Before I get accused of being unpatriotic, let me qualify that statement: I don’t like the kind of fireworks that you set off on your street (or in your garage, if you’re one of those unintelligent people who tries to fiddle with Piccolo Petes to make them explode – which they usually do, in your hands). I love fireworks in the sky (the Anaheim Angels have a GREAT show after every Friday home game). The kind that you set off yourself, though? They’re noisy, they smell bad, and for some reason, people have a tendency to continue setting them off for weeks after July 4^th at 2:00 am, even in places where they are illegal. Not to mention the fact that:*

• In 2007, there were 9,800 fireworks-related injuries treated in emergency rooms in the U.S.
• 92% of those injuries were caused by legal, “safe and sane” fireworks
• Over 10% of those injuries were caused by sparklers
• Another 10% were caused by firecrackers and rockets
• In 2006, there were an estimated 32,600 fires that were started by fireworks, resulting in death, injury, and $34 million in property damage

So what does my soap box on fireworks have to do with employee benefits? Well, one could surmise that encouraging your employees to take their families to one of the many public fireworks shows in the U.S. will save you money on health care – because you’re not paying for injuries that may have occurred if they had set off their own fireworks. It will also decrease absenteeism caused by injuries to themselves or family members. By now, you should be encouraging your employees to make healthy decisions for themselves and for their families – this is just another healthy decision.

Here are just a few of the public fireworks shows planned in California. You can find the ones in your area with a quick Internet search.

Southern California:

• Fireworks Shows in LA County
• Fireworks Shows in Orange County
• Fireworks Shows in Inland Empire
• Fireworks Shows in San Diego County

Northern California:

• Fireworks Shows in San Francisco Bay Area
• Fireworks Shows in East Contra Costa County
• Fireworks Shows in West Contra Costa County

However, if you must purchase your own fireworks, please buy from a State Fire Marshal-Approved Fireworks (Safe and Sane) stand, which are up in over 270 communities in California. These stands are all run by non-profit groups, like school booster clubs and organizations for children, like Boys and Girls Clubs. Purchasing fireworks from these booths helps these organizations where donations and other private funds are not enough.

• Cities Where Fireworks are LEGAL
• List of Approved Fireworks

*National Fire Protection Association, www.nfpa.org

One would think that insurers would want to do their own comparative effectiveness research to find out whether cutting edge drugs, devices and procedures really provide greater benefits. 

Past experience tells us that newer treatments are not always better for many patients. Often, they are effective for a small group that fits a particular profile, but not for most of us. And they are almost always more expensive. Wouldn’t it make sense for the insurers to invest in comparative clinical trials? They could save billions, and show their customers that they were watching out for them—protecting many of them from needlessly aggressive, potentially risky, care, while covering the treatment for those who would benefit.

Below, an excerpt from Dr. Jerry Avorn’s superb book, Powerful Medicines: The Benefits, Risks and Costs of Prescription Drugs explains why for-profit HMOs rarely engage in such research: