Hump Day Headlines

Start the day with a smile; you'll have a better day.

Now that we're all in a great mood, here's the news.

Congressional leaders are intervening with the debt panel, in fear that they will not meet their deadline. They're still stuck, with the GOP resisting calls to raise revenue and the Dems refusing a deal that doesn't include raising revenue. They are not engendering confidence, for sure.

UnitedHealthcare/Oxford has dropped its fight against having its rate filings made public in New York. I don't know how they could not be public -- they already are in most states. But this paves the way for other insurers, and will increase transparency in the industry.

Congress is deciding whether to ease rules on medical devices. Those in favor of easing the rules are backed by venture capitalists who invest in medical device manufacturers. But some devices -- have you been reading about the all metal hip replacements? -- do cause harm.

Medicare is cracking down on poor performing prescription drug (Part D) plans. They should move faster on getting these plans out of the system.

President Obama is asking community health centers to hire military veterans.

A CDC panel has recommended that boys also be vaccinated for the human papillomavirus, which is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cancer.

This is a fun sort of "game." What test would you order for this patient? What do you think she has? If you're the first one to get it right, you win a prize!

Adolescents and young adults with cancer have trouble finding contemporaries going through similar experiences. Without others their age to commiserate with, they become isolated.

And that is the news for this morning. Have a great day. Jennifer