| When to go to the ER
But you've experienced indigestion before. Maybe this pain in the gut is simply a sour reaction to that heavy barbecue you ate earlier in the day. So you take an antacid, get off your feet and figure the problem will take care of itself. But a couple of hours later, the pain is worse. And it's Sunday, meaning a phone call to your physician's office reaches an answering service that can't schedule you for an appointment for at least 24 hours. The pain seems too intense to wait a day or two. What do you do? There's always the emergency department of your closest hospital or medical center. Certainly that's a popular option. An estimated 300,000 people visit emergency rooms around the country every day, according to data collected by the American College of Emergency Physicians.
February 1-7, 2007
Heavenly Round-Up: Is there more light, or does it just feel that way now that a solution has broken through the clouds of indifference? If you can see farther, can you also see more clearly up close? Don't lose sight of the foreground in your fascination with your new distant perspective. There's a more cooperative vibe in the air. Now more than ever you could form an effective collaboration to serve diverse ends -- including your own. Be thorough in your initial assessment. Aries: You're hot and bothered by late-breaking developments. You've got a fire in your belly and a gripe to share. Do you have enough real information to act effectively? Go off half-cocked and you may not have the final piece of the puzzle when you really want it. Pause. Taurus: Sometimes, time flies.
Verizon profits fall 38% in 4th quarter
Verizon Communications, the second-largest U.S. telephone company, said fourth-quarter profit fell 38 percent because of costs to shed units and build a fiber-optic network. Net income fell to $1.03 billion, or 35 cents a share, from $1.66 billion, or 59 cents, a year earlier, the New York-based company said. Sales rose 26 percent to $22.6 billion. Taxes on the sale of assets in the Dominican Republic and costs to spin off a directories unit cut profit by 22 cents. Chief executive Ivan Seidenberg sacrificed profit from the wireless unit to expand Verizon's faster network for Internet and TV service. The $23 billion investment is designed to compete with cable companies such as Comcast Corp., which have attracted more subscribers by offering phone service. "You have to believe that the money that they're spending is working," said Richard Sichel, who helps manage $1.5 billion, including Verizon shares, as chief investment officer of Philadelphia Trust Co.
Coverage of weight-loss surgery shelved for more study
Genevieve Winegar, 23, says "without a doubt" gastric-bypass surgery saved her life. After she underwent the procedure in 2002, the 5-foot-9-inch Winegar lost 200 of her 348 pounds.
"I was an obese child, an obese teen," said Winegar, who had suffered diseases such as acid reflux and was so depressed she thought of suicide. Now, she says she's happy and healthy.
The idea of covering the costly surgery was discussed Wednesday by members of the House's Workforce Services Committee, who opted for further study of the issue this year.
Committee members raised questions about the cost to the state, whether the requirement would raise insurance costs in general, and the risks involved with such surgeries.
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