MedWorm: Tax

Virginia Lawmakers Pass Abortion, Adoption BillsVirginia Lawmakers Pass Abortion, Adoption Bills

Medscape Medical News Headlines — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:18:19 +0100

Virginia would halt taxpayer-funded abortions for low-income women in cases where the fetus is severely physically deformed or mentally deficient under Republican-backed legislation passed Friday by state lawmakers. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)

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Let the country, not the City, drive the UK economy | Colin Tudge

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:02:51 +0100

In one Oxfordshire village, an idea is gathering traction: that it's time for a new agricultural revolutionOxford city council has decided that we need more houses and jobs – not least in my own village of Wolvercote, to the north-west of the city. Under the coalition's neighbourhood development order (part of the localism bill) we, the yokels, the ordinary Joes, have some say in what should be done.So now we plot and ponder in the village hall – and we are witnessing what I hope will prove to be a seismic shift in public mood, in the economy, and in the balance of power. For more and more people are beginning to feel that "development" shouldn't mean more of the same – more city-bound jobs and city-sprawl. Instead what we need is an agrarian renaissance: small-scale farming, includi...

Optimal Alcohol Taxes for Australia

Forum for Health Economics and Policy — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:13:42 +0100

The 2010 Australian government tax review suggested Australia move to a uniform excise tax rate for all alcoholic beverages. Here, a model is presented and calibrated that shows the optimal per litre of pure alcohol (LAL) tax rates for beer, wine, spirits, and ready-to-drink spirits are substantially different to both current alcohol tax rates and the uniform tax rate recommended by the tax review. Specifically, given an individual consumer utility model, the best estimate values of the welfare maximising LAL tax rates are: $37 for beer, $11 for wine, $50 for spirits, and $77 for ready-to-drink spirits. The variation in the optimal tax rate across beverage types flows from differences in the externality costs associated with the consumption of each beverage type, and differences in the pro...

The NIH Public Access Policy (February 2012)

NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region Blog — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:32:10 +0100

The NIH released a February 2012 document summarizing its public access policy… “WHAT IS AT STAKE UNDER THE PUBLIC ACCESS POLICY: Opening up to the public 90,000 new scientific articles each year reporting research that U.S. taxpayers have funded through NIH’s annual 32 billion dollar investment in biomedical research… HOW IT WORKS: The NIH policy [...] (Source: NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region Blog)

Understanding Medicare Premium Support and its Key Features

The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:31:00 +0100

For the next generation of taxpayers and retirees, there is no better option than premium support. (Source: The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care)

Call to 'tax sugar like alcohol'

NHS News Feed — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0100

This article will be of interest to food scientists, health policy makers and the public alike, but the use of strategies to restrict the consumption of added sugar is complicated and, indeed controversial. The implications of such moves would need to be considered in both medical and societal terms. They would need both medical evidence to support their effectiveness and assurance that the public would accept drastic changes, such as age limits on buying sweets. For example, in recent years, Denmark has imposed taxes on fatty foods, a move that has divided opinions greatly. It is generally accepted that added sugar or excessive sugar consumption is bad for health and dietitians advise restricting sugar intake to the occasional “treat”. However, to what extent sugar is directly to blam...

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Health Highlights: Feb. 2, 2012

Primary Care News - Doctors Lounge — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Hockey Great Gordie Howe Has Dementia Sugar Should Be Regulated, Taxed: Doctor Tobacco Cos. Oppose Graphic Images on Cigarette Packs Closing Arguments in Plan B Lawsuit Colorado Considers Strict School Trans-Fat Ban (Source: Primary Care News - Doctors Lounge)

Wall Street Journal rapped over climate change stance

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:12:08 +0100

Leading scientists, including climate change experts, complain about opinion piece akin to 'dentists practising cardiology'The Wall Street Journal has received a dressing down from a large group of leading scientists for promoting retrograde and out-of-date views on climate change.In an opinion piece run by the Journal on Wednesday, nearly 40 scientists, including acknowledged climate change experts, took on the paper for publishing an article disputing the evidence on global warming.The offending article, No Need to Panic About Global Warming, which appeared last week, argued that climate change was a cunning ploy deployed by governments to raise taxes and by non-profit organisations to solicit donations to save the planet.It was signed by 16 scientists who don't subscribe to the conventi...

Tax and regulate sugar like alcohol and tobacco, urge scientists

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:16:00 +0100

Sugar is as toxic to the liver as alcohol and is at the root of obesity and certain types of liver disease, claim US scientistsSugar should be regulated in the same way as alcohol and tobacco because its increasing use in processed foods poses a significant danger to public health, according to a group of scientists. They advocate controlling sales to children under 17 and taxing sugary foods.Sugar, they argue, is as toxic to the liver as alcohol and overconsumption is at the root of growing public health problems including obesity and certain types of liver disease.In an opinion article for the journal Nature, Robert Lustig, Laura Schmidt and Claire Brindis of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), said that, over the past 50 years, consumption of sugar had trebled worldwide....

Lessons From the Housing Bubble

Nurse Leader — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The more we examine the impact of the mortgage crises on our economic well-being, the more critical becomes a parallel issue known as the healthcare bubble. The growing costs of providing healthcare and the increases in premiums, copays, and deductibles create a gloom and doom scenario. Our middle class cannot afford the increase in taxes that the public sector may need, nor can we absorb any more costs in our broken healthcare system. (Source: Nurse Leader)

Taxes and the ACA: Home Sales Killer?

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:47:17 +0100

One goal of my “Quest for Simplicity” is to explain the ACA in terms we can all understand, so we can decide what parts of the law we should keep and what we should change. In previous articles, I have discussed the costs and complexity of our current insurance and medical care financing. Basically, our lawmakers decided to build upon this ineffective system when they could have cleaned it up, simplified, improved efficiency, and cut costs. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

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Who came up with the model for excessive pay? No, it wasn't the bankers – it was academics | Aditya Chakrabortty

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:30:01 +0100

All the focus has been on bankers' bonuses, yet no one has looked at the economists who argued for rewarding bosses by giving them a bigger financial stake in their companiesTake a big step back. Ignore those sterile debates about how Dave screwed up over Stephen Hester's pay and where this leaves Ed. Instead, ask this: which profession has done most to justify the millions handed over to the boss of RBS, his colleagues and counterparts? Which group has been most influential in making the argument that top people deserve top pay? Not the executives themselves – at least, not directly. Nor the headhunters. Try the economists.The ground rules for the system by which City bankers, Westminster MPs and ordinary taxpayers live today were set by two US economists just a couple of decades ago. I...

Affordable Care Act Will Save States and Taxpayers $17.7 Billion on Prescription Drugs

News stories via the Rural Assistance Center — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Provisions in the health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, will save taxpayers and States an estimated $17.7 billion over five years on prescription drugs bought through Medicaid, according to estimates in a proposed rule issued today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). (Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center)

Food Industry Urges Obama Administration to Reject Food Safety Fees

RWJF News Digest - Public Health — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

A coalition of more than 30 food industry groups wrote to the Obama administration Monday urging officials to request more congressional funding for food safety efforts instead of relying on food taxes. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Public Health)

Building Tobacco Control Research in Thailand: Meeting the Need for Innovative Change in Asia

BioMed Central — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The evolution of tobacco control research in Thailand provides examples of steppingstones that LMICs may be able to use to construct their own tobacco control research pathways.Key words: tobacco control, smoking, policy, research, capacity building, secondhand smoke, Thailand, Asia (Source: BioMed Central)

A working life: the geneticist

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:02:30 +0100

Joe Rainger might still have been a chef, but for a degree change that took him out of the kitchen and plunged him into a world of DNA researchPeople born with abnormal eyes could – within our lifetime – benefit from replacements that match their own DNA, thanks to research by scientists like Joe Rainger.The 35-year-old geneticist is researching a mutation in human genes that causes microphthalmia (one or both eyes abnormally small), anophthalmia (absence of one or both eyes), and coloboma (a gap in the structure of the eye). The conditions are recessive; which means you need both parents to carry the defective gene for the conditions to appear. They are therefore most common in families where first cousins marry.Rainger, who works at the Medical Research Council's human genetics unit ...

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Cancer Patients' Treatment, Diagnosis Wait Time Reduced By Danish Health Care Fast Track Program

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0100

In Denmark, implementing a national fast track system for cancer patients reduced the waiting time between a patient's initial meeting with a health care provider and their first treatment by four weeks when comparing 2010 to 2002, according to a study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, sponsored by AHNS, ASCO, ASTRO and SNM. Denmark's health care system is state run, meaning health care services are funded by taxes with no out-of-pocket costs to patients... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

A Dynamic Model for Fishery Resource with Reserve Area and Taxation

Clinical and Developmental Immunology — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:22:23 +0100

The present paper deals with a dynamic reaction model of a fishery. The dynamics of a fishery resource system in an aquatic environment consists of two zones: a free fishing zone and a reserve zone. To protect fish population from over exploitation, a control instrument tax is imposed. The existence of its steady states and their stability are studied. The optimal harvest policy is discussed next with the help of Pontryagin's maximum principle. Our theoretical results are confirmed by numerical simulation. (Source: Clinical and Developmental Immunology)

Arizona midpack for business tax friendliness

bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:31:30 +0100

Arizona falls in the middle of the pack when it comes to the “business friendliness” of state tax systems. According to the State Business Tax Climate Index for 2012, created by the Tax Foundation, Arizona ranks 27th overall. The best ranking belongs to Wyoming. The worst belongs to New Jersey. Arizona ranks among the worst states when it comes to the burden of overall sales taxes, but it ranks the best for of unemployment insurance taxes. Other components that are factored in are corporate income tax, individual income tax and property taxes... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines)

Obamacare: Obama Ends Medicare As We Know It

The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:03:00 +0100

Obamacare makes massive changes to Medicare. Obamacare contains more than 160 provisions to the program that increases government’s control over the delivery of care, hits doctors with unsustainable payment cuts, and leaves taxpayers with higher deficits. (Source: The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care)

The Case For Investing in the IRS

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:16:10 +0100

Most American taxpayers would not consider the IRS to be underfunded, let alone the IRS’s need for more resources to be the most serious problem they face. Given the growing “tax gap” (i.e., the amount of all unpaid tax liabilities), however, a persuasive case can be made that the government should invest more in the IRS’s budget. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

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Use of professionally administered topical fluorides in Asia.

Adv Dent Res — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:06:21 +0100

Authors: Lo EC, Tenuta LM, Fox CH Abstract Professionally applied topical fluoride varnish, gel, and solution have been shown to be effective in preventing and in arresting dental caries. Their use in different countries in Asia varies greatly and may not correlate with the dental caries situation of the populations in the countries. In the higher-income countries, use of fluoride varnish and gel is common among dental professionals. In contrast, the use of professionally administered topical fluorides is not common in the lower-income countries. Fluoride varnish, being easy to apply and safe, has been the preferred agent for the prevention of early childhood caries, which is prevalent in many developing countries in Asia. The relatively high cost of professionally administered flu...

Tax-related moves to make in 2012

Modern Medicine — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Regardless of who wins the current tax debate and who wins the upcoming elections, planning opportunities in 2012 will help you minimize both income taxes and estate taxes for the benefit of you and your heirs. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Selling your practice? Planning is crucial

Modern Medicine — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

When you've decided that the time is right to sell your practice, one of the important issues impacting what you get from the transaction is income taxes. (Source: Modern Medicine)

The Open Science Paradox

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:49:00 +0100

I just read and enjoyed Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science , a new book by Michael Nielsen, recently reviewed by Bora Zivkovic . The book tells how science is undergoing a revolution where new global online collaborations face off against secretive old-school researchers and profit-hungry journal publishers. It urges scientists to fight for open access and open science a call to action made more poignant by recent events. For example, this December, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressman Darrell Issa introduced a bill into the House of Representatives that would effectively revert the NIH s Public Access Policy that allows taxpayer-funded research to be freely accessible online. Reinventing Discovery will help you form a strong opinion of this bill.But though it...

Plans for Sellafield plutonium reactor rejected

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:33:29 +0100

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority sees technology as immature and commercially unproven, internal emails revealA plan to build a plutonium-burning reactor at Sellafield in Cumbria has been rejected by the UK government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).Internal emails seen by the Guardian reveal that the NDA regards the reactor technology as immature and commercially unproven. It would also create large amounts of plutonium-contaminated waste and increase the risk of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons, the NDA says.The reactor plan was announced by General Electric (GE) Hitachi in November as a way of converting the UK's 82-tonne stockpile of plutonium at Sellafield into power.Known as "Prism" (Power Reactor Innovative Small Modular), it is a new design of sodium-cooled fast reac...

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The payout to the boss of RBS is a disastrous deal for the taxpayer | Aditya Chakrabortty

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0100

Ministers could act over Stephen Hester, the most lavishly rewarded public servant of all – but will they?How much would you pay the boss of RBS? No one in Westminster would be crass enough to put it like that, naturally; but that's the fundamental question party leaders are addressing in their arguments about Stephen Hester's bonus.Except that when Ed argues that the chief executive shouldn't get his annual top-up, and Nick coughs about the need for restraint and Dave tries to get everyone to look away by loosing the hounds on Fred Goodwin, they always leave out the most important bit: how Hester's payout is taxpayer money. As chief executive of a bank that is 83% owned by taxpayers, Hester is as much a public-sector worker as anyone behind the desk at your local JobCentre. If ministers...

More than $6.5 billion in taxpayer dollars have been wasted on Solyndra and 11 other green energy failures

NaturalNews.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Just a few months ago, FBI agents raided the headquarters of now-bankrupt solar panel company Solyndra, which received more than half-a-billion dollars in federal stimulus funds as part of the federal government's green energy stimulus initiative. But according to a... (Source: NaturalNews.com)

Tobacco Policies ‘Abysmal’ in U.S. States, Lung Association Says

RWJF News Digest - Public Health — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Anti-tobacco efforts by U.S. states were “abysmal” last year as their collective spending on anti- smoking programs declined 11 percent and only two raised cigarette taxes, the American Lung Association said. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Public Health)

"So Ready" To Have My Tubes Untied

Tubal Ligation Reversal News — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Many women use the refund from tax returns to finance their tubal reversal surgery. A member of the Tubal Reversal Message Board shares the news that she will be scheduling her reverse tubal ligation on January 31st and wants more information on how to prepare for scheduling surgery. "I am so ready for my Tubal Reversal. As soon as my taxes come I will be scheduling for Feb. I am expecting to call and schedule on Jan. 31, 2012." Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center has Tubal Reversal nurses available 7 days a week, including nights and weekends, to assist women who want to have their tubes untied so they can become pregnant again. Women come from all over the word and across the US to have surgery with the tubal reversal specialists, Dr. Gary Berger and Dr. Charles Monteith. (Source: Tubal Li...

Academic publishers have become the enemies of science | Dr Mike Taylor

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:13:49 +0100

The US Research Works Act would allow publishers to line their pockets by locking publicly funded research behind paywallsThis is the moment academic publishers gave up all pretence of being on the side of scientists. Their rhetoric has traditionally been of partnering with scientists, but the truth is that for some time now scientific publishers have been anti-science and anti-publication. The Research Works Act, introduced in the US Congress on 16 December, amounts to a declaration of war by the publishers.The USA's main funding agency for health-related research is the National Institutes of Health, with a $30bn annual budget. The NIH has a public access policy that says taxpayer-funded research must be freely accessible online. This means that members of the public, having paid once to...

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Take Action for Open Access

What's New on JEFFLINE — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:53:46 +0100

Needed: Scholarly authors’ comments on H.R. 3699, a new bill to block public access to publicly funded research A new bill, The Research Works Act (H.R.3699), designed to roll back the NIH Public Access Policy and block the development of similar policies at other federal agencies has been introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives. Co-sponsored by Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), it was introduced on December 16, 2011, and referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Essentially, the bill seeks to prohibit federal agencies from conditioning their grants to require that articles reporting on publicly funded research be made accessible to the public online. That is, it would prohibit the NIH from requiring deposit of manuscripts about resea...

5 Ways to Keep Your New Year’s Promises

Psychology Today Food and Diet Center — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:15:07 +0100

It has been said that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. Although not as certain as these, breaking New Year's resolutions is close.read more (Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center)

Global Existence of Classical Solutions to a Three-Species Predator-Prey Model with Two Prey-Taxes

Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:11:41 +0100

We are concerned with three-species predator-prey model including two prey-taxes and Holling type II functional response under no flux boundary condition. By applying the contraction mapping principle, the parabolic Schauder estimates, and parabolic Lp estimates, we prove that there exists a unique global classical solution of this system. (Source: Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience)

Hamstring issues in sports: still a major clinical and research challenge

British Journal of Sports Medicine — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

It will not be long until the Olympic 100 metre competitions. As certain as death, taxes and politicians' lies, more than one athlete's 4-year dream will vanish as his or her hamstring tears. This injury remains a great challenge in clinical practice and academic research. This issue of BJSM, with its striking cover, provides insights into the mechanisms that underpin hamstring injuries, guidance for clinical practice and suggestions for future research. Debate – when do hamstring tears occur? Hamstring tears occur during high-speed running but which phase of the gait cycle is the culprit? In Head to Head, Elizabeth S Chumanov and colleagues (see page 90) from the Universities of Wisconsin and Melbourne provide the conventional wisdom that hamstrings are frequently injured during ecc...

Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Part III -- Yet Another Last Chance for Taxpayers

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:37:37 +0100

The IRS just announced plans to reopen its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (the “OVDP”) giving taxpayers a third “last” chance to come clean with their previously undisclosed offshore accounts. While the IRS’s two previous programs generated 33,000 disclosures and $4.4 billion in revenues, it is reasonable to ask why accountholders who did not come forward before would participate in the reopened OVDP. Indeed, history suggests that taxpayers are more likely to seek absolution if they have a genuine fear of detection. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

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Studying ancient crop provenance: implications from δ(13) C and δ(15) N values of charred barley in a Middle Bronze Age silo at Ebla(NW Syria).

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:38:38 +0100

Authors: Fiorentino G, Caracuta V, Casiello G, Longobardi F, Sacco A Abstract The discovery of a storeroom full of barley and other cereals (L.9512) in the proto-historic site of Ebla has provided a unique opportunity to study the centralized storage system of the early city-state from a different perspective. Epigraphic evidence available within the site reveals a complex system of taxation which included gathering grain tributes from satellite sites and redistributing semi-finished products such as flour. In this paper, we intend to explore the possibilities of a combined approach to studying the storage system, based on estimated barley grain volumes and δ(13) C-δ(15) N analyses. This approach is used to distinguish between grain from different harvesting sites and to identify...

VIDEO: Public healthcare "cannot work anymore"

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:25:15 +0100

The Indian heart surgeon Devi Shetty tells Stephen Sackur why he believes that taxpayers' money can no longer fund healthcare. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

VIDEO: Public healthcare 'cannot work anymore'

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:25:15 +0100

The Indian heart surgeon Devi Shetty tells Stephen Sackur why he believes that taxpayers' money can no longer fund healthcare. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

Publicly funded GMO research in India exposed as fraud to secretly sneak in Monsanto seeds

NaturalNews.com — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews)The nation of India is currently embroiled in a massive scandal involving the use of taxpayer dollars to fund research into genetically-modified organisms (GMO). The Coalition for a GM-Free India (CGMFI) is demanding an immediate end to public sector funding of GMO research... (Source: NaturalNews.com)

tax deductions for medical

About.com Breast Cancer — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

If your medical expenses are piling up during breast cancer treatment, you should be able to recoup at least some of your out-of-pocket costs on next year's taxes. (Source: About.com Breast Cancer)

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The Research Works Act would deny taxpayers access to federally funded research.

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:59:00 +0100

The short of it ( covered in depth by Michael Eisen , and Razib tipped me off to the issue ) is that Carolyn Maloney, a congresswoman funded by Elsevier, which is a major for-profit publishing company, is trying to pass the Research Works Act, which would deny Americans free access to research funded by taxpayer money. Currently, any research funded by the National Institute of Health must be made freely available to the public 12 months after publication. You can see why for-profit publishing companies do not like this policy. After 12 months, they can no longer turn a profit on any research they publish that was funded by the NIH. From Eisen’s post: The policy has provided access for physicians and their patients, teachers and their students, policymakers and the public to hundreds...

Scientists, Fight For Access!

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:28:00 +0100

Ask many scientists what they believe separates the pursuit of scientific inquiry from most everything else and you’ll get a wide range of open-ended, flowery, idealistic, and nearly altruistic, statements like ”unlock the mysteries of the world”, “the thrill of discovery”, “making a meaningful contribution to society”, or “improving people’s lives”. No matter how you cut it, scientists tend to agree that science is an important framework for systematically establishing the validity of claims by relying on evidence.Scientists’ idealism is honorable, and genuinely heartfelt. Few other groups of people really do want the change the world in such a positive, progressive manner. Yet, in a twist of irony, few other groups who pri...

NHS PIP breast implants to be removed for free

NHS News Feed — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:47:00 +0100

There is not enough evidence to recommend the routine removal of PIP breast implants, a government expert committee has concluded. However, the committee said the NHS would remove and replace the implants without charge if patients it had operated on remained concerned. The government said it expected the private sector to follow suit and not to charge for corrective procedures. The French implants caused global concern after it was revealed they contained industrial silicone rather than medical-grade fillers and that they may be more prone to rupture and leakage. Some 40,000 women in the UK are believed to have had the implants, with 95% of operations done for cosmetic reasons through private clinics. The expert group recommended that any worried woman should speak to her surgeon or GP. N...

