NATIONAL
February 17, 2005 | From Associated Press
Pregnant women can be given a low-dose epidural early in labor without raising their chances of a caesarean section, according to a study that could change the way obstetricians practice and make childbirth less painful. The finding could lead doctors in the U.S. to consider offering early epidurals to hundreds of thousands more women in first-time labor each year.
ENTERTAINMENT
November 13, 2002 | Joel Greenberg, Times Staff Writer
Spencer Tunick is realistic about his ultimate goal in life: "I shouldn't be so confident that I can get the entire country naked," he says with a shrug. The photographer has become well known for organizing dozens to thousands of nude volunteers into "performances" in which they are grouped together, usually prone, to form a new shape; his photos are records of these events. Tunick is the perfect protagonist for tonight's PBS program "Skin" (8 p.m.
HEALTH
June 12, 2000 | MARNELL JAMESON, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Like many mothers-to-be, Kristine Lain really wanted a natural, medication-free childbirth. And like many women who have endured labor, she now wonders what ever possessed her. "I definitely wanted to try for the natural experience," said Lain, the mother of two with another one on the way. "I thought, somehow, that the experience would be more real, that with an epidural I wouldn't have the same emotional connection to my baby." Lain, 32, now laughs at her earlier notions.
BUSINESS
August 8, 1999
I feel compelled to respond to Dorothy McEwan's letter ["Epidural Critic's Anger Is Misplaced," Letters, July 11]: Although attempts to obtain cash payments from Medi-Cal patients for epidural services is improper, this practice was certainly the exception rather than widespread, and it is unfair to characterize anesthesiologists as "greedy" for expecting fair and reasonable compensation for professional services rendered. The placement of an epidural catheter and management of epidural anesthesia require fundamental medical knowledge and considerable skill and training.
BUSINESS
July 11, 1999
So Sheryl Clark is "appalled" ["Epidurals' Costs Should Not Be Paid," Letters, June 27] because a class-action lawsuit has been filed in the case of low-income women who were denied epidurals during childbirth. Seems to me her indignation is misplaced. There would have been no basis for such a lawsuit if certain greedy anesthesiologists (already one of the highest-paying specialties in the medical field) had not demanded hundreds of dollars in cash upfront from these unfortunate women to begin with.
BUSINESS
June 27, 1999
I was appalled by the article "Women Denied Epidurals File Class-Action Lawsuit" [June 17]. These women did not pay a dime for their state-of-the-art health care, while our hospitals are closing due to lack of funds. Insured patients are charged at least 35% more for their care to make up for the cost of treating uninsured and indigent patients. Now we taxpayers will have to provide the cost of legal representation and whatever settlement or damages are assessed by these women on public assistance.