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High cost
Press Democrat - 04-23-2008 - In a couple of weeks, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will release a revised state budget plan. Californians should hope that, in one area in particular, the governor revises his slash-and-burn approach to spending cuts: Medi-Cal.
Budget cuts impact on poor must be weighed
Paradise Post - 04-24-2008 - Any list of budget-balancing proposals is almost certain to include rollbacks in programs that are vital to the poorest segment of our society. These are people who often are totally dependent on social programs and will have difficulty surviving with cuts to their already meager assistance.
Insurance reinstatement orders put health plans on edge
Capitol Weekly - 04-24-2008 - Last week’s move by state regulators, opening the door to restoring health insurance to thousands of customers who had their coverage cancelled by health plans, has the health care world waiting to see what will happen next.
Dems hedge on healthcare
The Hill - 04-23-2008 - Congressional Democrats are backing away from healthcare reform promises made by their two presidential candidates, saying that even if their party controls the White House and Congress, sweeping change will be difficult.
House challenges administration on Medicaid rules
(AP) - 04-24-2008 - The House has moved to impose a one-year moratorium on new Medicaid rules that lawmakers argued would add to the burdens of states and healthcare providers. The Bush administration backs the rules as cost-saving measures, and there is a veto threat from the White House. The bill would "thwart these efforts of the federal government to regain fiscal accountability and integrity in Medicaid," according to a statement from the White House. The proposed changes have met opposition from states, healthcare providers and advocates for poor, however, who say they will shift costs from the federal government to the states and create new hardships for the needy.
Surgeons want more devices scaled to fit children
(AP) - 04-24-2008 - With growing support from lawmakers, doctors are prodding the medical device industry to design equipment so that it is suitable for use on children. President Bush signed a law in September 2007 that offers financial incentives to companies that design devices for children, and gives regulators more power to scrutinize the use of adult-size devices in children. The profit potential for the device companies is limited, however, because the law allows experimental kid-size devices to be sold without full federal approval only if they're used to treat rare diseases. Also, kids are healthier than adults and as a result a much smaller market to begin with.
Congress close on bill to ban genetic discrimination
(AP) - 04-24-2008 - The U.S. Senate plans to vote soon on the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which would make it illegal for employers and insurance companies to deny applicants jobs and healthcare coverage because they are genetically disposed to a disease. Several lawmakers have been pushing the issue for years, saying that advances in genetic research make it crucial that people are protected from discrimination. Under the legislation, sponsors of health coverage cannot request or use genetic information to adjust premiums or to determine eligibility.
Heart surgeon gets Congressional Gold Medal
USA Today (AP) - 04-24-2008 - President Bush has presented heart surgeon Michael DeBakey with a Congressional Gold Medal. Houston-based DeBakey pioneered such procedures as heart bypass and has invented medical devices to help heart patients. He's also developed the idea of battlefield mobile surgical hospitals known as MASH units.
Boy or Girl? The Answer May Depend on Mom’s Eating Habits
New York Times - 04-23-2008 - The report, from researchers at Oxford and the University of Exeter in England, is said to be the first evidence that a child’s sex is associated with a mother’s diet. Although sex is genetically determined by whether sperm from the father supplies an X or Y chromosome, it appears that a mother’s body can favor the successful development of a male or female embryo.
Heart cells cultured in the lab
BBC News - 04-24-2008 - They have grown three types of human heart cells from cultures derived from embryonic stem cells. When a mix of the cells was transplanted into mice with simulated heart disease, the animals' heart function was significantly improved. The study, by a team of Canadian, US and UK scientists, features in the journal Nature.
ADHD Drug Is Approved For Adult Use
Wall Street Journal - 04-24-2008 - Shire PLC said its hyperactivity treatment Vyvanse has won U.S. approval to treat adults, widening the market for the drug. Around a third of current Vyvanse prescriptions are written for off-label use in adults already, although Shire hasn't been able to promote the drug to these patients until now.
FDA Uncovers Problems at Merck Vaccine Plant
Wall Street Journal - 04-24-2008 - An FDA inspection of Merck’s big vaccine plant in West Point, Pennsylvania found 49 “areas of concern,” the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Karl Stark reports this morning.
Does This Pill Make Me Look Fat?
Wall Street Journal - 04-24-2008 - Drugs are weird. They do different things to different people, and it’s often impossible to predict which people will have which side effects from which drugs.
