health insurance

I was born on the other side of the tracks, in public housing in Brooklyn, New York. My dad never made more than $20,000 a year, and I grew up in a family that lost health insurance. So I was scarred at a young age with understanding what it was like to watch my parents lose access to the American dream.


I was just so lucky with 'Real Women Have Curves.' At that point, I would have done an insurance commercial. I would have done anything.

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Mesothelioma Law Firm

For decades, mesothelioma, a life-threatening disease that can affect the lungs, abdomen, and several other major organs, has been linked to prolonged exposure to asbestos, resulting in numerous people seeking a mesothelioma law firm to help them cover the overwhelming expenses associated with the disease.Typically, mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos while working at a job site that used asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). In many cases, the manufacturers of asbestos and ACMs knew of the hidden dangers and risks of asbestos, yet failed to inform the public, as asbestos was an extremely profitable mineral. Because of the hinderance of information, workers who developed health issues from asbestos exposure may be eligible for financial compensation to cover expenses such as lost wages, medical bills, emotional suffering, physical pain, and more.

If you suffer from an asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible for a large amount of compensation. Currently, there is over $30 billion in asbestos trust funds, set up for those who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness. Use our free Asbestos Attorney Locator Tool to find a top mesothelioma attorney in your area.

What Does a Mesothelioma Law Firm Do?

Mesothelioma law firms are different from any other type of law firm. Whereas other firms may specialize in specific areas such as car accidents or nursing home abuse, mesothelioma law firms focus primarily on mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. It’s not recommended to retain legal representation from a general practice law firm or even a personal injury firm that specializes in a wide array of injury cases. You’ll need an attorney who specifically specializes in mesothelioma cases, as these types of lawsuits are extremely intricate and require vast, in-depth understanding of asbestos exposure and diseases.

Attorneys in an asbestos or mesothelioma law firm have knowledge and experience regarding federal and state laws concerning asbestos use and its history in the workforce. They also have sharp investigative skills and are able to dig deep to uncover when and where companies and/or other entities exposed workers to asbestos. Additionally, mesothelioma law firms are comprised of educated attorneys who understand the legal process involving courts, trials, settlements, and appeals.

Moreover, an experienced firm understands that the victim is already suffering enough because of the medical and financial problems associated with asbestos-related diseases. As a result, the firm will handle most everything regarding the lawsuit, including fighting for the legal rights of the client, interviewing witnesses, obtaining medical history, litigations, and more.

A dedicated mesothelioma law firm also understands the severe emotional impact that living with mesothelioma brings, not only to victims, but to family members and loved ones as well. An good firm takes this into account and helps ease the minds of victims and their loved ones throughout this enduring process.

What to Look for When Hiring an Asbestos Law Firm

Unfortunately, not all mesothelioma law firms are the same. While some may have several years of experience, other firms are relatively new to the area of mesothelioma. In addition, some law firms may concentrate on other areas of law besides mesothelioma while another firm may solely focus on asbestos cases.

Aside from using your good judgement when determining which law firm you should use, there are several factors you should consider:

• The law firm should have experience in dealing with mesothelioma cases.
• The law firm should be extremely knowledgeable in asbestos laws and prior cases.
• Look for a law firm that focuses solely on asbestos-related cases.
• Look for law firms with a stellar reputation in handling asbestos cases.
• The law firm should not only understand asbestos laws, but should also have extensive knowledge of medical problems associated with asbestos diseases.
• The law firm should always keep you updated on what’s going on in your case. Although attorneys are busy people, they should be accessible.
• You should always get an initial consultation at no charge before deciding on a firm.

Keep in mind that it’s not recommended to retain a law firm that promises you that you will win your case no matter what. Although statistics show that the majority mesothelioma victims do go on to win their lawsuits, there are a variety of factors involved, and no case is guaranteed. An experienced law firm will help you to understand your chances and what is involved, but will never assure that your case is 100% guaranteed.

Making Things Easier

Although leading mesothelioma law firms do the majority of work for your case, it’s always a good idea to be prepared and make things easier so that the process gets rolling faster.

First, make sure to gather your medical documents, including when and where you were diagnosed, and bring this information to your initial meeting. This will allow the firm to determine if your case can be taken on.

Next, be prepared to provide the law firm with your work history and information including the full company name, address, phone number, your job role, and how long you worked there.

Finally, start keeping track of all expenses used pertaining to your disease. For example, always keep a copy of medical bills, hospital visits, mileage used to get to appointments, medical supplies, and anything other expense you paid out due to your illness.

