I recently read an article that appeared in the AARP Bulletin. You wouldn't think the AARP Bulletin would contain much in the way of valuable information and, if you have such a preconceived notion, you would be wrong. The article by Katharine Greider titled The Worst Place to Be if You're Sick is a truly eye opening exposeˈ on the state of hospital care in the United States. Much of the article is taken from the 1999 Institute of Medicine's report "To Error is Human". Most believe that nothing has changed in terms of patient safety in American hospitals in the past thirteen years. The statistics speak volumes:
Hospitals
Worker's Compensation
In Pennsylvania, if you are injured on the job or you contract a work-related illness, the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act provides for medical expenses and, if you are unable to go back to work, wage loss compensation. The Workers' Compensation Act also allows for death benefits for work related deaths that are paid to your dependent survivors. Private insurance companies or the State Workers Insurance Fund pays the benefits to the injured workers.
Shoplifting but not Murder
In Pennsylvania, evidence that a witness has a criminal record can, in certain circumstances, be introduced into evidence to cast doubt on a witness's credibility or believability. Unlike other states and the federal courts, it is not the seriousness of the crime but whether it involves dishonesty or falsity that determines if a court will allow it to be used in a trial. For example, the charge of shoplifting or retail theft is normally a minor offense but because it involves dishonesty it can be used to attack the credibility of a witness. On the other hand, first degree murder often can not be similarly used because it normally does not include an element of dishonesty. The theory of the law is that committing a crime of dishonesty raises serious doubts concerning whether a witness should be believed or not. The law does not consider the commission of other crimes not involving dishonesty to raise such doubts.