Sam Bauman: Forum takes comprehensive look at voting laws

The Sierra Nevada Forums presentation, “Money in Politics and Voter Issues,” was a lively gathering featuring well-informed panelists and academic moderators, Robert Morin of the Western Nevada College. It was held at the Performance Hall of the Brewery Arts Center on May 18.

A good-sized audience including many seniors was on hand for the panel of three — Sondra Cosgrove, president of League of Women Voters of Las Vegas Valley; Karen Nicholson, secretary of the League of Women Voters of the United States; Annette Magnus, executive director of Battle Born Progress, cochair Nevada Women’s Lobby, vice president of Emerge Nevada.

Cosgrove outlined League of Women Voters positions in current politics succinctly. Nicholson added comments and Magnus, the most truculent of the panel, ranged widely about money and politics in Nevada, naming Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas, who spent $100 million on politics on the 2012 elections.

“I can’t match that kind of spending, so that makes him more valuable in Nevada politics,” she said.

Morin brought up the question of caucus vs. primary, noting that the political parties pay for caucuses, but the state pays for primaries.

“And the state is going to ask for funds to update voting machines here which are outdated,” Morin said.

The meeting touched on many aspects of coming elections but didn’t get around to a question that I was seeking: demands by some factions to require photo IDs to vote. The reason, they say, is to prevent fraudulent voting, something that is not a problem in U.S. elections. The photo ID requirement would prevent some older and handicapped citizens who lack photo IDs from voting.

The panel noted that Nevada does pretty well for access to legislative data, reporting on political action committees and is one of the five top states for voter registration. The panel agreed as moderator Morin served to make sure voting suggestions met legal requirements.

The forum was well run, the comments reasonable and not too partisan. The questions were well thought out and well handled by the panel and moderator.

The forum was long but certainly answered many questions about elections coming up in Nevada. The forum put together a comprehensive look at our voting laws. Too bad all of Carson couldn’t spare the time to join in.

Outdated medical procedures

Some doctors still use therapies that are outdated. An example is that for 30 years doctors advised women to take supplemental estrogen to protect their hearts and ease menopause problems. The only problem is, there was little data to back it up. Then in 2002 a careful study found many of the benefits not there.

In a number of common situations, Consumer Reports on Health of June 2016 found that doctors continued treatments when new evidence suggests the treatments could but ineffective and even dangerous. Consumer Reports lists six treatments that doctors may be recommending despite evidence against them.

Stents for heart disease

More than a million stents are inserted every year in Americans.

“Thirty years ago doctors assumed that since stents were effective for heart attacks they would help without heart problems,” said David Brown, cardiologist at Washington University in St. Louis.

But a pivotal study in 2007 of 2,287 people found that the stents didn’t reduce heart attacks. Yet 13 percent of stents are not appropriate, held one study.

The reason, says Brown, is the procedure is quick and easy and a big money maker for doctors and hospitals.

New thinking: You don’t need a stent unless you’re having a heart attack.

Arthroscopic knee surgery

As we age, we are more likely to tear our meniscus cartilage in the knee. (Boy, can I attest to that one iron knee later.)

Up to 60 percent of adults 70 and over suffer a torn meniscus, reports sports medicine groups.

Many don’t realize they have the problem until chronic knee pain arrives. Your doctor may suggest an MRI, and when he spots a tear, he may suggest arthroscopic surgery, repairing the knee through two small incisions.

A 2002 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found it no more effective than placebo surgery or physical therapy. Yet knee arthroscopic rates have increased by 50 percent over the last 15 years to about 700,000. Price for that surgery was about $4 billion.

New thinking is that if you are under 50 and your tear is from a sports injury, surgery can be a fair choice. But if you are older and suffer from osteoarthritis, it won’t help.

“It (surgery) only fixes a small part of the problem and doesn’t look at the pain,” said David Felson at the Boston School of Medicine. “You’re better off with over the counter anti-inflammatory and therapy.”

A personal note on this: I skied for 50 years and taught it at Heavenly and elsewhere. Finally, my meniscus tore and the staff at Tahoe Fracture suggested an artificial knee. So they did it about eight years ago and it has held up fine. The limits on my skiing are more age-related than knee. And odds are my knee will outlast me.

More on this subject including injections for back pain (have not worked for me), spinal cement, testosterone for men and blood sugar control next week. The VA just gave me a new complex meter device for testing blood sugar levels. Soon as I figure it out I’ll report on it.

Sam Bauman writes about senior affairs, among other things, for the Nevada Appeal.