Bill Targets Radiation Dose
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) have introduced a proposal to create minimum education and credentialing standards for people who deliver radiation therapy and imaging procedures to Medicare patients. The CARE (Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility, and Excellence) in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act (S. 3737) would, however, grandfather in technicians and others who do not meet the bill's standards. “This bill will reduce the risk of medical errors associated with misdiagnosis or inappropriate exposure to medical radiation, and save millions of health care dollars by decreasing the number of examinations that must be repeated due to poor quality,” said Sen. Harkin in a statement. The CARE act was introduced in the House (H.R. 3652) in September 2009 by Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.).
Part D Premiums Edge Up
Medicare beneficiaries can expect their monthly Part D prescription drug premiums to rise next year, but only by about $1, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Officials at the agency estimated that the average monthly premium for standard Part D drug coverage will be $30, about $1 more than in 2010. By shopping around, beneficiaries may be able to find plans with lower premiums than they are paying now, CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said during a press conference to announce the new rates. He and other officials said premium rates will remain relatively steady in 2011 because minor cost increases for the Part D plans have been offset by increased use of generic drugs. Also starting in 2011, Medicare beneficiaries will be eligible for 50% discounts if they spend enough on brand name prescriptions to reach the Part D coverage gap, or doughnut hole. “These very modest increases in premiums, along with the new discounts for brand name drugs that are made available through the Affordable Care Act, are going to make medications more affordable, more accessible to Medicare beneficiaries in 2011 and thereafter,” Dr. Berwick said.
Teens' Headaches Related to Habits
Migraines and other headaches are more likely to affect teens who are overweight, smoke, and rarely exercise, according to the American Academy of Neurology's journal Neurology. Overweight teens were 40% more likely to have frequent headaches than were those without any of the three negative factors, teens who smoked were 50% percent more likely to have them, and teens who exercised less than twice a week were 20% more likely. “The study is a vital step toward a better understanding of lifestyle factors and potential preventive measures that can be taken,” said Dr. Andrew D. Hershey of the University of Cincinnati in an editorial accompanying the study. These factors have rarely been studied in teens, Dr. Hershey added. The findings were part of a study in Norway for which researchers interviewed 5,847 students ages 13-18.
Hispanic Mothers Need More Folic Acid
Since the establishment of intake guidelines for folic acid in the United States and mandatory fortification of some cereal grain products, fewer children have been born with neural tube defects (NTDs). But according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opportunities for improvement remain, especially among Hispanics. In 1995-1996, approximately 4,000 U.S. pregnancies were affected by NTDs, but that number declined to 3,000 pregnancies in 1999-2000, the year after folic acid enrichment was mandated. National Birth Defects Prevention Network data from 2005 to 2007 show that Hispanic women are at significantly greater risk of having babies with neural tube defects than are white and black women (prevalence ratio, 1.21), according to the report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The CDC authors pointed out that corn tortillas and other products made from masa flour are not currently fortified with the folic acid.
Consumers Worry About Drug Influence
Almost 70% of Americans who take prescription drugs believe that drug makers have too much influence over doctors when it comes to those prescriptions, and 50% believe that doctors prescribe drugs even when a person's condition could be managed without medication. The data are the result of a Consumer Reports magazine poll. On the basis of the survey of more than 1,150 adults, the magazine asserted that 51% of Americans don't think their doctors consider patients' ability to pay for prescribed drugs and 47% think gifts from pharmaceutical companies influence doctors' drug choices. In the 20% of respondents who had asked for a drug that they had seen advertised, 59% of them said their doctors prescribed what they requested.