Why libertarians must deny climate change, in one short take | George Monbiot

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:26:49 +0100

I must applaud Matt Bruenig's summing up of the inherent conflict between libertarianism and environmental issuesOver the Christmas break I read what I believe is the most important environmental essay of the past 12 months. Though it begins with a mildly unfair criticism of a column of mine, I won't hold it against the author. In a simple and very short tract, Matt Bruenig presents a devastating challenge to those who call themselves libertarians, and explains why they have no choice but to deny climate change and other environmental problems.Bruenig explains what is now the core argument used by conservatives and libertarians: the procedural justice account of property rights. In brief, this means that if the process by which property was acquired was just, those who have acquired it sho...

Whistleblowers Claim Medicare Defrauded Into Paying For Hospice Care

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:36:16 +0100

First enacted during the Civil War, the federal False Claims Act , 31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq., authorizes treble damages and a penalty from $5,500 to $11,000 per claim for anyone who knowingly submits or causes the submission of a false or fraudulent claim to the United States. Under the False Claims Act, whistleblowers may file lawsuits on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. SIDE BAR: For a detailed discussion of the False Claims Act process: Visit As a result of information provided by whistleblowers Dawn Richardson and Marsha Brown, former employees of AseraCare Hospice, on January 23, 2012, the United States intervened and filed a Complaint against AseraCare Hospice in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. United States ex rel. Richardson and...

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Obesity and Public Policy.

Annual Review of Clinical Psychology — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Gearhardt AN, Bragg MA, Pearl RL, Schvey NA, Roberto CA, Brownell KD Abstract There is a pressing need to reduce both the prevalence and impact of obesity. This review begins with a discussion of the roles of treatment and prevention. Two overriding issues, weight bias and the addictive nature of food, are covered because of their importance not only to the individuals affected but also to public policy. We then cover promising policy areas in which changes can be implemented to support healthy behaviors: school policy, food marketing, food labeling and packaging, and taxes on unhealthy foods. The roles of the food industry and federal, state, and local governments are also discussed. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology Volu...

Trustee wants Total Sleep bankruptcy dismissed

bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:42:17 +0100

The trustee in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case filed by Irving-based Total Sleep Holdings Inc. has requested that the matter be dismissed because of lack of cooperation and "unreasonable delay" by the company. The company's bills and taxes have gone unpaid, employees haven't been paid, W-2s haven't been prepared and patients' medical records have languished, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas. Representatives of Total Sleep weren't immediately available for comment. The company owes General Electric Capital Corp... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines)

The High Cost of Failing Artificial Hips

NYT — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:28:30 +0100

The widespread failure of all-metal hips may cost taxpayers, insurers and employers billions of dollars in the coming years. (Source: NYT)

Texas Attorney General settles Medicare fraud case

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:00:25 +0100

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and pharmaceutical manufacturer Actavis Mid-Atlantic LLC and Actavis Elizabeth LLC made an $84 million settlement agreement on Wednesday. The agreement resolves the state’s civil Medicaid fraud enforcement actions against Actavis. Actavis was charged with defrauding the taxpayers and improperly reporting drug prices to the Texas Medicaid program. The settlement agreement allows the Attorney General’s office to recover $29.23 million for Texas’ general revenue fund... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)

The High Cost of Failing Artificial Hips

NYT Health — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:29:10 +0100

The widespread failure of all-metal hips may cost taxpayers, insurers and employers billions of dollars in the coming years. (Source: NYT Health)

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Company fears for NHS IT contract

FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:17:13 +0100

US company could lose more than $1.5bn after fresh government effort to staunch further costs to the taxpayer (Source: FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare)

Politics, Unicorns, and the Misuse of Data

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:14:21 +0100

On Christmas, Forbes contributor Paul Roderick Gregory took on Sen. Harry Reid's contention that people who pay taxes on $1 million worth of income and also create jobs are "unicorns." Gregory also takes issue with a National Public Radio story that asked Republicans, who say a tax on these people could hurt job creation. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

High-Risk Pregnancies - Telemedicine Can Save $186 Million In Medicaid Expenditure

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0100

A new legislative proposal by The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) aims to expand the use of telemedicine for Medicaid enrollees with high-risk pregnancies and neonatal care needs. If the plan should be adopted, it would mean an improvement in providing care for people who are at-risk, whilst creating substantial long-term savings for the government as well as taxpayers. Avalere Health has been commissioned by ATA to appraise the proposal using Congressional Budget Office style cost estimating... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Exec Q&A: Gov. Mike Beebe (Dec. 26, 2011)

Arkansas Business - Health Care — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0100

The state's chief executive talks taxes, health care costs and Razorbacks v. Red Wolves. (Source: Arkansas Business - Health Care)

Randomized multi-site trial of the Job Seekers’ Workshop in patients with substance use disorders

Drug and Alcohol Dependence — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 06:10:05 +0100

Conclusion: JSW group participants did not have higher rates of employment/training than SC controls. Rates of job acquisition were modest for both groups, suggesting more intensive interventions may be needed. Alternate targets (e.g., enhancing patient motivation, training in job-specific skills) warrant further study as well. (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)

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Alcohol Policy and Taxation in South Africa: An Examination of the Economic Burden of Alcohol Tax

Applied Health Economics and Health Policy — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:00:14 +0100

(Source: Applied Health Economics and Health Policy)

The Guppy Project is not wasteful, Sen. Coburn.

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:43:00 +0100

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has a degree in medicine, so I would expect that he’s had some rudimentary biology education at some point in his life. However, you wouldn’t know it just from glancing through the entries in his “ Wastebook “, a list of projects funded by the government that he considers wasteful. A good handful of the projects on his list are STEM projects, and in one such entry, he takes to task a project funded by the National Science Foundation: Researchers at the University of California-Riverside have pushed the mission of the National Science Foundation to new limits. In 2011, they received an NSF grant of almost $150,000 to create a video game called “RapidGuppy ” for cell phones and other mobile devices. In the game, targeted for stud...

Pensions deal 'will save taxpayer tens of billions'

HSJ — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:46:00 +0100

NHS pensions will remain a “proper reward” for a lifetime of public service, chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has told parliament. (Source: HSJ)

Achievement of foundation trust status by NHS hospital trusts: sixtieth report of session 2010-12

NHS Networks — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

This report finds that the challenges facing those hospitals which have still to attain foundation status are more severe than previously thought. It outlines these problems and makes recommendations for solving these problems in a way that protects taxpayers and patients. (Source: NHS Networks)

Why soft drink taxes will not work.

The British Journal of Nutrition — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Winkler JT PMID: 22186800 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The British Journal of Nutrition)

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Patterns and trends of beverage consumption among children and adults in Great Britain, 1986-2009.

The British Journal of Nutrition — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Ng SW, Ni Mhurchu C, Jebb SA, Popkin BM Abstract Many dietary recommendations include reduction of excessive intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and other energy-rich beverages such as juices and alcohol. The present study examines surveys of both individual dietary intake data and household food expenditure surveys to provide a picture of patterns and trends in beverage intake and purchases in Great Britain from 1986 to 2009, and estimates the potential for pricing policy to promote more healthful beverage purchase patterns. In 2008-9, beverages accounted for 21, 14 and 18 % of daily energy intake for children aged 1·5-18 and 4-18 years, and adults (19-64 years), respectively. Since the 1990s, the most important shifts have been a reduction in consumption of high-...

