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Federal Agencies collected $1.47B in fraud from government health insurance programs in FY 2005

The Department of Justice and the HHS Office of Inspector General in a report issued this week announced that their joint Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program -- which attempts to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in federal health care programs -- will collect $1.47 billion from criminal or civil cases brought during fiscal year 2005, The Hill reports.

8 Oct 2006

Debate between antiabortion, abortion-rights supporters now focusing on contraception

"If you're among the millions of Americans who don't like the idea of abortion but also don't like the idea of banning it, good news is on the way" in the form of two bills recently introduced in the House, William Saletan, science and technology reporter for Slate magazine, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

5 Oct 2006

Illinois Bill introduced to repeal, replace parental notification law

Illinois state Rep. John Fritchey (D) on Tuesday introduced a bill (HB 5840) that would repeal and replace a parental notification law revived recently by the state Supreme Court, the AP/Belleville News Democrat reports.

5 Oct 2006

Schwarzenegger's veto of prison condom distribution bill politically motivated

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) veto last week of a bill (AB 1677) that would have allowed not-for-profit organizations to distribute condoms in prisons is "another cynical political maneuver" and a "fundamentally irresponsible choice to make the world more dangerous for inmates and civilians alike," a Los Angeles Times editorial says (Los Angeles Times, 10/5).

5 Oct 2006

World challenge to improve air quality

The World Health Organization (WHO) is today challenging governments around the world to improve air quality in their cities in order to protect people's health.

5 Oct 2006

FBI and FDA investigate spinach packing companies in California

As a result of the nationwide outbreak of E. coli the FBI and agents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have searched two spinach packaging companies in order to ascertain that food safety procedures were properly followed.

5 Oct 2006

Carrot juice with botulism latest food scare from California

A Floridian woman, the fourth victim of botulism poisoning contracted from drinking spoiled carrot juice, is suffering from paralysis.

4 Oct 2006

Federal response to Hurricane Katrina examined

"Federal Health Policy Response to Hurricane Katrina: What it Was and What it Could Have Been," Journal of the American Medical Association.

3 Oct 2006

Chicago dentist has license suspended following death of a 5-year-old patient

Following the death of a 5-year-old patient, a dentist in Chicago has had his license to practice suspended by State regulators.

2 Oct 2006

Spinach now safe but FDA still worried

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now saying it is safe to eat spinach and that they believe all the E. Coli-tainted spinach produced by the San Juan Bautista, California-based Natural Selection Foods company has been recalled, the FDA still has concerns.

2 Oct 2006

Five year old dies after dental visit

A routine visit to the dentist has ended in death for a 5-year-old girl in Chicago.

28 Sep 2006

No place for trans fats in the 'Big Apple'

The New York City Board of Health has unveiled a proposal prohibiting the city's 20,000 restaurants from serving foods that contain trans fats, just three years after the city banned smoking in restaurants.

27 Sep 2006

Retrial of medical workers accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV adjourned after defense lawyer hospitalized

The retrial of five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV adjourned on Thursday until Oct. 31 after a defense lawyer for the Bulgarian nurses was hospitalized for high blood pressure and could not appear in court, the Sofia News Agency reports (Sofia News Agency, 9/22).

26 Sep 2006

Dangers of drinking raw milk

Four children in California have found out that drinking milk may not always be such a healthy option.

25 Sep 2006

Regenerative Medicine wins award for best new journal

The journal Regenerative Medicine has been recognized by The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers as joint winner of the 2006 ALPSP/Charlesworth Award for Best New Journal. This prestigious international award is presented annually to the best new journal across a wide range of disciplines.

20 Sep 2006

CDC creates committee to evaluate process of rewarding grants

CDC has formed a committee to consider the equitability of the agency cash awards process in response to analyses that found non-science employees in recent years have received most of the awards, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Young, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/19).

20 Sep 2006