Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Burdock Root

Health Care Reform Debate Renews Focus On Insurance Coverage Of Abortion Care
The issue of whether government-subsidized health care programs should include coverage for abortion procedures is gaining attention as Congress continues drafting health care reform legislation, Time reports. Currently, the Hyde Amendment -- a legislative provision attached annually to major spending bills since 1976 -- prohibits states from using federal Medicaid funds to pay for abortion. All but 17 states have similar restrictions on their own funds. Although current versions of health reform legislation do not yet address the issue of abortion, congressional s involved in the process say that an explicit ban on abortion coverage could have "much further-reaching implications" than the Hyde Amendment. According to Time, the restrictions could deny abortion coverage to women whose private insurance plans currently cover the procedure. A 2002 Guttmacher Institute survey found that nearly 90% of private insurers cover abortion procedures. Under the legislation being worked on in three House committees, U.S. residents with incomes up to 400% of the poverty level -- about $88,000 annually for a family of four, or $43,000 for an individual -- would be eligible for government subsidies to help purchase coverage. However, antiabortion-rights lawmakers are pushing to prohibit those subsidies from being used to purchase health insurance policies that include abortion coverage, Time reports. Such restrictions would mean that women who currently have abortion coverage in their private plans would have to give up the benefit. According to Time, such a provision also "would raise all sorts of other questions if insurers were allowed to discriminate among their customers based on whether or not they are using federal dollars to pay for their policies."Pelosi Negotiating With House Dems Over ConcernsLast week, 19 House Democrats sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stating that they "cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan." They also said that abortion "must be addressed clearly in the bill text" of the legislation. The signers of the letter include Reps. Bart Stupak (Mich.) and Charlie Melancon (La.), both members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the three panels with jurisdiction over health care reform. According to Time, Pelosi"s office is attempting to address the concerns through negotiations.Poll Shows Support for Reproductive Health CoverageMeanwhile, abortion-rights advocates are "pushing back" against those seeking to specifically exclude abortion coverage in health care reform legislation, Time reports. The National Women"s Law Center on Monday released results of a nationwide poll of 1,000 likely voters showing that 71% of respondents favor including reproductive services like birth control and abortion in health care reform (Tumulty, Time, 7/8). The poll also found that 72% would oppose exclusion of abortion coverage from any national health care plan (Eaton, Plain Dealer, 7/7). In addition, 75% of respondents said that an independent commission, not Congress, should determine what medical services are included in the basic benefits offered under health reform. Congress also is weighing giving that power to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (Time, 7/8).Judy Waxman, NWLC vice president, said that 80% of employer-based insurance plans provide coverage for abortion services, adding that "people will be angry if they don"t get to keep what they already have" under any public insurance option (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 7/7). Waxman said Congress should "refrain from practicing medicine and instead let medical professionals determine what health care services will be included in a benefits package" (Time, 7/8).
generic viagra online
Spanish Study Finds Bullies Have Harassed 14 Percent Of Workers Over Past 6 Months
Although it is a relatively widespread phenomenon, the experts have still not been able to come up with an all-encompassing and precise definition of workplace abuse or bullying. Basing their work on previous literature, David González, of the High Court of Justice of Madrid and José Luís Graña, of the Faculty of Psychology at the Complutense University, have defined it in their study as a "process of systematic and repeated aggression by a person or group towards a workmate, subordinate or superior". Their research has been published in the latest issue of Psicothema.
News of the day
Agent Orange Exposure May Increase Risk Of Heart Disease And Parkinson's Disease
A new report from the Institute of Medicine finds suggestive but limited evidence that exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War is associated with an increased chance of developing ischemic heart disease and Parkinson"s disease for Vietnam veterans. The report is the latest in a congressionally mandated series by the IOM that every two years reviews the evidence about the health effects of these herbicides and a type of dioxin -- TCDD -- that contaminated some of the defoliants.
Cardiovascular

Chairs Re-appointed To The Commission On Human Medicines And The Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Appointments Commission are pleased to announce the re-appointment of the chairs to both the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), and the Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee (HMAC). Sir Gordon Duff has been re-appointed as chair of the CHM and has served on the committee for the past 16 years. He received a knighthood for services to public health in 2006. Currently the Florey professor of molecular medicine at Sheffield University, he also chairs the Scientific Pandemic Influenza advisory committee and is co-chairman on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. Sir Gordon has previously served as chairman of the National Biological Standards Board (NBSB) and chairman of the secretary of state"s expert scientific group on phase one clinical trials. He is an honorary fellow of the faculty of pharmaceutical medicine of the Royal College of Physicians as well as being a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London and Edinburgh), the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of Medical Sciences. His research interest is in the immunology and genetics of inflammatory diseases. Professor Philip Routledge OBE has been re-appointed as chair of the HMAC. He is currently head of the department of pharmacology, radiology and oncology at the Wales College of Medicine at Cardiff University and is chair of the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG), a public appointment in Wales. He is an honorary consultant physician and clinical pharmacologist at the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust. Professor Routledge trained at the University of Newcastle in general medicine and clinical pharmacy. The CHM and the HMAC advise UK health ministers on the regulation of medicines and on traditional herbal medicines respectively. These independent bodies work closely with the MHRA. Both appointments are for a four year term commencing 31 October 2009 and are not remunerated. However, a fee of ÷£400 per meeting is paid to cover preparation and attendance together with any travel and accommodation costs. All appointments are made on merit. Political activity plays no part in the selection process. In accordance with the original Nolan recommendations there is a requirement for appointees" political activity (if declared) to be made public. Philip Routledge has declared membership to the Liberal Democrats. The appointments were made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice. Notes 1. Sir Gordon Duff graduated in medicine from St Peter"s College, Oxford, and St Thomas" Hospital Medical School in London, where he also undertook a PhD in the neuropharmacology of fever. After postgraduate medical training including clinical pharmacology at Hammersmith Hospital, he worked in the infectious disease section at Yale Medical School (USA). He also worked in the rheumatology department at Edinburgh University before taking up his present post as Florey professor of molecular medicine at Sheffield University. Sir Gordon was chairman of the NBSB from 2002 to 2009 and of the secretary of state"s expert scientific group on phase one clinical trials in 2006. He served on the CHM and its predecessor, the Committee on Safety of Medicines, since 1993. 2. Professor Philip Routledge OBE qualified in medicine from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1972. He trained in general medicine and clinical pharmacology both there, and in the USA. In 1981, he joined the Welsh National School of Medicine (now Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff University). 3. Details of the Commission on Human Medicines can be found at: Commission on Human Medicines 4. Details of the Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee can be found at: Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee 5. Details of the Appointments Commission is available on their website: Appointments Commission (external link) 6. Details of the Nolan Recommendations can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments website Commissioner for Public Appointments (external link) 7. The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone - the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry - to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, so that we can investigate and take any necessary action. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009