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Health Focus       Health Focus 1.  Mass. health plan seems unlikely to be U.S. model By Christopher Rowland, The Boston Globe, Friday, April 14, 2006 Summary:  Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is basking in the glow of a national spotlight.  Lawmakers and advocates are buzzing in state capitals from New York to California about Massachusetts' new compulsory health insurance plan.  But even as the law to expand health insurance coverage to virtually every resident makes headlines nationwide, some executives and advocates say it is unlikely to serve as a national model.  James Mongan, chief executive of Partners HealthCare, the largest hospital and physician network in New England, told physicians and scientists at an Institute of Medicine conference in Washington, DC, this week that the Massachusetts plan would be difficult to duplicate elsewhere.  Mongan, who has worked on health care expansion initiatives for 30 years -- including a stint in President Jimmy Carter's administration -- said the state's unique circumstances made it ripe for health care reforms.  Massachusetts has relatively few uninsured residents, about 10% compared to about 18% nationally.  It already spends more than $500 million in federal and state money annually to compensate hospitals for treating the uninsured.  As a result, Mongan said, Massachusetts faced the relatively simple task of redirecting that money to insurance coverage rather than the more politically challenging job of raising it. 2.  Science or Sizzle?   By January W. Payne, The Washington Post, Tuesday, April 11, 2006; HE01 Summary:  The GenSpec brand of dietary supplements, proclaimed to be the "first genetically specific product line," aims distinct products at Blacks, Whites and Hispanics, and at men and women within each group.  Unique "physiological and metabolic differences" can make certain groups more likely to develop some diseases, said Joseph Lander, president and founder of GenSpec.  The small company, which also sells race-targeted weight loss pills, bases its products on research into key racial health distinctions, Lander said.  While the approach may demonstrate clever marketing, some experts said, there is no gold-standard science showing that members of these groups are healthier if they take targeted nutrients in pills. 3.  New Jersey Joins 10 States in Banning Indoor Smoking By Richard G. Jones and John Holl, The New York Times, Friday, April 14, 2006 Summary:  At 12:01 am Saturday, New Jersey will become the 11th state to impose a comprehensive ban on smoking in indoor public places like restaurants and bars.  The exceptions are the gambling floors of Atlantic City's casinos -- a compromise that was essential for the ban to win legislative approval in January.  The new smoking restrictions are the culmination of more than three decades of wrangling in New Jersey between antismoking advocates and the once-powerful tobacco lobby.  The 10 other states with comprehensive smoking bans are New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Montana, Vermont and Washington.  Six other states have less comprehensive public smoking restrictions.  They are Florida, Georgia, Idaho, North and South Dakota and Utah. 4.  Expert Says Bird Flu No Imminent Threat By Andrew Bridges, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Wednesday, April 12, 2006 Summary:  Even if bird flu does arrive on U.S. shores on the wings of a migratory bird, the virus is unlikely to make the inroads in poultry -- or in people -- that it has in less developed countries, the nation's top avian influenza expert says.  "The surveillance is going to be so intense that it is very unlikely that there is going to be the type of situation we see everywhere from Nigeria to Indonesia," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health's infectious disease chief, said in an interview.  Bird flu has killed 109 people in nine countries, mostly in Asia, according to the World Health Organization.  It's also killed or forced the slaughter of more than 200 million chickens, ducks, turkeys and other domestic fowl in Asia, Europe and Africa.  Though experts believe migrating birds could spread the virus to the U.S. this year, Fauci has his doubts.  In Europe, despite an initial "spike of anxiety," farmers know now bird flu is something to keep an eye on, he said.  The same should be the case here.  The government still must prepare for the worst -- “it would be unconscionable not to” -- as officials gear up should bird flu spark a human pandemic, he added. 5.  Estrogen Alone Not Linked to Higher Risk of Cancer By Rob Stein, The Washington Post, Wednesday, April 12, 2006; A06 Summary:  Taking estrogen alone does not increase the risk of breast cancer in menopausal women, according to a large federal study that offers reassurance to millions of women using the hormone to quell hot flashes and other symptoms.  The seven-year study of more than 10,000 women, the biggest, best-designed study to examine the risks of hormone therapy, found no evidence that estrogen alone increased the danger of developing the common malignancy, and produced evidence it may protect some women against the tumors.  Earlier research had indicated the hormone raised the risk.  The findings apply only to women who can safely take estrogen alone because they have undergone a hysterectomy, but they are the largest group of hormone users -- about 3.5 million of the estimated 4.4 million American women using some form of hormone therapy.  Experts cautioned that no one should take estrogen alone to reduce their risk for breast cancer because the hormone carries other potential dangers.  Women should still use the lowest possible dose of hormone therapy for the shortest possible time, they said.  But the findings help alleviate a major concern about using estrogen for short-term relief of menopausal symptoms, they said. Medicaid & Medicare 1.  