Monday Morning Round-Up

A smattering of news today.

The GOP unveils a devious strategy to unhinge reform. The Medicare cut in reimbursement rates for doctors that Congress keeps delaying a short bit at a time? Well, now the Republicans think they should use health reform dollars to pay for a permanent fix, which would totally undermine health reform. They'd cut the public health fund, which isn't at the core of reform, but this definitely would be a first step towards repeal. This seems particularly wrong since the Medicare cut was passed many moons before reform, so it's not like reform caused this problem. But rationality is not the goal, it seems.

Another GOP strategy -- let States decide on their participation in health reform.

A doctor in Baltimore facing suits over cardiac stenting that the government says may have been unnecessary. Apparently, Abbott Labs hired him even after he was barred from operating.

A new meningitis vaccine brings hope in Africa.

Do the Arizona Medicaid cuts -- eliminating some funding for transplants -- bode poorly for the nation?

Cuts in mental health services put law enforcement officers on the front line.

Eating disorders are hard to treat -- and expensive, since most insurance doesn't cover the treatment.

The federal government is putting up an internet database of federal workers' health claims. They say it will help to figure out what's working, what's necessary, what's wasteful, but others say it's a violation of privacy. No personal identifying information, but still -- do you trust this? It will expand to include high risk pools and publicly run multi-state plans starting in 2014.

A Connecticut study uses snakes to understand fear and how to rid people of it. YUK!

Happy Monday! Jennifer