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Individual Health Insurance Market Failing Consumers According To New Report
The individual health insurance market is not a viable option for the majority of uninsured adults, a new report from The Commonwealth Fund finds. Seventy-three percent of people who tried to buy insurance on their own in the last three years did not purchase a policy, primarily because premiums were too high. In addition, among adults with individual coverage or who tried to buy coverage in the past three years, 57 percent said it was very difficult or impossible to find coverage they could afford, 47 percent said it was very difficult or impossible to find a plan with the coverage they needed, and 36 percent were denied coverage or charged more because of a pre-existing condition, or had the condition excluded from their coverage.
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Policymakers, Experts, Public Agree: Physical Activity Plan Needed
Dozens of the nation"s leading organizations in health care, science, medicine and public health are meeting in Washington, D.C., this week with one goal in mind: to develop a national physical activity plan that will make America healthier. Congressional leaders and members of the public both agree that emphasizing disease prevention measures, such as increasing physical activity, is essential to combating chronic diseases, which account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Montgomery County, Ala., Has Highest HIV/AIDS Rate In State
There were 839 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Alabama in 2008, and of those 122 were reported in Montgomery County, which had the highest number in the state per capita, the Montgomery Advertiser reports. Black residents comprised 70 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in Alabama reported that year. Poverty, lack of transportation to health services, not knowing a partner"s status and not getting tested are cited as factors contributing to the greater risk for HIV among blacks in the state, according to the Advertiser. Jane Cheeks, director of HIV/AIDS programs for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said, "The more we test, the more we find," adding, "But we"re hoping we can lower the infection rate." She also said, "In 2007, we got a pretty significant increase in funding and we were able to provide more services and give more testing." In addition to administering HIV tests, the "state educates the public through public service announcements and rolling billboards on the sides of 18-wheelers, which give people toll-free numbers to call" for information, the article states (Klass, 7/11).
Mental Health

Anxious Parents Misdiagnose Milk Formula Intolerance

Some parents may be unnecessarily switching infant milk formulas for their healthy infants. A study published in BioMed Central"s open access Nutrition Journal, found that many parents misinterpret common baby behaviors as milk intolerance and needlessly switch formulas without consulting a health professional. The team of researchers, led by Dr. Carol Lynn Berseth of Mead Johnson Nutrition, Indiana, USA, found that up to half of formula-fed infants experience a formula change during the first six months of life. The randomized study, carried out in 335 healthy term infants, was designed to test the hypothesis that there is no advantage in choosing a partially hydrolyzed protein formula as a first-choice for most healthy infants. The study demonstrated no difference in infant tolerance of two cow milk formulas -- intact vs. partially hydrolyzed cow milk protein -- over a 60-day feeding trial. The study confirms previous reports of unnecessary formula changes in healthy infants. While regurgitation, crying, fussiness, and colic can be signs of intolerances, similar episodes are also normal during early infancy. But anxious parents may mistake these normal episodes as formula intolerance. Berseth said, "in a healthy population, this study demonstrated no added benefit of a partially hydrolyzed cow milk formula over a standard intact cow milk protein formula". She speculated that a partially hydrolyzed protein formula may be appropriate for a targeted group of infants rather than as a first-choice formula. Notes: Tolerance of a standard intact protein formula versus a partially hydrolyzed formula in healthy, term infants Carol Lynn Berseth, Susan Hazels Mitmesser, Ekhard E Ziegler, John D Marunycz and Jon Vanderhoof Nutrition Journal (in press) Article All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central"s open access policy. Charlotte Webber BioMed Central


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