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More banks offer health savings accounts, additional benefits

The number of banks that offer health savings accounts has more than tripled since the end of 2005, as more employees enroll in high-deductible health plans that qualify for HSAs, the Wall Street Journal reports.

14 Nov 2006

Oklahoma Health Board approves parental consent for abortion form; enforcement procedures unclear

It is unclear how a consent form approved last week by the Oklahoma State Board of Health for the state's law requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortion will be enforced and which agency will enforce it, the Tulsa World reports.

14 Nov 2006

China's one-child-per-family policy has prevented 400 million births

The one-child policy seeks to keep China's population, now 1.3 billion, at around 1.7 billion by 2050. Ethnic minorities and farmers are the only groups legally exempt from the rule.

14 Nov 2006

40% of U.S. women ages 18 to 75 know about human papillomavirus

Forty percent of U.S. women ages 18 to 75 have heard about human papillomavirus and of those women, 20% are aware that it can cause cervical cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute's 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey, which was presented on Sunday at the American Association for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Meeting in Boston, Reuters Health reports.

14 Nov 2006

HIV prevention campaign promoting condom use among Chilean youth sparks debate among politicians, Catholic church

A new government-sponsored campaign in Chile promoting condom use among youth in an effort to reduce the spread of HIV in the country has "provoked the ire" of the Roman Catholic Church and some conservative political parties, the Miami Herald reports.

14 Nov 2006

MSF, Oxfam call on wealthy nations to adhere to WTO guidelines to ensure drug access in developing countries

Medecins Sans Frontieres and Oxfam on Tuesday called on developed nations to adhere to the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to ensure universal access to antiretroviral drugs in developing countries, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (Higgins, AP/International Herald Tribune, 11/14).

14 Nov 2006

U.S. voters in midterm elections spoke out 'resoundingly' about abortion, privacy

The outcome of the U.S. midterm elections "spoke so unambiguously about abortion that even the most intransigent antiabortionists should be able to construe the message: Voters do not want Big Brother opening the doors of private homes -- or the doctor's office -- and coercing people's most personal medical decisions," a Los Angeles Times editorial says.

14 Nov 2006

Researchers identify risk factors for healthy survival in men

Avoiding health risk factors in midlife such as smoking, being overweight, excessive drinking and hypertension is associated with a longer and healthier life in men, according to a study in the November 15 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on men's health.

14 Nov 2006

More U.S residents trust TV for health info

Increasing numbers of U.S. residents gather and trust health information, including HIV/AIDS information, seen on fictional prime-time television shows, the Los Angeles Times reports.

13 Nov 2006

Starvation, malnutrition threatening fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic

Starvation and malnutrition are "fast becoming the twin perils" in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and the need for food soon might surpass the need for antiretroviral drugs among many HIV-positive people in the developing world, the AP/ABC2 News reports.

13 Nov 2006

FDA to impose stricter medical device safety standards

FDA on Thursday released recommendations for improving post-market surveillance of medical devices, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports.

13 Nov 2006

Bush Administration says it opposes Democrats' plan to allow Government to negotiate Medicare drug prices

The Bush administration will oppose any attempts by congressional Democrats to pass legislation that would authorize the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, according to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, the New York Times reports.

13 Nov 2006

FDA should return to 'science-based' agency

Congress this month likely will consider a bill to reform FDA, "but the legislation lacks the vision and depth needed for a real return to a science-based FDA," Susan Wood, a research professor for the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and former assistant commissioner for women's health at FDA, writes in a Boston Globe opinion piece.

13 Nov 2006

Drug industry concerned about California Law allowing State to seek drug discounts

A new California law set to take effect in January 2007 "provides a glimpse of the type of government price controls the drug industry fears," the Boston Globe reports.

13 Nov 2006

Fewer Colorado residents enroll in HMOs, hospital profits increase

Fewer Colorado residents enrolled in HMO plans in 2005, but Denver-area hospitals "enjoyed their strongest profits in recent memory," according to findings released Friday from the Colorado Managed Care Review 2006, the Denver Post reports.

13 Nov 2006

Congress to focus on labor-HHS, other unfinished appropriations Bills during Lame-Duck session

Congress likely will focus on the fiscal year 2007 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill and other unfinished spending bills during a lame-duck session that began on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reports.

13 Nov 2006

Pharmacy care programs for elderly improve health outcomes

A pharmacy care program for elderly patients increases medication adherence, which results in improved health outcomes, according to a study posted online by JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Nov 2006

LaVeist named inaugural William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in health policy

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has named Thomas A. LaVeist, PhD, the inaugural William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy. LaVeist, a leader in the study of minority health and the elimination of health disparities, was officially installed during a ceremony at the Bloomberg School of Public Health on November 10.

13 Nov 2006

Dr. Google the latest tool to help doctors diagnose unusual cases

In a really interesting study a team of Australian doctors went to the Internet to test the effectiveness and accuracy of the search engine Google when it was presented with a number of symptoms.

13 Nov 2006

Global Patient Safety Challenge: Clean Care is Safer Care

Half the people in the world can look forward to cleaner and safer care and a lowered risk of becoming ill with an infection as a result of their health care.

13 Nov 2006

Health Care News and Research

More banks offer health savings accounts, additional benefits

Oklahoma Health Board approves parental consent for abortion form; enforcement procedures unclear

China's one-child-per-family policy has prevented 400 million births

40% of U.S. women ages 18 to 75 know about human papillomavirus

HIV prevention campaign promoting condom use among Chilean youth sparks debate among politicians, Catholic church

MSF, Oxfam call on wealthy nations to adhere to WTO guidelines to ensure drug access in developing countries

U.S. voters in midterm elections spoke out 'resoundingly' about abortion, privacy

Researchers identify risk factors for healthy survival in men

More U.S residents trust TV for health info

Starvation, malnutrition threatening fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic

FDA to impose stricter medical device safety standards

Bush Administration says it opposes Democrats' plan to allow Government to negotiate Medicare drug prices

FDA should return to 'science-based' agency

Drug industry concerned about California Law allowing State to seek drug discounts

Fewer Colorado residents enroll in HMOs, hospital profits increase

Congress to focus on labor-HHS, other unfinished appropriations Bills during Lame-Duck session

Pharmacy care programs for elderly improve health outcomes

LaVeist named inaugural William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in health policy

Dr. Google the latest tool to help doctors diagnose unusual cases

Global Patient Safety Challenge: Clean Care is Safer Care

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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