Waiting lists for for government-funded life-sustaining antiretroviral drugs for people with H.I.V. and AIDS have ballooned to nearly 1,800 people from zero just three years ago. What's caused this change? Quite simply, the recession.

Diminished government coffers combined with widespread loss of medical insurance due to unemployment has created the perfect storm for a burgeoning public health and budgetary crisis. Louisiana, Florida, Arkansas and Utah are among numerous states that have either closed enrollment or narrowed eligibility in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Ten states are no longer covering treatments that do not directly combat H.I.V. or opportunistic infections, and Florida will likely winnow its list of 101 covered medications to 53.

This week Alcoholics Anonymous holds its annual meeting where they are celebrating their 75th anniversary. More than a million Americans attend one of the 55,000 meeting groups, and countless more have been through the program since Bill Wilson and and Ebby Thatcher began spreading the gospel of surrender in 1935. What still isn't clear though, is why it works, or more accurately, why it works for some and not for others.

In California, an outbreak of whooping cough — a bacterial infection that results in fits of coughing — has reached epidemic propotions. Five infants, all of them Latino, have died this year. California health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, in Colorado, an outbreak of meningitis has killed two Fort Collins residents. The two diseases aren't connected, but their appearance is raising questions about whether we've become complacent about getting vaccinations — or whether lack of access to health care is to blame.

In our DIY Checkup series we've been talking about simple strategies to help take control of our health. Last week we spoke about setting long term health priorities with Dr. Andrea Price, who said that it is important to get to the doctor for your regular checkups. But for many, just making an appointment can be challenging.

Takeaway listener Hugh Appet responded on our website:

"One of the doctors mentioned as an example, someone who has not been to a doctor in five years. How about 20? Why don't insurance companies make it mandatory? The big thing, for me, is phobia. I tried making an appointment with my forcibly chosen primary care doctor under my health plan. The phone receptionist was so brusk that I couldn't get out what I needed to. So no appointment.

This week, we talk with Newsweek health reporter Kate Dailey and Dr. Pauline Chen about how to navigate the chaotic health system to find the right doctor and how to build a trusting relationship with your doctor once you make it to the office.

Last night the documentary "Gasland" aired on HBO. The film focuses on the health and environmental dangers involved in drilling for natural gas. It's the work of director Josh Fox, who started the project after his family in Northeastern Pennsylvania was offered nearly $100,000 from an energy company to take their 19.5 acres of land for hydraulic fracturing. Fox traveled to towns across America where land, water, animals and people have been negatively impacted by natural gas drilling.

In just six months, millions of baby boomers are expected to to enroll in Medicare at a time when the number of doctors refusing to take new Medicare patients is at an all-time high. In New York State alone, about 1,100 doctors have left the system. The American Medical Association blames low government payment rates for the sudden change. A 21 percent automatic cut in payments to doctors went into effect on Friday after Congress failed to pass a bill giving doctors a temporary reprieve.

With some areas of the United States already suffering from a deficit of primary care physicians, the AARP worries the trend away from Medicare will only make the problem worse. Some doctors, on the other hand, feel that the government has backed them into a corner. "Physicians are saying, 'I can't afford to keep losing money.'" says Lori Helm, president of the family doctors' group.

How do we plan for a longer, healthier life?  According to an Annals of Internal Medicine study, there are four simple priorities people need to have in order to get healthy: quit smoking; eat five servings of fruits or vegetables each day; get to a "healthy" weight; and exercise vigorously for 100 minutes each week.

Whether you’re worried about high blood pressure or diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or heart disease, there are just four steps you need to significantly cut your risk and improve your health.  (For reasons I explain below, I like to think of them as just three and half steps.)

San Francisco wants to let consumers know about the radiation coming out of their cellphones. On Tuesday, the city's Board of Supervisors passed a measure requiring point-of-sale displays to provide information on the amount of radiation their devices emit.  Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the measure into law. But should consumers actually be worried?