How a Mesothelioma Law Firm Can Personally Help You

When first getting started, victims usually have a plethora of unanswered questions regarding asbestos and their rights. A good mesothelioma law firm should be able to provide you with following information:

• Evidence Related to Your Exposure: Once you provide the law firm with your work information, they should be able to investigate and determine how asbestos was used at your workplace. In some cases, they may already have the information available.
• If You Truly Have an Asbestos Claim: Asbestos law firms understand what’s needed in order to have a true asbestos claim. With this knowledge, they are able to determine how strong your case is and what the estimated chances are that you’ll win. Most attorneys make sure they’re confident in your case before taking it on. Be wary of any attorney who promises to take your case without knowing any of the details or an attorney who claims they can get you an exact amount of compensation before reviewing your case.
• Your Case Worth: If the firm decides you have an asbestos case, they will then be able to come up with an average figure of how much your case is worth. This is including past expenses, daily expenses, medical bills, lost wages, emotional trauma, physical suffering, future expenses, and much more. Keep in mind, however, that there is no set formula as to how much your award amount may be. The aforementioned factors, along with other details, such as if your former company has a trust fund set up or not, will also come into play.
• Who Exactly is Responsible: It can be difficult for the average person to determine who exactly is responsible for exposing victims to asbestos. For example, companies can move, go out of business, hide, suppress relevant information, and change ownerships. In some cases, your former company is responsible, the manufacturer of the asbestos products may be responsible, or supervisors and/or owners may be responsible. In other instances, there may be just one sole responsible entity, yet in a different case, there may be several responsible parties. Remember that part of the law firm’s job is to research, seek out, and determine the entity or responsible parties that are liable for your exposure to asbestos.

Law Firm Fees

Law firms may have different fees as well as different payment options. However, an experienced and caring law firm understands that victims of asbestos-related diseases more than likely have enough financial burden in dealing with their illness, and are unable to afford up-front fees for legal representation. As a result, many firms work on what’s known as a contingency fee basis, meaning that they only get paid when you get paid.

If the law firm doesn’t win your case, they don’t receive compensation either in most instances. The good news, however, is that a firm has to be confident enough in your case to take it on, meaning there is a good chance that if your case is picked up, it will be successful.

Law firm fees are percentages taken out of your total settlement or verdict amount, and again, the percentage amount will vary depending upon the firm. Make sure you understand how the fees and percentages work with the firm beforehand so that there will be no confusion later on.

If a law firm doesn’t provide a contingency fee basis, there is a good chance that they don’t have to financial resources to successfully prove your case. Keep in mind that you’ll want a firm that has the financial capability  to take on your case on a contingency fee basis.

Attorneys without the resources to handle your case usually can’t provide you with the best representation. An ideal rule of thumb is to ask up-front about how the fees work so that there are no surprises later on. Attorneys with your best interest in mind will have no problems answering any questions you have regarding fees and prices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to go to court? 

This is one of the most commonly asked questions, which is understandable, as most people who are dealing with an asbestos-related illness generally do not want to spend time in a court room. Generally, you will not have to go to court. Mostmesothelioma lawsuits are taken care of via settlements.

In some instances, however, if the defense doesn’t agree on a settlement or if you don’t agree on a settlement, you may have to go to trial, which requires going to court. An experienced law firm will help you through every step of the way, and if you are too ill to attend, arrangements can be made to record your testimony beforehand.

What if I don’t know which company exposed me to asbestos? 

As previously mentioned, part of an asbestos law firm’s job is to uncover the parties responsible for your asbestos exposure. The culpable parties are typically manufacturers who supplied asbestos to job sites, which can range from one company to many.

I have workers’ compensation benefits. Can a law firm still help me even if I have other compensation benefits?

Other compensation benefits, such as workers’ compensation or VA benefits, doesn’t disqualify you from seeking compensation from the companies who exposed you to asbestos. An asbestos law firm can help you file a lawsuit against the responsible parties.

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Daily cola 'raises cancer risk' due to caramel coloring

He chemical process during the manufacture of the caramel coloring used in soft drinks such as cola produces a carcinogen that could be raising the risk of cancer to above the accepted threshold of one extra case in every 100,000 people consuming the drinks, suggests an analysis.

Matching laboratory tests conducted by Consumer Reports on 11 different soft drinks, first reported last year, with an analysis of average consumption by Americans, the researchers found that one can a day could be enough to expose them to potentially cancer-causing levels of the chemical known as 4-MEI (short for 4-methylimidazole).

The potential carcinogen is formed during the manufacture of the familiar caramel color that is added to many widely-consumed beverages.

A law in California requires that drinks must carry warning labels if they contain enough 4-MEI to pose an excesscancer risk of more than 1 case in every 100,000 exposed people (an exposure of 29 mcg of 4-MEI every day).

Testing on 110 samples of soda brands carried out by the Consumer Reports researchers, led by a team at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future in Baltimore, MD, found that drinks contained levels ranging from 9.5 mcg per liter (mcg/L) to 963 mcg/L.

