Trying
to Keep "Mad Cow Disease" Out of U.S. Herds
Import restrictions and rigorous animal feed rules are designed to
keep BSE, and the associated human neurological disease, out of the
United States.
Secretary
Thompson Promotes Medicare Modernization
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today toured a Florida nursing and
rehabilitation center to urge support of Medicare reform and President
Bush's Immediate Helping Hand prescription drug proposal.
Nine
More States Receive HHS Grants To Develop Plans Extending Health
Insurance Coverage To All Citizens
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced that nine
states have received one-year grants totaling $10.2 million to develop
plans for providing their uninsured citizens with affordable health
insurance. The newly
funded states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho,
South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.
Protecting
Older Americans Against Overpayment of Income Taxes
The United States Senate Special Committee On Aging has produced an guide on deductions and credits you are entitled to use for
2000. Give it a try. (Note that the filing date for taxes is April 16,
2001, not 2000, as erroneously reported in this otherwise
excellent article.)
Social
Security Trust Funds Gain One Additional Year of Solvency
The Social Security Board of Trustees today
released its annual report on the long-term financial health of
the Social Security Trust Funds. The 2001 Trustees' Report projects
that the Social Security program will remain solvent until 2038 - one
year later than reported last year.
Thinking
of buying prescription or over-the-counter drugs online?
Is it safe? How can you tell if a website that sells medical
products is legitimate? What should you do before you buy
medical products online? See what the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) is doing to stop sites that are breaking the law.
Advance
Directives For Hospitalized
Patients Reduces Family Stress
Stress levels have been
measured as extremely high for family members who must decide
life support issues should patients be too incapacitated to decide for
themselves. Stress was least severe when patients' written advance
directives were available and most severe in the absence of written or verbal
directives.
March
is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
A
national campaign to screen Medicare beneficiaries for colorectal cancer -- one
of the nation's most preventable cancers and yet, sadly, the number two cancer
killer -- was launched by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA),
the federal agency that administers Medicare, and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). President Bush has proclaimed March, 2001, as
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
New
Tools To Combat Overweight And Obesity
A "practical guide" to help health care providers manage
the treatment of their overweight and obese patients, an online
interactive menu planner, and consumer tips on behavior change for
weight management are some of the new tools being unveiled by the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) this month to help
tackle America's battle of the bulge.
Technology
Is Shaping The Future Of Health Care
"Telemedicine and Telecommunications:
Options for the New Century" The latest developments in health care technology
were discussed at the National Library of Medicine's symposium on March 13-14,
2001.
AOA
and HCFA Enhance Medicare Information and Referral System
On Monday, March 5, 2001 the Administration on Aging (AoA) and the
Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), the federal agency that
administers Medicare, announced the funding of 26 new projects
totaling more than $1.5 million that will help AoA's national aging
network of supportive home and community-based service providers
respond to inquiries from Medicare beneficiaries.
Making
Medical Progress:A Look at FDA Approvals in 2000
From drugs that bring relief to devices that detect disease,
many products approved in the year 2000 represent important advances
in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of serious conditions.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved 160 new drugs,
biological products, and medical devices.
Payment
Rates for 2002 Announced
Federal payment rates for Medicare+Choice managed care plans will
increase by about 5.3 percent in most counties across the country, the
Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) announced. Payment rates
in other counties will rise by the guaranteed minimum increase of 2
percent.
Methamphetamine
Abuse Leads To Impaired Coordination And Memory
Methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant drug, whose abuse has
reached epidemic proportions in many parts of the United States,
causes long-term changes in the human brain that are associated with
impaired memory and motor coordination, according to a study published
in the March 2001 issue of the "American Journal of
Psychiatry". Researchers found that these effects are seen even
in methamphetamine addicts who have been off the drug for 10 months or
more. A second study by the same research group reveals additional
long-lasting brain changes caused by the drug, including an unexpected
increase in cellular activity in certain areas of the brain.
Bob
Ball on Social Security
Book review, the first of a series on Social Security. This one is
called Insuring the Essentials by Bob Ball, former Commissioner
of Social Security. In future months we will review some of the more
notable books with proposals for changes in the program.
Aging
Internet Information Notes: Gambling
and Older Adults
The Administration on Aging has prepared an excellent overview on
gambling for older adults who are, perhaps, more vulnerable than other
age groups given their greater dependence on fixed incomes and more
limited ability to recover from gambling losses.
Anso
Comfort Capsules Recalled by Distributor: Ingredient Poses Danger if
not Medically Supervised
Consumers should immediately stop using the herbal product Anso
Comfort capsules because it contains the undeclared prescription drug
chlordiazepoxide. Chlordiazepoxide, available by prescription either
by its generic name or the trade name Librium, is used for anxiety and
as a sedative and can be dangerous if not taken under medical
supervision.
HHS
Launches National Family Caregiver Program
Health and Human Services approved the release of $113 million in
grants to states under the new National Family Caregiver Support
Program, which helps family members provide care for the elderly at
home.
CDC's
Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) publishes Investment in Tobacco
Control - State Highlights 2001
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the release
of a report on state investments into public health programs to
decrease the prevalence of tobacco use.
This report is a tool for states to use in developing tobacco
control programs. It
provides current state-based information on the prevalence of tobacco
use, the health impact and costs associated with tobacco use, tobacco
control funding, and tobacco excise tax levels for all 50 states and
the District of Columbia.
National
Survey Cites Slowdown in Number of Registered Nurses Entering
Profession
Preliminary findings from the Health Resources and Services
Administration’s 2000 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses
released today suggest more action is needed to keep the nation
supplied with registered nurses.
Legislation
Proposed by the 107th Congress Affecting Seniors
As expected there are a host of proposals for prescriptions, health
care and retirement. There are also a few for election reform and
several for tax reform. New legislation initiatives will be posted as
they become available. If readers become aware of any that we missed,
send us an email at seniors@ssa.gov.
Public
Access To The Human Genome
The DNA sequence of the Human Genome is now freely accessible to all,
for public or private use, from the National Center for Biotechnology
Information (NCBI). The Center is a part of the National Library of
Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.
