, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close