Emergency Room

Nearly half a million Americans have been injured walking their dogs since 2001, and the injury-rate has quadrupled in 20 years, for a long list of reasons. How can we lower the risk, to ourselves and our canine friends?

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 1,200 people were treated in US emergency rooms last year after walking-related mishaps associated with handheld devices. How many people have you seen walking, looking into their phone, not paying attention to anything around them? Are you one of those people? Turns out this behavior is more dangerous than you think.

Everything has a battery these days - even toys for kids.  That's why it should be no surprise that Emergency Room visits for kids that have swallowed batteries have increased.  A recent report shows that these sort of ER visits have more than doubled over the last two decades.

Just as the Supreme Court is deliberating over the Obama administration's mandatory health care coverage, another medical insurance debate is starting to simmer:   Should Emergency Room visits that are instigated by alcohol or drug abuse be covered by the patients health insurance - or - should those costs be borne by the patient themselves?