Archive: Health Policy
Sneezes spread paranoia
During these days of swine flu fears, common sneezes and coughs are spreading more than just colds and the flu. They're spreading paranoia, according to new research. University of Michigan psychologist Spike Lee and colleagues decided to test whether people's fears of sneezes and coughs spilled over into other areas....
By Rob Stein | November 4, 2009; 07:15 AM ET | Comments (0)
Mail-Order Pharmacy Woes
Even as more and more of us are forced by our health-insurance plans to fill prescriptions through the mail, a new survey finds many consumers have gone without medications because of delays. And that's not the only problem the survey turned up. The Alexandria-based National Community Pharmacists' Association (NCPA) --...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | September 21, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (17)
Beware the CT Scan?
There's more evidence out today that CT scans and other medical procedures that expose patients to radiation may be putting many Americans at risk. While CT scans and other procedures are very useful for accurately diagnosing a variety of medical conditions, a growing body of evidence has been raising concerns...
By Rob Stein | August 27, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (10)
Alternative Medicine Spending Soars
The amount of money that Americans are shelling out for herbal supplements, meditation, acupuncture and other forms of "alternative" medical care is continuing to skyrocket, according to a new government data out today. Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on "complementary and alternative" or CAM therapies in 2007, according to the...
By Rob Stein | July 30, 2009; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (10)
How Much Does Obesity Cost?
Here, from the Weight of the Nation conference underway today in D.C., is new fodder for the debate as to whether being obese really compromises one's health: A study published online today estimates the cost of treating obesity-related ailments in 2008 at $147 billion. The study, which compared medical costs...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | July 27, 2009; 12:28 PM ET | Comments (14)
CDC: Childhood Obesity Epidemic Slowing
The epidemic of obesity among American children appears to be slowing, federal health officials are reporting today. An analysis of data collected nationally about low-income preschool-aged children ages two to four years old found the prevalence of obesity increased from 12.4 percent in 1998 to 14.5 percent in 2003, but...
By Rob Stein | July 23, 2009; 12:02 PM ET | Comments (1)
Should the Surgeon General be Slender?
Regina Benjamin is President Obama's nominee for surgeon general. (Photo By Marvin Joseph) By all accounts, Regina Benjamin is a smart, accomplished person, a caring and skilled physician and a real go-getter. Yet, by all appearances, she also is overweight. Does that make her a poor choice for the...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | July 22, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (44)
Why Are Teen Births Rising?
The recent increase in teen births appears to be primarily the result of a decrease in contraceptive use, especially condoms, according to new research out today. After declining for 14 years, the teen birth rate increased in 2006 and then again in 2007, causing alarm that one of the nation's...
By Rob Stein | June 18, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (35)
Behind Bars, Eating Less
An inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary shows his lunch tray on May 5, 2003. (AP Photo/Steve Pope) Many of us have had to alter our grocery shopping and dining habits as the tough economy has tightened our household budgets. But at least we have some say in what...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | June 8, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (5)
Sour Economy Hits Health
There's more evidence out this week that the recession is having an impact on people's health. Two new surveys from major doctors' groups indicate that people are cutting back on things that will help keep them healthy and putting off seeing a doctor if they do get sick. In March,...
By Rob Stein | May 21, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
The FDA, Making the World Safe -- From Cheerios
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Of the countless things the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could be doing to help make the nation's food supply safer, here's one issue the agency recently chose to focus on. The FDA a week ago issued a warning to the folks who make...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | May 13, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (12)
Keeping One Eye on Food-Borne Illness
Let's take a break from worrying about swine flu -- and worry about food safety instead. First, for the record: Pork apparently remains safe to eat. Here's this from the World Health Organization's swine flu information sheet: Is it safe to eat pork and pork products? Yes. Swine influenza has...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | April 29, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (3)
MS and Paralysis Numbers Don't Add Up
A big new survey of the number of people living with paralysis in the U.S. released yesterday yielded some surprises. The research -- sponsored by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and conducted by the University of New Mexico, with input from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | April 22, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
Let's Talk Health-Care Reform
For a health blog, we haven't talked much here about health-care reform. It's a huge, divisive and emotional issue -- in other words, perfect blog fodder. It's clear that health-care costs are out of control and threatening to undermine the entire economy. It's heartbreaking to hear about people losing their...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | April 17, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (37)
Soda Tax, Food Policy and Politics
That Kelly Brownell is at it again. Brownell, a professor of psychology at Yale University and director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, has written much about what he thinks the government should do to cinch in America's ever-widening waistlines. Co-author of the 2004 book Food Fight:...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | April 10, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (29)
A New Wind A-Blowin' for Medical Marijuana?
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters Wednesday that federal law-enforcement officials will no longer go after providers of marijuana that's used for medicinal purposes in the 13 states in which medical marijuana is legal unless that service is just a front for unlawful activities. That announcement will no doubt...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | March 20, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (29)
The Job of Surgeon General
Q: Which of the following is included in the formal job description for the position of surgeon general of the United States? Helps to craft the administration's public health policy. Serves as visible advocate for public health initiatives. Acts as media spokesperson promoting the administration's health agenda. A: None of...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | January 9, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (7)
Elizabeth Edwards on Health Policy
Elizabeth Edwards, wife of the former senator and presidential candidate, is bringing her first-hand experience to the public policy debate about America's ailing health-care system. First diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2004, Edwards announced in early 2007 that the cancer had returned and spread to her bones. Doctors say...
By Nancy Szokan | October 29, 2008; 02:43 PM ET | Comments (1)
Uh, What Health-Care Plans?
Quick: Which presidential candidate's health-care plan is better for you and your family? If you can answer that with any degree of certainty, I know some pollsters who'd like to have a word with you. A poll released early this week suggests that people see only modest differences as to...
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | October 3, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (87)
