Refresher: What’s In The Health Reform Bills

March 10, 2010

Since the Senate passed its version of a health overhaul on Christmas Eve, most of the debate has focused on the politics of the effort. By now, many people have forgotten — if they ever knew — what the bill would actually do.

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So here’s a short refresher. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate-passed bill would expand coverage to roughly 30 million of the 46 million people in the U.S. who lack health insurance. Most of the remaining uninsured would be undocumented immigrants, who would be ineligible for benefits… Continue reading

Dems Discuss Plans To Advance Health Reform; Opposition Steps Up Its Game

March 10, 2010

The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room: ”Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, predicted that the Congress would wrap up its healthcare bills for President Barack Obama’s signature before lawmakers leave for a holiday recess.” He said he believed “that we will have the bill on the president’s desk by the time we leave on March 27th.” He also told said, according  to The Hill, that this deadline “didn’t just extend to the House passing the Senate bill, but to the package of fixes House Democrats have also demanded. ‘That’s two bills… Continue reading

Activists Picket Health Insurers’ Conference

March 10, 2010

(Jessica Marcy/KHN)

CNN: More than 1,000 activists protested today outside the hotel where a group of health insurance leaders were meeting, ratcheting “up the pressure for health care.” The gathering took place “one day after President Obama tore into health insurance companies for recent rate increases. The increasingly heated populist rhetoric, according to many analysts, is part of a strategy to pressure wavering Democrats to back the president’s sweeping reform plan.” CNN reported that a handful of protesters were arrested (Courson, 3/9).
The Associated Press: Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and others spoke to the crowd. “They planned… Continue reading

Cirrhosis Causes

March 10, 2010

Several processes can lead to cirrhosis.

Alcoholism

Alcoholism particularly endangers the liver. Alcoholic cirrhosis (also sometimes referred to as portal, Laennec’s, nutritional, or micronodular cirrhosis) is the primary cause of cirrhosis in the U.S. It is estimated to be responsible for 44% of deaths from cirrhosis in North America. Some experts believe this estimate is low. One Canadian study found alcohol to be the major contributor to 80% of all cirrhosis deaths.

The relationship between alcohol and cirrhosis is generally as follows:

Alcohol is absorbed from the small intestine, and the blood carries it directly into the liver… Continue reading

DASH Diet, Exercise, Calorie Restriction May Help Improve Mental Function, Heart Health In Overweight, Hypertensive Adults

March 9, 2010

The DASH diet, combined with exercise and calorie restriction, improved mental functioning by 30 percent in overweight adults with high blood pressure compared to those who didn’t diet or exercise, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. The DASH diet emphasizes eating low-fat dairy products, foods low in cholesterol and high in carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables. The DASH diet comes from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension trial, conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute…

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