Employers Push White House to Disclose Medicare Data By Robert Pear, The New York Times, Tuesday, April 11, 200 Summary:  The White House is clashing with the nation's largest employers over their request for huge amounts of government data on the cost and quality of health care provided by doctors around the country.  President Bush has repeatedly urged private insurers to disclose such data, saying it will help consumers choose doctors and hospitals.  But Medicare, the nation's largest insurer, has turned down a request for its data from the Business Roundtable, whose member companies provide coverage to more than 25 million people.  Consumer groups and labor unions also want the Medicare data.  "We have a shared interest," said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families.  "Medicare and private health plans could save billions of dollars if just one in 10 beneficiaries moved from less efficient to more efficient physicians."  Researchers have found immense variation in the amount and cost of care provided by different doctors to Medicare patients with the same disease and the same severity of illness.  Patients who receive more care -- more office visits, hospitalizations and operations -- do not necessarily fare better.  2.  Massachusetts Legislation on Insurance Becomes Law By Pam Belluck and Katie Zezima, The New York Times, Thursday, April 13, 2006 Summary:  In a ceremony full of pomp and political backpatting, Gov. Mitt Romney signed Massachusetts' landmark health care legislation Wednesday, setting the stage for the state to be the first to provide health coverage to virtually all of its citizens.  But the celebratory atmosphere was accompanied by some friction because Romney, a Republican, vetoed a provision some Democrats and health care advocates adamantly support:  a requirement that employers who do not provide health insurance to their employees pay the state up to $295 per worker each year.   Leaders of the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature, which passed the bill last week, said they expected to override that veto in the next few weeks and were examining Romney's vetoes of seven other less controversial provisions.  The law is projected to provide coverage for about 515,000 of the state's 550,000 uninsured people and leave less than 1% of the population uncovered.  It goes further than those of any other state.  The law also expands some Medicaid coverage, including coverage for children. 3.  Bush Presses Seniors to Get Medicare Plan The Associated Press, The New York Times, Wednesday, April 12, 2006 Summary:  President Bush urged Americans who don't speak English to seek help in signing up for the Medicare prescription drug program before the May 15 enrollment deadline.  Bush was in the Midwest on Tuesday to talk about the program with seniors in Missouri and Iowa. It's been a tough sell because of startup glitches and Democrats who argue that the program is a good deal for pharmaceutical companies and is too confusing for the aged.  Bush said more than 29 million seniors have enrolled so far. That number, however, includes at least 20 million people who were automatically enrolled because of their participation in other government programs, such as Medicaid, or are getting drug coverage through their former employer.  The presidential events are part of the administration's grass-roots effort to get eligible seniors to sign up. More than 1,000 enrollment seminars are being held across the country each week to educate seniors about their options. People who sign up after the May 15 deadline probably will have to pay higher premiums. 4.  Want to Retire Early and Hang a Shingle?  It'll Cost You  By John O’Neil, The New York Times, Health Care, Tuesday, April 11, 2006 Summary:  There's a checklist for people in their mid-50's who are thinking about the new retirement, the one that starts before 65 and means still working, but in a more appealing job, for shorter hours or for yourself:  kids through college?  Check.  Marketable skills?  Check.  Enough in the bank to make up for a step-down in pay?  Check.  Now add one more item:  a total of $50,000 to $100,000, or in some cases more, to cover health insurance until you qualify for Medicare -- assuming you are healthy enough to qualify for insurance at all.  The evaporation of health benefits for younger retirees will play an important role in the final career trajectory of the baby boom generation, economists say.  Even more than pensions, they say, retirees' access to health insurance may determine whether the next decade sees an outpouring of late-in-life energy and entrepreneurialism or whether offices will be clogged with workers stuck in their cubicles until they turn 65. 5.  Most Seniors Enrolled  Say Drug Benefit Saves Money By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Claudia Deane, The Washington Post, Wednesday, April 12, 2006 Summary:  Millions of senior citizens have not signed up for and do not know much about Medicare's new prescription drug benefit, but among those who have enrolled, three-quarters said the paperwork was easy to complete and nearly two-thirds said the program saved them money, the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows.  The findings underscore the challenge the administration faces in persuading large numbers of seniors to participate in and support the program, the largest expansion of a government social benefit in decades.  But it also unmasks a political opportunity among older voters for President Bush and the Republicans if they succeed.  This possible gain was one reason why Republican strategists were eager to pass the long-delayed drug benefit originally in 2003.  But many Democrats are convinced that Republicans misjudged.  They have attacked the program as too complex and costly, and say it was written to benefit pharmaceutical companies more than consumers.  The drug benefit is being accepted more warmly by those who stand to take personal advantage of it than by the public at large. -- | Information | Features | Links | About |  Return to: AfroCentric News Home. 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