Concentrations of 4-MEI varied considerably by soda brand and state of purchase, the researchers concluded, "but were generally consistent across lots of the same beverage purchased in the same state/area."

They add: "Routine consumption of certain beverages can result in 4-MEI exposures greater than 29 mcg a day" - the level that triggers a new case of cancer in every 100,000 people consuming the drink, toxicity that was established by previous studies in mice and rats conducted by the US National Toxicology Program.

The researchers say there was not enough data from individual drinks samples to recommend one brand over another in terms of carcinogen exposure, but suggest: "State regulatory standards appear to have been effective in reducing exposure to carcinogens in some beverages."

Lead author of the study Tyler Smith, a program officer with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, says 4-MEI levels can "vary substantially across samples, even for the same type of beverage." Smith explains:

"For example, for diet colas, certain samples had higher or more variable levels of the compound, while other samples had very low concentrations."

In the lab sampling, Malta Goya had the highest 4-MEI concentration while Coca-Cola produced the lowest value.

California listed 4-MEI as a carcinogen in 2011, under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 - better known as Proposition 65. The authors say their results suggest that "federal regulation of 4-MEI in caramel color may be appropriate."

Variety of cola-drinking habits

To estimate consumers' exposure to the potential carcinogen, the researchers took the laboratory readings and analyzed soft drink consumption using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The data from this survey covered overall health and nutrition patterns between 2003 and 2010 for tens of thousands of US children and adults aged between 3 and 70 years.

The authors say: "We analyzed consumption of all sodas, and further categorized soda into five mutually exclusive categories: 1) cola, 2) diet-cola, 3) root beer, 4) pepper cola and 5) other (non-diet) cola."

They found the proportion of the population consuming each type of soft drink varied, with "colas being the most popular and root beer and pepper colas being the least popular."

Adolescents and young adults consumed the most of any soft drink compared with young children and older adults. Average consumptions of any soda were:

• Between 550 and 1,070 milliliters drunk each day by 16- to 20-year-olds
• Between 457 and 864 milliliters drunk each day by 45- to 64-year-olds.

Lifetime cancer risks

"This study sought to answer a critical question," says Urvashi Rangan, PhD, executive director of the food safety and sustainability center of Consumer Reports: "How much soda do American consumers drink on average?"

"This new analysis underscores our belief that people consume significant amounts of soda that unnecessarily elevate their risk of cancer over the course of a lifetime," Dr. Rangan says.

She adds: "We believe beverage makers and the government should take the steps needed to protect public health."

"California has already taken an important step by setting a threshold," Dr. Rangan says.

Keeve Nachman, PhD, is a senior author of the study and director of the food production and public health program at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

Also an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. Nachman says:

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'Bionic' eye allows man to see wife for first time in a decade

A Blind man is now able to see objects and people again, including his wife and family, for the first time in a decade. How? With the help of a bionic eye implant.

Affected by a degenerative condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, Allen Zderad was effectively blind, unable to see anything but a bright light. As the condition has no cure, Zderad, from Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN, was forced to quit his professional career.

He made adjustments to his lifestyle and was able to continue woodworking through his sense of touch and spatial awareness. However, with the help of his new retinal prosthesis, Zderad is now able to make out the outlines of objects and people, and could even register his reflection in a window.

"I would like to say I think he's a remarkable man, when you consider what he's overcome in dealing with his visual disability," says Dr. Raymond Iezzi Jr., an ophthalmologist from the Mayo Clinic. "To be able to have offered him the retinal prosthesis to enhance what he can already do was a great honor for me."

Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited condition that causes the degeneration of specific cells in the retina called photoreceptors. The disease can cause some people to lose their entire vision. Mr. Zderad's grandson has the disease in its early stages and, after seeing him, Dr. Iezzi asked if he could meet his grandfather.

The eye implant that Zderad now has works by bypassing the damaged retina and sending light wave signals directly to the optic nerve. A small chip was attached to the back of the eye with multiple electrodes offering 60 points of stimulation.

'Not like any form of vision that he's had before'

Wires from the device on the retinal surface connect to a pair of glasses worn by Mr. Zderad. The glasses have a camera at the bridge of the nose that relay images to a small computer worn in a belt pack. These images are then processed and transmitted as visual information to the implant which in turn interprets them, passing them on to the retina and eventually the brain.

"Mr. Zderad is experiencing what we call artificial vision," explains Dr. Iezzi. "It's not like any form of vision that he's had before. He's receiving pulses of electrical signal that are going on to his retina and those are producing small flashes of light called electro-phosphenes. These small flashes of light are sort of like the points of light on a scoreboard at a baseball game."

There are only 60 of these flashes of light, but it is enough for Zderad to reconstruct scenes and objects. Although he will not be able to see the details of faces or read, Mr. Zderad will now be able to navigate through crowded environments without the use of a cane, significantly improving his quality of life.

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