Topic: Health It

Singer Adam Levine is the face of the "Own It" project, a campaign sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Shire to encourage adults to get screened for ADHD. The campaign features an online quiz that critics argue is designed to lead almost any respondent toward a diagnosis and subsequent prescription for drugs like Adderall. The hosts discuss the potential dangers of these medications and the aggressive marketing tactics used to target adults and children.

President Obama suggests that investing in health information technology and preventive care is the primary method for reducing long-term health care costs. The hosts express skepticism, linking the push for medical IT to government surveillance and DNA databases. They reference a listener email regarding DynPort and Baxter, companies involved in vaccine distribution, suggesting a convergence between government IT services and public health mandates.

The stimulus package allocates $20 billion for health information technology, which is compared to the failed, over-budget IT projects of the UK's National Health Service. Additionally, $11 billion is earmarked for a "smart grid" to transmit renewable energy, despite questions about the actual state of the current national grid.