Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Lack of Quality Health Care Cited in 79,000 Deaths
Lack of access to routine, quality health care led to as many as 79,000 deaths and $1.8 billion in avoidable medical costs in 2003, according to a new report from a private health care advocacy group.
Access to quality care and treatment varied widely, especially for conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, breast cancer screening, and adult flu shots, the National Committee for Quality Assurance said in its annual report.
The group suggested that hospitals and doctors be held more accountable by requiring them to report measures of their performance, according to an Associated Press analysis of the group's report.
The NCQA said only a quarter of the U.S. population was represented in the information it had been able to collect from managed care plans and other providers. "Why don't we have performance data for the other 75 percent of the U.S. health care system?" asked Margaret O'Kane, the group's president.
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Low-Income Workers Hurt by Insurance Shift
Low-income workers with chronic medical conditions are being financially squeezed as employees are forced to absorb more of the burden of higher health-care costs, a new study found.
The number of people forced to spend more than 5 percent of their income on out-of-pocket medical costs shot up 48 percent, to 2.2 million people, in the two years ending in 2003, a report issued Thursday by the Center for Health System Change said. An expert told the Associated Press that the average person spends about 2 percent of income on such costs.
Of low-income families who struggled to pay their medical bills, 10 percent of patients opted not to get care, 30 percent delayed care, and 43 percent didn't fill at least one prescription because it was too expensive, the group's study found.
Paul Ginsburg, president of the nonpartisan research organization, said forcing people to forgo preventive care was "penny-wise and pound-foolish," since these patients often wound up requiring costlier treatments later.
Family premiums in employer-sponsored health plans jumped 11.2 percent recently to $9,950 a year, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey cited by the AP.
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FDA Panel Backs Meningitis Vaccine
A panel of experts advising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended Wednesday that the agency approve Aventis Pasteur's long-acting Menactra vaccine against bacterial meningitis.
The advisers voted unanimously that the vaccine is safe and effective for people ages 11 to 55. Among those at highest risk -- people aged 15 to 24 -- the inoculation could prevent up to 70 percent of cases, an FDA expert told the panel.
College students, notably those living in confined dormitory conditions, are especially at risk, reported CBS News.
Despite their endorsement, the experts recommended that Aventis perform longer-term studies of the vaccine's safety and effectiveness. The FDA isn't bound by its advisory panel recommendations, but usually follows them.
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No Tobacco Industry Conspiracy, Lawyer Says
Major U.S. tobacco companies did not conspire to deceive the public about smoking-related health dangers, a lawyer for the tobacco industry said Wednesday in his opening remarks of a civil racketeering trial.
Attorney Ted Wells said tobacco company executives did make some mistakes in how they addressed smoking-related health concerns. but insisted that there was no industry-wide conspiracy to mislead the public, the Associated Press reported.
He added that no one in the tobacco industry now disputes that smoking is addictive or that it harms health.
The U.S. government alleges that, starting in the 1960s, tobacco companies put hundreds of millions of dollars into organizations they created to dispute scientific data that linked smoking to cancer.
The government, which made its opening statement Tuesday, is seeking $280 billion in penalties from the tobacco industry.
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Health Canada to Ban Low-Carb Food Labels
Citing a lack of scientific evidence to support low-carbohydrate diet claims, Health Canada plans to ban food and drink labels that tout low carbohydrates.
The labeling rules will go into effect in December 2005 for large companies and in 2007 for smaller companies selling food products in Canada, the Toronto Star reported.
Even the use of carbohydrate-linked brand names and trademarks, such as Kraft's Carb-Well line, will be subject to the new regulations.
"There was -- and still is -- no reason from a nutrient point of view to be concerned with the amount of carbs that we eat," Health Canada spokeswoman Carole Saindon told the Star.
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Carbon Bicycle Handlebars Recalled
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday announced the recall of carbon bicycle handlebars that may develop invisible cracks and break without warning.
The "Forte Flyte OS" and "Weyless CF200" carbon handlebars were made by Performance Inc. and Supergo Inc., of Chapel Hill, N.C. The Performance Forte Flyte OS handlebars were sold separately by mail order, Web sites, and at Performance and Supergo retail stores for about $169.
The Supergo Weyless handlebars were sold separately and as part of the 2004 Scattante SC-R bicycles, which sold for $3,295.
The recall affects about 300 handlebars. People should stop using them immediately and return them to their nearest Performance or Supergo stores for a replacement or refund.
For more information, contact Performance at 1-800-553-8324 or Supergo at 1-800-398-9702. |