Kasich 2012 outlook: No drilling yahoos, no income tax cut either

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:42:52 +0100

Shale gas drilling regulations, work-force development and some other issues that matter to Ohio businesses will be on Gov. John Kasich’s agenda heading into 2012. Kasich spent much of a two-hour year-end media gathering Monday about what his administration has accomplished since he took office in January. Then he rushed through what lies ahead next year before taking questions from reporters. Here is what the business community can expect from the Republican governor in 2012: • Development of Ohio’s natural gas resources in the Utica and Marcellus shale plays will remain front and center, with the administration working on drilling regulations and fine-tuning how much oil and gas companies will be taxed by the state... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Report On Human Subjects Protection Released By President's Bioethics Commission

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0100

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues has issued its report concerning federally-sponsored research involving human volunteers, concluding that current rules and regulations provide adequate safeguards to mitigate risk. In its report, "Moral Science: Protecting Participants in Human Subjects Research," the Commission also recommended 14 changes to current practices to better protect research subjects, and called on the federal government to improve its tracking of research programs supported with taxpayer dollars... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Current situation and future challenges of tobacco control policy in Thailand

Tobacco Control — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

In Thailand, the prevalence of smoking has steadily declined over the past 20 years, suggesting an effective tobacco control policy. However, the prevalence has recently stabilised and youth smoking now appears to be on the rise. Tobacco use is the third highest risk factor contributing to the burden of disease in the country. This is an issue of concern and led to the present review of tobacco control measures in Thailand. The present evidence-based review shows that Thailand's tobacco control measures are relatively strong and comply well with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in terms of taxation, advertisement through popular media, and warning labels on cigarettes and other tobacco product packages. However, challenges remain in dealing with highly prevalent roll-yo...

Correction

Tobacco Control — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Kostova D, Ross H, Blecher E, et al. Is youth smoking responsive to cigarette prices? Evidence from low- and middle-income countries (Tob Control 2011;20:419–24). In their literature review, the authors neglected to mention that there are a number of working and discussion papers which examine the relationship between cigarette prices and youth smoking in several lower and middle income countries. These studies use the Global Youth Tobacco Survey and focus on India (Joseph, 2010), Poland (Ross and Prezwonzniak, 2004), Russia (Ross, 2004) and Ukraine (Ross, 2005). The IARC Handbook (currently in print) provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive review of the existing research on the impact of cigarette prices and taxes on smoking behaviour globally. The authors apologise for these...

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Australian authorities to shut down health department after official steals $11 million from government coffers in one week

NaturalNews.com — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews)For years, Joel Barlow, a senior official at Queensland Health in Australia, had been embezzling millions of taxpayer dollars from the region's government-run health system in order to enrich his own lavish lifestyle. But when Barlow, whose full name is Hohepa Morehu... (Source: NaturalNews.com)

Public Accounts Committee report: Achievement of foundation trust status by NHS hospital trusts

NeLM - News — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

This report from the Commons Public Accounts on the achievement of foundation trust status by NHS hospital trusts examines the responsibility for dealing with this huge challenge, and what is being done to protect taxpayers and patients when trusts need external help. (Source: NeLM - News)

Top 10 tax blunders

Optometry - Journal of the American Optometric Association — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:01:48 +0100

It is the start of a new year and tax season is under way. Make a New Year’s resolution that includes avoiding these common tax-filing mistakes. Self-employed health insurance deductions, “bonus” depreciation on equipment, and sales tax deductions for large purchases are just a few of the commonly overlooked ways taxpayers can reduce their federal incomes taxes. (Source: Optometry - Journal of the American Optometric Association)

Big banks still 'too big to fail' after getting largest bailout in U.S. history

NaturalNews.com — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Americans were assured that congressional financial reform legislation passed in the wake of the 2008 credit and monetary crisis would end the concept of banks and financial institutions being "too big to fail", and thus, end any possibility of another massive taxpayer... (Source: NaturalNews.com)

Gingrich wants what never was and can never be - a more aggressive drug war policy that works

NaturalNews.com — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is rising in the polls and could very well wind up being the next Republican presidential nominee. Like him or despise him, one knock against him is his publicly stated desire for something that hasn't worked and can never work - a more "aggressive" drug policy and an absolute prohibition on medical marijuana.In an interview last month, Gingrich changed his mind since 1981, when he first introduced legislation to legalize marijuana. "What has changed was the number of parents I met with who said they did not want their children to get the signal from the government that it was acceptable behavior and that they were prepared to say as a matter of value that it was better to send a clear signal on no drug use at the risk of inconveniencing som...

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CDC establishes vaccine 'task forces' in local communities to intimidate parents of unvaccinated children, coerce them into compliance

NaturalNews.com — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Obviously unnerved with the growing number of parents that are choosing to avoid vaccinations for their children, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has decided to establish localized vaccine "task force" squads that go door-to-door in local communities in order to harass parents into compliance.Every state in the Union has provisions on the books that recognize the freedom of individuals to opt out of getting vaccinated for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons -- and in many cases, states recognize exemptions for all three (http://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/state-vaccine-requirements.aspx). But in an attempt to satisfy its Big Pharma overlords and reverse this trend, the federal government is resorting to bullying tactics in order to stem the anti...

More NHS staff to benefit from NHS pension contribution freeze

NHS Networks — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Following a consultation, the threshold for freezing pension contributions will be raised from £15,000 to £26,557 for 2012/13, affecting 630,000 staff in the NHS in total – almost half of all those in the NHS Pension Scheme. This change will protect the lower paid in the NHS. The increases in employee contributions have been distributed among higher earners where they will be significantly offset by the benefit of tax relief for higher rate taxpayers. So someone earning £60,000 would no longer contribute less as a proportion of their salary towards their pension after tax relief than someone earning £15,000. (Source: NHS Networks)

Kyoto was built to fail. It is time the world abandoned it | Juliette Jowit

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:30:00 +0100

The old protocol required 194 nations to agree one set of targets. After the Durban climate conference, the best way forward is for countries to go it aloneLittle was expected of the global climate talks, which finish in Durban this weekend, and little of any great significance will be agreed. The US, Canada, China and Russia, even the EU, have been dubbed "climate vampires" for sucking life out of the event. In truth, all hope for a deal to cut pollution levels was dead before the several thousand negotiators, campaigners, scientists, policymakers, consultants and journalists flew to South Africa two weeks ago.For years, it has been heresy in the climate movement to suggest that the Kyoto protocol, upon which the last two decades of talks have been based, should be abandoned. Even the usu...

