Category: A.M. Vitals: Medicare Premiums to Rise By Less Than Expected in 2012

MEwens
Attention Medicare Recipients: Medicare part B premiums for most beneficiaries are going up in 2012 by a smaller-than-expected $3.50 per month, to $99.90, the WSJ reports. People who enrolled in the government insurance program in the past few years have been paying a bit more — $115.40 per month — and will pay […]

MEwens
We confess our eyebrows went up here at Health Blog headquarters when news crossed the wires late yesterday that Johnson & Johnson’s top medical-device exec Michael Mahoney was named president and will eventually be CEO at beleaguered Boston Scientific.
The word “rivalry” is hardly sufficient to describe the bare-knuckled hostility that has characterized relations […]

MEwens
More Mesh Studies: An FDA advisory panel yesterday backed plans by the agency to require pre-approval studies for new surgical-mesh products inserted transvaginally to treat pelvic-organ prolapse as well as to conduct research on products already on the market, the WSJ reports. The products, whose manufacturers include Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific, […]

MEwens
Mesh in the Spotlight: An FDA advisory panel meets today to consider whether surgical mesh inserted vaginally to treat pelvic-organ prolapse should face tighter regulation, the WSJ reports. The FDA received about 1,500 reports of adverse events and seven deaths associated with the transvaginal use of the mesh for prolapse. Manufacturers including Johnson […]

MEwens
Pretend you’re a doctor.
You’re used to treating patients with a particular malady one way, but then a new technology comes on the market. It’s unproven, but seems promising. So what do you do for your patients — rely on the old way, or add the new?
Many physicians, eager, to marshal the latest technology […]

MEwens
Money-Saving Opportunity?: A new report by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services says the Medicare program could have saved more than $1 billion over two years if Genentech’s cancer drug Avastin had been prescribed off-label for wet macular degeneration rather than Lucentis, the company’s similar, costlier drug that […]

MEwens
Tracking Implants: An FDA official said silicone breast implants made by Johnson & Johnson’s Mentor and Allergan will stay on the market, and that the agency will work with the companies to increase participation in post-approval studies, Dow Jones Newswires reports. Companies have struggled to maintain follow-up on the 80,000-plus women originally included […]

MEwens
Linking Financial and Physical Health: New research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests higher foreclosure rates are associated with increased ER visits and hospitalizations for hypertension, diabetes and anxiety among 20- to 49-year-olds in several states, the WSJ reports. It’s unclear whether foreclosure itself is responsible for an increase in […]

MEwens
Men and Women, Sleeping: Men and women sleep differently, with women experiencing deeper sleep, waking up fewer times during the night, and tolerating a lack of shut-eye better than men — even as men report greater overall satisfaction with their sleeping patterns, the WSJ reports. Research into gender and sleep differences may help […]

MEwens
A heart pump for kids awaiting a transplant appears headed for approval at the FDA, as the WSJ reports. It would help fill a void for lot of children hit by diseases usually associated with adults: the lack of kid-friendly devices to help in their care.
The Berlin Heart can help keep kids’ […]