"Health & Medical News"

Colorado’s noneconomic damage cap in medical liability cases is under fire. Physicians say legislation — approved by the state Senate in late February — threatens to unhinge the state’s stable medical liability climate.

The bill, backed by trial lawyers, would raise the current $300,000 cap by roughly 50%, to more than $460,000, largely to track inflation. More problematic, doctors say, is that injuries classified as physical impairment or disfigurement no longer would be subject to the limit on pain and suffering awards.

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A proposed new nutrition information panel for alcoholic beverages should include alcohol-content information instead of relegating such disclosures to a smaller and less-visible part of drink packaging, and producers also should be required to provide a list of ingredients in their products, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says.

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With a Congressional funding ban finally lifted, the District of Columbia government announced that it will spend $650,000 of local taxpayers’ money to establish needle-exchange programs aimed at cutting HIV/AIDS transmission among drug users, the Washington Post reported Jan. 3.

In its FY2008 budget plan, Congress ended a ban on D.C. using public funds to fund needle exchanges, although a ban on federal funding for the harm-reduction programs remains in place. D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said the clean-needle programs are needed to help reduce the HIV/AIDS rate in the city, which is among the highest in the nation.

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By Dr David Robinson

Just last week another “expert” from another media publication was on a news morning show touting myriads of “Do’s” & “Dont’s” for “weight loss” and espousing people to first ask themselves numerous questions to determine if they are really “ready” to undertake lifestyle changes.

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The proposed anti-drug alliance between the U.S. and Mexico involves far more than funding and helicopters, but rather envisions an overhaul of the Mexican justice system, the Washington Post reported Nov. 18.

U.S. taxpayer dollars would be used to fund reforms of the Mexican courts, such as hiring new clerks and educating prosecutors, as well as training drug-sniffing dogs and other law-enforcement functions. The proposal calls for developing “centers of moral authority” and “a culture of lawfulness” in Mexico.

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An anti-psychotic drug already approved in the U.S. to treat adults and adolescents with schizophrenia may soon be available for youngsters age 10 to 17 years of age suffering from bipolar disorder.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given priority review status to the drug Abilify which is manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

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Washington — Six proposed administrative changes to federal Medicaid funding are overdue steps to halt inappropriate federal spending, according to one side of a developing debate. They’re unwarranted cuts to much-needed care, the other side argues.

The Medicaid rules, issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, would reduce federal Medicaid spending by at least $11 billion (0.9%) over five years. They are CMS’ attempt to ensure that it’s paying for medically necessary services and that those services have a legally defined federal matching fund requirement, said Dennis Smith, director of the agency’s Center for Medicaid and State Operations.

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