To the Point

Rat Poison and Biotech in Cuba

Since long before Fidel Castro came on the scene, Cuba has fostered a tradition of respected scientific research. Even now, the island nation markets biotech products around the world. Although a long-running embargo prohibits their coming to the US, a meningitis vaccine may be on the way. We'll hear from a New York minister, who wants to mix politics and science by importing a Cuban rat poison that's already used in some countries. We'll talk about Cuba's biotech products with medical researchers and trade monitors, and get an update on Castro himself. Newsmaker: Blue Cross to Tie Bonuses to Patient Satisfaction - California's fourth largest HMO will replace cost cutting with patient satisfaction as a basis for physician bonuses. Mark Hagland, former executive editor of Hospitals and Health Network magazine, analyzes Blue Cross' change of heart and what the change in cost control techniques will mean for patients, doctors and HMO's. Reporter's Notebook: Baseball's All-Star Game and Japanese Heroes Deserting Japan - The player with the most votes for tonight's all-star game is Ichiro Suzuki, the electrifying left-fielder who's led the Mariners to more wins this year than any other team. But Joanie Balter, of the Seattle Times, warns that Seattle's gain is Japan's loss, as he and a trail of cultural heroes abandon their country and its faltering economy.