National news

Bailout brings mental illness relief, too

The historic financial bailout signed into law in October including a menu of additional incentives to get the votes of reluctant members of the House of Representatives. Among those incentives was legislation that’s been sought for a dozen years: parity in health plan coverage of mental illness.

Although equal coverage of mental and physical illnesses has been in effect in Oregon since January 2007, the federal legislation extends the coverage to the one-third of Americans who weren’t similarly covered under their employer-sponsored health plans.

Advocates of the legislation call it a milestone in the effort to treat and reduce the stigma of mental illness. The effective date, for most health plans, will be Jan. 1, 2010. Businesses with fewer than 51 employees are exempt.

Nutrition suffers in poor economy

More than 1 million Americans are now unemployed. They and many other Americans must cut expenses to deal with a worsening economy.

But financial belt-tightening can lead to a swelling waistline.

A study published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association shows that “junk food,” which has the most calories and fewest nutrients per gram, is far less expensive than fruits and vegetables, which are lower in calories and richer in nutrients.

And the disparity is growing. During the two years of the study, prices for the most healthful food increased nearly 20 percent, while junk food prices dropped 2 percent.

In the United States, people who get food stamps receive just a few dollars per person per day (in Oregon, it's $3), while Americans on average spend about $7 per day on food. By the end of the month, many food stamp recipients make do on $1 per day.

The latest issue of CareLink, CareOregon's member newsletter, reports that many Oregonians can qualify for food stamps but don't know how to get them.

If you have patients in need of food help, they can call 1-800-SAFENET (1-800-723-3638) to find out if they are eligible. They can also download applications or informational brochures from the Department of Human Services (DHS) web site.

Google tracks flu season

The Internet search giant Google is now using its enormous data store to track health trends, including the onset of flu, allergy and sunburn seasons.

The company has found a close correlation between how many people search for symptoms and how many people actually have symptoms.

According to the company, for the 2007-2008 flu season, “Google Flu Trends” data was shared with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Influenza Division.

“Across each of the nine surveillance regions of the United States, we were able to accurately estimate current flu levels one to two weeks faster than published CDC reports,” according to Google.

Information and current trends, including state-by-state analysis, is available on the Google web site.

Food companies: Nutrient standards a “smart choice”

Understanding the nutrient information on food labels may get a little easier for consumers. Some of the nation's largest food and beverage companies have agreed on common nutrient standards, which will be clearly marked on packaging.

To qualify for a “Smart Choices Program” logo, a product cannot exceed standards for specific nutrients, such as total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, added sugars and sodium.

For most types of foods, the products must also provide nutritionist recommendations of nutrients or food groups that promote good health, including calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat and fat-free dairy products.

The products that qualify for these standards will use the Smart Choices logo on the front of the package as well as the amount of calories per serving and the number of servings in the package.

Among the participants are Walmart, Unilever, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kellogg and Kraft Foods.

For more information , see the Smart Choices web site.

Obama proposes expansion of health care as component of stimulus plan

President-elect Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats are planning to significantly expand the health provisions in economic recovery legislation. They contend that billions of additional dollars in health programs will give the economy a needed kick-start, but also is a big step toward another of the president-elect's goals: reforming health care.

Obama has already promised to increase federal Medicaid spending by as much as $40 billion or more over the next two years. He also wants to invest in health information technology.

Read the full story.

Medicare offers carrot to switch to electronic prescribing, promises stick for those who don’t

Starting in January, Medicare will offer a bonus to doctors who prescribe electronically.

“E-prescribing” directly from the physician’s computer to the pharmacist“s could save an estimated $156 million for Medicare over five years.

It would also help curb instances of medical harm due to sloppy, handwritten prescriptions. Misread prescriptions contribute to the estimated 1.5 million medication-related injuries each year.

Switching to electronic prescribing can be quite costly—as much as $3,000 per physician. The Medicare bonus of an extra 2 percent in reimbursement rates in 2009 and 2010 could offset the investment by earning the doctor an extra $1,000 to $1,500 a year.

Starting in 2012, Medicare will take a more punative approach. It plans to cut payments to those providers who have not adopted the new technology.

For the full Associated Press story…