Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Obama, Romney debate sheds little light on healthcare
issues
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and his
Republican challenger Mitt Romney agree that the $2.8 trillion
U.S. healthcare system is broken, but neither candidate on
Wednesday presented voters with a clear idea of how to fix it.
Their comments about Medicare, Medicaid and healthcare in
general dominated more than one-quarter of a presidential
debate and gave both candidates a chance to articulate their
policies for an estimated 50 million viewers.
Prominent Republicans in Washington state, Colorado endorse
legal pot
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Authorities charge 91 in $430 million Medicare fraud
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ninety-one people including doctors,
nurses and other medical professionals were charged criminally
in a new sweep of Medicare fraud involving seven U.S. cities
and $430 million in alleged false billing, officials said on
Thursday. It was the government’s second big raid in recent
months after a similar effort in May alleged $452 million in
fraud in Medicare, the U.S. health program for the elderly and
disabled.
Idaho nuclear lab fined after workers exposed to radiation
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Energy
fined a nuclear research lab in Idaho more than $400,000 on
Thursday for multiple safety violations stemming from two
mishaps last year that caused workers to be contaminated with
radiation. “DOE considers these events to be of high safety
significance,” John Boulden, a director of enforcement and
oversight for the Energy Department in Washington, D.C., wrote
in the violation notice issued to the Idaho National Laboratory
in Idaho Falls.
Medication tied to rare meningitis outbreak may have
reached 23 states
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – A steroid medication
linked to the death of at least five people from rare fungal
meningitis may have been administered to patients in 23 states,
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said on Thursday, raising
fears the rare outbreak could spread. In a briefing for
reporters, the CDC said five people had died so far and 35 had
fallen sick from fungal meningitis in six states. The outbreak
was first reported in Tennessee, where three people have died
and 25 of the cases have been reported.
Teen smoking linked to earlier death
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Teenagers who smoke are more
likely to die of heart disease decades down the line, even if
they quit by the time they’re middle-aged, researchers have
found. Still, the worst off were people who started smoking in
adolescence and kept up the habit their entire lives. They were
twice as likely to die early as were non-smokers, according to
findings published in the Journal of the American College of
Cardiology.
FDA cracks down on websites selling bad drugs
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Medicines Co stops trial of blood loss drug on safety
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Gum disease linked to psoriasis: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People with chronic gum disease
seem to be slightly more likely to develop the skin condition
psoriasis, according to a new study. Taiwanese researchers
found that in a group of more than 230,000 people, those with
gum disease were 54 percent more likely to get psoriasis over
five years.
More parks don’t mean more walking: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People who live within a
half-mile of lots of parks and fields go on fewer walks than
those who don’t have much parkland nearby, a new study from
Australia suggests. The findings run contrary to the notion
that people get more exercise and are healthier when they have
access to outdoor recreation, researchers said.