IRS: Boston Scientific owes $581M in Guidant back taxes

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:15:15 +0100

Boston Scientific Corp. said Wednesday the Internal Revenue Service has told the medical device maker it owes $581 million in back taxes plus interest and penalties. The IRS's claim is based on an audit of 2004-2006 taxes of Guidant Corp., a company with a large Twin Cities presence that Boston Scientific bought for $27.5 billion in 2006. The claim is in addition to a similar $525 million assessment made by the IRS for Guidant's 2001-2003 taxes. That claim was made a year ago and is currently being challenged by Boston Scientific in U... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Scott proposes $66.4B budget

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:24:38 +0100

A $66.4 billion state budget proposed by Gov. Rick Scott includes $1 billion in new funding for elementary education. The budget also includes new tax relief measures totaling nearly $35 million in taxpayer savings next year and more than $86 million for fiscal year 2013-14, a written statement from the governor’s office said. It also injects $300 million in the Florida Retirement Systems pension fund, reduces state spending by 4.6 percent and adjusts Medicaid reimbursement methodologies to control costs, the statement said... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

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Letters: Sellafield and the selling of nuclear 'solutions'

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:00:08 +0100

George Monbiot (We need to talk about Sellafield. The nuclear solution that ticks all our boxes, 6 December) complains that anti-nuclear campaigners have thrown the scientific process into reverse: "people have begun with their conclusions, then frantically sought evidence to support them".Around 1995-96, I worked for Nirex, the industry-owned body tasked with dealing with the nation's stockpile of nuclear waste. In 1992, an essentially political and financial decision had been made to dispose of much of that waste in underground tunnels dug on nuclear industry land at Sellafield.Many tens of millions of pounds were spent on experiments, scientists, consultants, lawyers, PR people, and so on, to deliver the project. During a five-month public inquiry near Sellafield a team of us then ...

David Cameron's science lesson

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:36:20 +0100

The prime minister is learning fast: science matters to the UK economy but science's economics do not necessarily mean jobsBefore entering politics, Margaret Thatcher was an Oxford-trained chemist who worked for a time as a scientist researching how to inject air into ice-cream, so creating the soft-scoop process which, it would be fun to imagine, allowed the introduction of Mr Whippy.Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, worked for a time on quantum chemistry in the late 70s – looking at the decay of hydrocarbon molecules which, it would not be fun to imagine, is now informing her euro policy.David Cameron has no such pedigree and admitted as much in one of the seminars running up to Monday's announcement of a multimillion-pound package of measures to support the UK's life sciences indus...

Taxes could fill AIDS funding crunch: U.N.

Reuters: Health — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:11:01 +0100

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The fight against AIDS risks being set back years by a global financial crisis, the head of the United Nations campaign against the disease warned Wednesday. (Source: Reuters: Health)

Senators Demand Details on Lipitor Prescribing DealSenators Demand Details on Lipitor Prescribing Deal

Medscape Today Headlines — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:07:11 +0100

The Senate Finance Committee and Special Committee on Aging have sent a letter to Pfizer, three pharmacy benefit managers, and two insurance companies seeking reassurance that their unusual agreement would not end up costing taxpayers and patients. Heartwire (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Senators demand details on preferential Lipitor prescribing deal

theHeart.org — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:30:03 +0100

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Obama, Clinton To Announce Energy Saving Program

NPR Health and Science — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:18:00 +0100

Enlisting former President Bill Clinton as a partner, President Barack Obama is announcing a $4 billion effort to increase the energy efficiency of government and private sector buildings, aiming for fuel savings and job creation at no cost to taxpayers.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us (Source: NPR Health and Science)

Reduce lawsuit risks, maximize tax liabilities of owning real estate

Modern Medicine — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Real estate is a very common investment among doctors. However, very few physicians have implemented the proper legal structures to get the most out of this investment. As a result, doctors expose themselves to unnecessary lawsuit risks and pay far too much in unnecessary taxes on their real estate investments. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Polyclinics: are GPs wasting taxpayers money?

OnMedica Views — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Speakers at the IHEEM Healthcare Estates Conference claimed GPs’ stubborn refusal to join forces had led to overall failureRelated items from OnMedicaReferrals cost £15bn despite management centresDoH sets out plans for NHS 111Tighter controls on GP out-of-hours servicesShould primary care take on extra work?Chlamydia programme wasted money (Source: OnMedica Views)

Battle Continues Over the CLASS Act

Clinical Endocrinology News — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

In October, officials at the Health and Human Services department announced plans to suspend the CLASS (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) Act. CLASS was passed as part of the Affordable Care Act and would have set up a voluntary long-term care insurance program. It came under fire from ACA critics who said it would not save federal dollars. After a lengthy fiscal evaluation, government officials announced that CLASS would not be implemented because it could not be sustained without taxpayer support. (Source: Clinical Endocrinology News)

Higher petrol taxes don't hurt the poor

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

(University of Gothenburg) Increased petrol taxation is a very effective instrument to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A common argument against such a measure is that it hits poor people the hardest. Yet a new study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden -- the largest ever of its kind -- shows that it is middle- and high-income earners who are generally affected the most by petrol taxes, especially in poor countries. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

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Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment: Perspectives from Australia and New Zealand

Critical Care Clinics — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:36:52 +0100

Formal health economics and health technology assessment (HTA) processes, including cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis, are variably used to inform decisions about public and private health service funding and service provision. In general, pharmaceuticals have been subject to more sophisticated health economic analyses and HTAs and for a longer time than either devices or procedures. HTA has been performed by a number of different entities including agencies located within various government departments, private sector agencies, and academic and professional groups. While HTA shares many common features across the world, its uses, approaches, applications, and impact differ throughout the world. This chapter will discuss some of the general attributes of HTA and will focus on it...

Medicare Reform Stage 2: Moving to a Premium Support Program

The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:23:00 +0100

Medicare is in deep trouble. Major change is inevitable. But major Medicare reform must address the needs of a huge and diverse generation of new retirees, not merely enhance the power of the federal bureaucracy or protect the narrow interests of politically connected providers. The Heritage Foundation has developed such a reform—a variant of defined-contribution financing commonly called “premium support”—in its comprehensive budget proposal, Saving the American Dream. The Heritage proposal not only restores Medicare solvency, it also achieves a balanced budget in 10 years, and maintains it, without raising taxes. (Source: The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care)

We're all paying for Europe's gift to our aristocrats and utility companies | George Monbiot

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:30:05 +0100

Dukes, water companies and wildlife charities will be relieved to know their plunder of farm subsidies under the common agricultural policy can last until at least 2020What would you do with £245? Would you: a) use it to buy food for the next five weeks; b) put it towards a family holiday; c) use it to double your annual savings; or d) give it to the Duke of Westminster?Let me make the case for option D. This year the duke was plunged into relative poverty. Relative, that is, to the three parvenus who have displaced him from the top of the UK rich list. (Admittedly he's not so badly off in absolute terms: the value of his properties rose last year, to £7bn.) He's the highest ranked of the British-born people on the list, and we surely have a patriotic duty to keep him there. And he's a s...

NHS PFI debts rising by 5pc a year

Telegraph Health — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:15:12 +0100

Taxpayers face paying five per cent more per year for hospitals built under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) because the debts are linked to inflation, the BBC1 programme Panorama has found. (Source: Telegraph Health)

While consumers shop, U.S. descends into planned financial implosion that favors corporate elite

NaturalNews.com — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) We live in interesting times. Even as our own civilization hangs on the precipice of financial solvency, the priorities of the uninformed masses as so distorted that many will actually camp out in front of a Best Buy store in order to be the first in line to save $100 on a big-screen TV. In a time when the very problems of society are rooted in over-consumption and too much television, the everyday pleebs place such high importance on expanding the size of their mainstream media hypnosis devices that they will physically fight each other to get one of these TVs at a slightly lower price.Meanwhile, the federal debt has plunged past $15 trillion, the freedoms and liberties upon which America built its economic strength are fast eroding, and the U.S. has practically entered a fi...

