Fast Stats
85
Percent. That’s how much spending on prescription medication for pediatric patients has increased over the past five years, according to an analysis by Medco Health Solutions, a pharmacy benefits management company and subsidiary of Merck. The research did not indicate that children take more medication than adults – children only accounted for 5 percent of Medco’s prescription drug expenditures, according to a recent New York Times article. However, more young people are taking medication today than five years ago, and for longer periods of time.
52
People were apparently infected with hepatitis C after a nurse at an Oklahoma hospital repeatedly used the same needle and syringe to give drugs. Authorities believe the nurse misunderstood proper procedure and his actions were not intentional.
41.2
Million Americans had no health coverage in 2001, up a whopping 1.4 million, according to Census Bureau research. The increase in the proportion of uninsured Americans, from 14.2 percent to 14.6 percent, was the largest since 1997.
HPN
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