Health

Health vote likely Sunday, Obama delays trip

By msnbc.com on March 18, 2010

Democrats plowed fresh billions into insurance subsidies for consumers on Thursday and added a $250 rebate for seniors facing high prescription drugs, last-minute sweeteners to sweeping $940 billion legislation headed for a climactic weekend vote.

U.S. kids even fatter than believed, study shows

By msnbc.com on March 18, 2010

Extreme obesity among American children is much worse than previously believed, putting them at greater risk of serious health problems as they age, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

FDA panel backs device for mild heart failure

By msnbc.com on March 18, 2010

Federal health advisers say an electronic heart implant should be approved for millions of new heart-disease patients who currently aren’t eligible for the device.

Condoms may be required for porn actors

By msnbc.com on March 18, 2010

Condoms might be the only thing porn actors are required to wear if the state’s workplace safety board approves a petition mandating their use.

NASA, cruise line got hard-to-find flu shots

By msnbc.com on March 18, 2010

In some cases, financial institutions and other recipients got doses before some county health departments and doctors’ offices.

Dems: Bill would cost $940 billion

By cnn.com on March 18, 2010

Washington (CNN) — Democratic congressional leaders unveiled a long-awaited $940 billion compromise health care plan Thursday, setting the stage for a final legislative showdown on President Obamas domestic priority.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs announced that Obama had decided to delay an upcoming trip to Australia and Indonesia to help push the bill over the finish line. The president had been set to depart Washington on Sunday, the same day that the House of Representatives is likely to vote on the measure.

Watch Gibbs defend health plan maneuver

"Im sure he wants to be here for the history," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California.

If enacted, the measure would constitute the biggest expansion of federal health care guarantees since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid more than four decades ago. It would extend insurance coverage to an additional 32 million Americans, according to a preliminary analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Among other things, the plan would expand Medicare prescription drug coverage, increase federal subsidies to help people buy insurance, and ban denials of coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Kids help mother deliver their baby brother

By msnbc.com on March 18, 2010

A Northern California woman unexpectedly went into labor at her home in Fremont and was forced to turn to Jabari, 9, and Faith, 11, after giving birth while standing in her bathroom.

FDA restricts tobacco marketing to kids

By msnbc.com on March 18, 2010

U.S. health officials on Thursday sought to clamp down on the marketing of cigarettes to children and teenagers after a failed attempt more than a decade ago.

Newsweek: More med students opt for primary care

By msnbc.com on March 18, 2010

Today is Match Day, when graduating medical students nationwide are finding out where they’ll be doing their residencies. And it’s an encouraging day for family medicine, because 1,169 of this year’s American graduates have chosen to go into that field, a 9 percent rise from last year.

Do you want a presidential physical?

By cnn.com on March 18, 2010

(CNN) — President Obamas annual physical in February included blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart rate checks — tests familiar to any of us who receives a regular check-up.

But take a close look at the report from his personal physician, Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, and youll see the president received two top-of-the-line, high-tech tests, CT scans of his colon and his coronary arteries, you most likely wont be getting when you show up at your doctors office this year.

If the head of the free world gets these tests, should you? The answer depends on whom you ask. Can you afford these tests? That depends on how much money you have in the bank. Neither of these tests is part of a standard annual physical, so your insurance company likely probably wont pay for them.

Dr. Tyler Cooper in Dallas, Texas, applauds Obamas aggressive use of high-tech tests, and thinks more Americans should consider doing the same.

"We think people should be proactive about their health," says Cooper, a staff physician at the Cooper Clinic, one of several clinics in the United States offering so-called "executive physicals," extensive check-ups that include a large number of blood tests and scans.

"These tests give our physicians an in-depth, detailed understanding of a patients condition," he added.

Cooper says in his clinic, scans like the ones Obama received have caught heart disease and colon cancer long before they would have been detected without the scans.

"Theres no question — these tests save lives," he says.

But other physicians say you shouldnt follow the presidents example.

"If someone told me they wanted these tests, Id tell them they were nuts," says Rank, medical director of the Health Partners Medical Group in Minneapolis. "Americans have this concept that when it comes to healthcare, more is better, and its just not true."

Rank says theres no evidence that receiving a CT scan of your colon, also known as a "virtual colonoscopy," is any better than a traditional colonoscopy, which doesnt use radiation to take images of your colon.

He says theres also no evidence that getting regular scans of the coronary arteries helps prevent heart attacks.

"Usually you dont do that scan preventatively. You only do it when someones having chest pain," he says.

Both scans, he says, increase your exposure to radiation and cost money. Plus, he says sometimes these CT scans indicate something is wrong when really everything is just fine, necessitating the need for further testing and causing weeks of unnecessary concern.

"I worry about the message the president is sending by getting these tests," he says.

But the presidents doctors were doing what they thought was in the best interest of their patient, according to a statement provided to CNN by White House spokesman Reid Cherlin in consultation with the presidents medical team.

"The White House Physician provides no politics, no policy, just trusted medical advice," Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, chief White House physician, wrote in the statement provided by Cherlin. "The president, as a patient, trusts his personal doctors medical advice geared toward him as an individual."

If you want the tests such as the ones Obama received as part of your annual physical, first consider this: Health groups, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, dont recommend them for routine use in otherwise healthy people.

But if you still want them, you can get them for a price. Facilities such as the Cooper Clinic, Scripps Health in San Diego, and the Cleveland Clinic offer "executive physicals" for $2,000 to $3,000 depending on the extent of the exam.

All three clinics offer the coronary artery scan Obama received, plus many other tests. Heres a list of five tests offered in "executive physicals," with the pros and cons of each test. Depending on the clinic, some of these tests are included in the set price, while others can cost up to several hundred dollars extra.

1. "Virtual" colonoscopy

What it is: A CT scan. This test provides a detailed picture of your colon.

Pros and cons: Theres no need to insert a scope into the rectum, so you dont have to be sedated. If doctors do find a polyp, youll have to have a separate procedure to have it removed. The scan exposes you to radiation, and repeated scans over time can increase your risk of cancer.

2. CT scan of the coronary arteries

What it is: This scan checks for calcium in the walls of the arteries that supply your heart with blood. Calcium in the artery walls could mean you have clogged arteries, a leading cause of heart attacks.

Pros and cons: The test is noninvasive, and some doctors believe that when combined with other health information, your calcium "score" can help determine your risk of having a heart attack. The test exposes you to radiation.

3. Chest X-ray

What it is: A chest x-ray reveals several conditions, including fluid in your lungs enlargement of your heart, pneumonia, emphysema and cancer.

Pros and cons: While it can reveal the presence of these conditions, chest X-rays expose you to radiation, albeit at very low doses. Also, an X-ray may yield a "false positive," meaning that it may show something is wrong when in reality youre fine. Youll have to undergo additional testing, which may cause you extra costs and unnecessary worry while you await the results.

4. Stress Test

What it is: Doctors monitor your heart rhythm, blood pressure, and breathing while you walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike.

Pros and cons: If youre having problems such as shortness of breath or a racing heartbeat, a stress test can help determine whether theyre related to a heart problem. Complications, such as dizziness and fainting, are rare.

5. Full Body Scan

What it is: These scans take pictures of the whole body in "slices," giving doctors a detailed look inside the body.

Pros and cons: The scan can look for signs of certain problems, such as heart disease and cancer. Youre exposed to radiation, and if something abnormal is found, you might need further testing, which would carry additional risks — and the end result might be that the full body scan was in error and nothing was wrong in the first place.

CNNs John Bonifield contributed to this report.

Next Page »