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Former world's fattest man begs for NHS operation to remove folds of skin after losing 40 STONE

the Mail online | Health — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 23:43:15 +0100

Paul Mason, from Ipswich, whose care bill has cost the taxpayer £1million over the past 15 years, says he thinks he has been 'left high and dry' by the NHS. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

David Cameron, we have a few questions for you…

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 23:01:02 +0100

From Piers Morgan to Polly Toynbee, Jemima Khan to Jarvis Cocker – David Cameron takes questions from public figures who want answersHear what the PM has to say in our audio interactiveDavid Mitchell, comedianDo you wish you were less posh?"[Laughs] No. You can't change who you are. For a long time I thought my full name was 'The Old Etonian David Cameron'. I had parents who gave me a wonderful start in life, who sacrificed a lot to give me a great education. So I don't ever want to change – I don't want to drop my accent or change my vowels. I am who I am."Piers Morgan, TV presenterIf you could relive one moment in your life, excluding births of children and marriage, what would it be?"God, that's a really good question. Piers, why don't you ever ask really good questions li...

The Texas Tribune: Payments to Doctors by Pharmaceutical Companies Raise Issues of Conflicts

NYT Health — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:10:06 +0100

More than 100 Texas doctors, researchers and medical experts who are paid with taxpayer dollars routinely supplement their salaries with income from pharmaceutical companies. (Source: NYT Health)

Advocates call for higher taxes to pay for health care

CTV Health — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:34:15 +0100

A coalition of groups is calling on Ottawa to increase health care funding by raising taxes as federal, provincial and territorial health ministers prepare to meet in Halifax (Source: CTV Health)

Ex-Medtronic CEO Hawkins makes deal with Ex-NWA CEO Dasburg

bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:10:11 +0100

Former Northwest Airlines Inc. CEO John Dasburg has sold his Wayzata home to former Medtronic Inc. CEO William Hawkins for $4.9 million, according to public property records. The 5,000-square-foot lakeside home sits on 1.48 acres. It was built in 1997 and includes four bedrooms and four full bathrooms. Click here to see property details. Hennepin County lists the estimated market value for the home at $4.7 million and the total annual taxes at $60,500. Dasburg was president and CEO of Eagan-based Northwest Airlines from 1989 until 2001... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines)

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Perceived Distributive Fairness of European Transfer Payments and EU‐Taxes in Austria, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom

Applied Psychology — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

The present research compared a distributive fairness model of EU transfer payments (Hartner, Rechberger, Kirchler, & Wenzel, 2011) between three countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, and the UK. The model postulates an interplay between EU‐tax compliance, distributive fairness, outcome favorability as well as national and European identification. Results across countries showed that EU‐tax compliance was positively related to distributive justice, which was in turn related to outcome favorability and identification. National identifiers perceived EU membership as unfavorable in financial and socio‐political terms, and thus considered the transfer payments as less fair. Dual identifiers perceived the socio‐political outcomes as more favorable, and thus evaluated the transfer ...

Occupy language: the struggle over meaning | Dan Gillmor

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:41:00 +0100

When we report the 'earnings' of the 1%, the media are often distorting reality. The 99% should demand we tell the truthThe Occupy Wall Street movement has challenged the standard narrative of recent times. Contrary to the world view they've been promoting for so long, politicians and traditional media organisations are beginning to grasp the existence of a compelling alternative: that democracy cannot endure in a society designed by and operated almost solely for the benefit of the rich and powerful.Changing the larger narrative is much more difficult, however, when we're stuck with deeply misleading language – some so commonly used that we scarcely consider the real meaning – guiding us towards debatable conclusions. If journalists gave a bit more thought to the words they use routin...

The advantages of an incorporated practice

Optometry - Journal of the American Optometric Association — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:29:29 +0100

For anyone who owns a business, 1 of the most important decisions is what business form to adopt. There are many options and the choices can be overwhelming (see ). However, choosing the correct business structure has the potential to protect personal assets, reduce risk of an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit, save thousands annually in payroll taxes, and simplify business succession plans. (Source: Optometry - Journal of the American Optometric Association)

Kenya: Nation Asked to Tax Air Tickets to Finance ARVs

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:45:28 +0100

The government has been challenged to introduce taxes on air tickets to fund HIV treatment. Kenya is among the largest beneficiaries of similar taxes by other countries through the Unitaid financing plan. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

For corporate welfare queens and their crystal baths, there is no benefit cap | George Monbiot

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:30:06 +0100

Limited liability, offshore secrecy regimes and state handouts ensure those at the top bear none of the costs they inflict on usIn the documentary series which finished on Friday evening, the heiress Tamara Ecclestone set out to prove that she isn't "a pointless, quite spoilt, really stupid, vacuous, empty human being". This endeavour was not wholly successful. Channel 5 showed her supervising the refurbishment of her £45m home in London, in which she commissioned a £1m bathtub carved from Mexican crystal, an underground swimming pool complex, her own nightclub, a lift for her Ferrari, a bowling alley with crystal-studded balls and a spa and massage parlour for her five dogs, to save her the trouble of taking them to Harrods to have their hair sprayed and their nails painted. But there w...

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Is Richard Branson all he's cracked up to be? | Aditya Chakrabortty

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:00:00 +0100

The billionaire Virgin boss is no radical, he's no entrepreneur, he's just a plain old-fashioned carpetbaggerLast week, you, me and every other taxpayer in Britain each handed £13 to the billionaire Richard Branson. Not that we were told about this national whip-round. Instead, George Osborne claimed the heavily discounted sale of Northern Rock to the Virgin boss and a few of his chums represented "value for money". That's a funny way to describe a deal where taxpayers come out at least £400m poorer, but at least we now have an answer to that perennial pre-Christmas question of what to give the man who has everything.And what do Team Branson plan to do with the Rock? Listen to Virgin Money chairman David Clementi's talk of creating "a significant banking competitor" and you'd have come a...

Children’s hosts expert panel to discuss USDA dietary recommendations

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:00:09 +0100

This was my breakfast last Friday. As a black coffee and dry toast kind of guy, I have to admit I was skeptical when I first laid eyes on the plate. Roasted red peppers, kale sautéed in garlic and olive oil, black beans, cheese and smoked salmon isn’t exactly my traditional 8 AM fare. But after a few bites I was sold; at some point it seems my tastes had changed without me knowing, which I was about to learn was a very good thing. “When it comes to food, it’s OK to break the rules,” said award winning chef and famed restaurateur Jody Adams, as she addressed a packed house of nutritionists, medical professionals and community leaders who gathered at Children’s Hospital Boston to discuss the USDA’s current dietary guidelines and new MyPlate icon. “In fact, if we are going to b...