Some of the workers who have been hired by BP to help clean up the massive Gulf oil spill say they’re getting headaches, dizziness and nausea after coming in close contact with oil and other chemicals from the spill.

• FINANCE TAKEOUT: New York Times finance correspondent, Louise Story, explains a new investigation into eight banks which may have misled ratings agencies in order to inflate the grades of certain mortgage securities.
• LISTENERS RESPOND: Yesterday we discussed the benefits and risks of drinking raw milk. Our listeners shared their strong opinions about whether milk should be raw or pasteurized.
  

Over the past three years, the popularity of unpasteurized milk – or raw milk, as it’s sometimes called – has grown across the country. Advocates say heat-treating milk destroys enzymes and nutrients, while detractors say it's necessary to keep people from getting sick. Battles over how milk is sold and regulated have exploded. 

Ten states, including Maine, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, have made it legal to sell unpasteurized milk in stores. Meanwhile, other states are fighting to make it easier to purchase. In Wisconsin, Governor Jim Doyle indicated last month that he’ll sign a bill – already passed by the senate and assembly - legalizing and regulating the sale of raw milk between farmers and consumers. In Massachusetts, raw milk supporters this week protested the fact that they ONLY have this right. They’d like to be able to buy milk from more places than the state’s 27 regulated farms. And in many states like New Jersey, raw milk supporters secretly run unpasteurized milk across state lines.

If you’re not part of the milk wars, you might be wondering: Why are people fighting so hard to drink milk that’s not pasteurized? And is it safe?

For this week's conversation about family, we talk with John Schwartz about his book "Short: Walking Tall When You're Not Tall At All." Among the issues he explores are confidence, prejudice, and the choice of some parents to "treat" their children's small stature with hormones.

We're asking listeners of any height: Has your height served as an advantage or disadvantage in your life?

This week is the one year anniversary of a pilot program testing out a health care reform theory. The program allows insurance reimbursement to doctors for outcomes, not just services. So a doctor has incentive to hold a phone or email consultation with a patient, or even to call them up and remind them to exercise if that's the prescription. Some people hope this method will cut down costs and make health care more affordable. Group consultations are also helping patients with the same condition, who can all consult with a doctor or other medical staff at the same time.

Tuesday, the board of supervisors in Santa Clara County, California, decided to take a step further in the fight against obesity: they banned toy giveaways with kids' meals that don't meet certain nutritional standards. (Overall calorie count and salt content chief among them.)  This is the latest attempt in a series of measures taken by counties, cities and states to combat obesity, and is widely seen as specifically targeting McDonalds' Happy Meals.

• NUTRITION TAKEOUT: The average American consumes about 1,200 milligrams more sodium a day than they should. Too much sodium in our diets could lead to hypertension and heart disease. To combat this, the FDA is proposing a ten year plan to cut down the amount of salt in our foods. Marion Nestle, an NYU nutritionist and author of "Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety," has the details of the FDA's plan and tells us whether it might work.
• LEGAL TAKEOUT: The Supreme Court invalidated a federal law that banned videos depicting violence against animals, in an 8-1 decision yesterday. Columbia University law professor Nate Persily looks into why the Court ruled they way it did.

For this week's conversation about food, we talk with one of the most celebrated chefs and TV personalities in the world: Jamie Oliver. First known to the world as The Naked Chef, Jamie is coming to America for a new TV show on ABC. We ask him how he's trying to get Americans to eat healthier and how food culture differs on this side of the Atlantic.

A major part of the health care legislation that President Obama is expected to sign into law today focuses on cutting the skyrocketing costs of medical care. People with chronic diseases put a particular burden on medical services, and policy analysts say that getting better access to preventative care can drive down health care costs.

Millions of American men are tested every year for prostate cancer, but the blood test used for screening isn’t completely reliable. Now, the American Cancer Society says there's a chance the screenings can do more harm than good. What are men at risk of prostate cancer supposed to do?

Later this afternoon, the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to release a report criticizing insurance companies for their dramatically increasing insurance premiums.