The last 4 years have been difficult for science and medicine. The relentless attack by members of the executive and legislative branches of government on science and federal agencies that conduct science has shaken the fundamental pillars of great US institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and in some regards the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although the 2020 NIH budget increased to almost $42 billion, more individuals are uninsured, and although health care costs have not increased substantially over the past 4 years, the financial health of most states is in shambles because of the Great Pandemic of 2020, threatening the commitment to Medicaid, which consumes almost 30% of many state budgets. In addition to Medicaid costs, states are responsible for the health care costs of their employees, and in some states many of their retirees. Moreover, the morbidity, mortality, and ubiquitous
Rule changes make HIV prevention drugs more accessible
Federal and California rules require most private insurance to cover the full cost of drugs, such as Truvada, that offer protection against HIV infection.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
By Michelle Andrews
Ted Howard started taking Truvada a few years ago because he wanted to protect himself against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. But the daily pill was so pricey he was seriously thinking about giving it up.
Under his insurance plan, the former flight attendant and customer service instructor was charged $500 a month in copayments for the drug plus $250 every three months for lab work and clinic visits.
As you grow older, some tests could be skipped
Marlene Cimons, The Washington Post
Dec. 19, 2020
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There s no shortage of advice on preventive medical tests people should have as they age, such as blood pressure screening and bone density scans. What s more confusing, however, and often tougher to figure out, are the ones they may be able to skip - and why. It s not a one-size-fits-all on any of these, says Paul Takahashi, a geriatrician with the Mayo Clinic. One of the more challenging things we talk about with our patients is when to stop doing a certain test. For a lot of people, it s very individualized, depending on their goals. Also, we live in a society where we don t have any evidence that doing more really helps you live longer.
As you grow older, some preventive medical tests can actually be skipped washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
INDIA New England News
Amy Finkelstein (MIT)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. About 35 percent of women get annual mammograms from age 40 onward. But the value of those screenings has been much debated, because mammograms for people in their 40s catch relatively few cases of breast cancer, generate plenty of false positive results, and produce some cases of unnecessary treatment.
Thus, while some organizations have advocated for testing to start at age 40, in 2009 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that women start regular mammogram screening at age 50, not age 40 a major preventative health policy change.
But a new study co-authored by MIT scholars identifies an important challenge in designing such guidelines: Women who start getting mammograms at age 40 may be healthier than the population of 40-year-old women as a whole and they have a lower incidence of breast cancer than those who do not start getting tested at that age.