A review of alcohol pricing and its effects on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm - Dhalwani N.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:39:42 +0100

Alcohol has a complex relationship with any given society. On one hand, it may have some benefits by providing a means of leisure and socialization and a source of revenue through taxation of its sales while on the other hand; it has harmful effects by bei... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Ministers to scrap milk subsidy scheme for the under 5s

Telegraph Health — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:56:35 +0100

Ministers are to risk a political row by acting against a scheme which means free milk for under-fives is costing taxpayers £1 a pint. (Source: Telegraph Health)

Ministers to revamp milk subsidy scheme for the under 5s

Telegraph Health — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:56:35 +0100

Ministers are to risk a political row by acting against a scheme which means free milk for under-fives is costing taxpayers £1 a pint. (Source: Telegraph Health)

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New Smoke‐Free Laws and Increased Tobacco Taxes Would Have Nationwide Impact

Cancer — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:30:48 +0100

(Source: Cancer)

Improving Military Health Care System and Retirement Benefits

The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:22:00 +0100

The military’s health care and retirement systems have serious structural problems. Simply tinkering around the edges will leave military personnel and taxpayers paying more for less service. Instead, as The Heritage Foundation proposes, Congress should transform the military health care and retirement systems into defined-contribution plans that maximize individual choice. This would enable military personnel to tailor their benefits to match their individual circumstances while saving the Department of Defense at least $ZZZZ in five years. (Source: The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care)

Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes in Brazil.

American Journal of Public Health — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. High SSB price elasticity in Brazil indicates that a tax on purchased weight or volume would lead to reductions in SSB consumption. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print November 17, 2011: e1-e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300313). PMID: 22095333 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: American Journal of Public Health)

Keeping immigrants off Medicaid costlier

Health News - UPI.com — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:25:45 +0100

BUFFALO, N.Y., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- It is more expensive for the U.S. taxpayer to restrict immigrants' access to Medicaid than it would be to allow them benefits, a researcher says. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

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Fuel taxes and the poor

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

(University of Gothenburg) "Fuel Taxes and the Poor" challenges the conventional wisdom that gasoline taxation, an important and much-debated instrument of climate policy, has a disproportionately detrimental effect on poor people. Increased fuel taxes carry the potential to mitigate carbon emissions, reduce congestion, and improve local urban environment. As such, higher gasoline taxes could prove to be a fundamental part of any climate action plan. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Australian consumers' views of fruit and vegetable policy options

Health Promotion International — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

An Internet survey was conducted among 511 respondents in Victoria, Australia, to ascertain their support for possible government fruit and vegetable promotion policies. The findings suggest that there is a strong and widespread support for policies which encourage country of origin labelling, local and increased production, subsidies, bans and taxes, and communication campaigns. The respondents’ Universalism values (e.g. valuing nature, harmony and beauty) were more pervasive predictors of their opinions than their demographic characteristics. The findings suggest that many Australians hold different views to the prevailing neoliberal views of the political establishment. (Source: Health Promotion International)

Letters: The right words to shift perceptions of financial matters

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:00:04 +0100

The almost universal use of the terms "firepower" and "firewalls" in reporting on the financial crisis is odd and strangely revealing (Pressure on Germany to allow ECB to stop the rot, 8 November). Originally "firewalls" were used to combat forest fires, ie a destructive power in Nature, but now the image reminds us of computer programs that combat a malign human agency, albeit in the form of a "virus" and thus, once again, mysteriously, a threat of Nature. In the military analogy of "firepower", the enemy is human, but we all know that human enemies are more comfortably annihilated when they have first been demonised and thus deprived of their humanity.The implication is that, from the perspective of us kindly, ordinary people protected only by our pensions and savings, those wicked marke...

End-of-Year Tax Tips for DoctorsEnd-of-Year Tax Tips for Doctors

Medscape Today Headlines — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:42:00 +0100

There's still time left for physicians to make personal and business-related tax moves that could save significant money in taxes for this year. Medscape Business of Medicine (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

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#SciFund Puts YOU in Charge of Funding Science!

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:38:00 +0100

Funding science has always relied on public support. Traditionally, scientists at research institutions are awarded money from government agencies and sometimes private foundations. The money from government agencies though, such as NSF and NIH is derived from taxpayer dollars. So, in effect YOU are the one paying out the funds to support a wide array of projects all over the spectrum of research and engineering. But, as Dr. Jai Ranganathan – one of the cofounders of #SciFund – wrote here on the Sci-Am Network Central Blog , “All of the traditional sources of cash for science government agencies and private foundations are getting harder and harder to access. So what is a scientist to do?”Well, why not let the people themselves decide exactly what scientific resea...

Obesity taxes won’t work, and here’s why

Health Facts and Fears — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

In a recent op-ed for InvestorPlace, journalist Jonathan Berr outlines the various reasons why taxes on soda, high-fat foods, and candy — which have already been proposed by several states — won’t solve the obesity epidemic. (Source: Health Facts and Fears)

Kohl-Grassley Generic Drug Bill Would Save Taxpayers Nearly $4.8 Billion, Congressional Budget Office Says

Drugs.com - Pharma News — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:02:18 +0100

From Congressional Documents & Publications (November 8, 2011) WASHINGTON - A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate finds that a bipartisan bill aimed at cutting costs by encouraging competition from generic drugs would save taxpayers... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)

The supply chain of CO2 emissions [Sustainability Science]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

We present a consistent set of carbon inventories that spans the full supply chain of global CO2 emissions, finding that 10.2 billion tons CO2 or 37% of global emissions are from fossil fuels traded internationally and an additional 6.4 billion tons CO2 or 23% of global emissions are embodied in traded goods. Our results reveal vulnerabilities and benefits related to current patterns of energy use that are relevant to climate and energy policy. In particular, if a consistent and unavoidable price were imposed on CO2 emissions somewhere along the supply chain, then all of the parties along the supply chain would seek to impose that price to generate revenue from taxes collected or permits sold. The geographical concentration of carbon-based fuels and relatively small number of parties invol...

NLM Honors Winners of Software Development Challenge

What's New on JEFFLINE — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:48:41 +0100

As part of its 175th anniversary celebration, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) issued its first challenge to software developers: “Show off Your Apps: Innovative Uses of NLM Information.” Applications could be developed by or for researchers, health professionals, or the general public, so long as they used the library’s data to create innovative ways for people to obtain and share scientific and medical information. Entrants could create a new app, or submit an existing one. Five winners were chosen, along with 5 runners up. The winning applications can help people learn about anatomy, help researchers find gene information in research literature, and help people sift through large amounts of scientific and medical information. The National Library of Medicine (NLM), p...

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Tax on Pop Could Fund Nutrition Education [Opinion]

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Should Illinois use a pop tax to fill its coffers and maybe lighten the load of being the 23rd fattest state in the nation? Last week, the Cook County Department of Public Health released a report titled, “Estimating the Potential Impact of Sugar-Sweetened and Other Beverage Excise Taxes in Illinois,” that says a tax that increased prices enough would sharply reduce the consumption of high-calorie drinks, such as like regular soda, ready-to-drink teas and sports drinks, and have a substantial impact on the prevalence of obesity. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)

Deconstructing spatial working memory and attention deficits in multiple sclerosis.

Neuropsychology — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Results suggest that, whereas spatial WM is impaired in MS, once spatial information has been adequately encoded into WM, individuals with MS are, on average, able to maintain and retrieve this information. Impoverished encoding of spatial information, however, may be due to inefficient voluntary orienting of attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: Neuropsychology)

UN lauds G-20 decision to exempt agency's food purchases from export restrictions

UN News Centre - Health, Poverty, Food Security — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed the decision by the Group of 20 (G20) major economies to ensure that the agency's humanitarian food purchases do not face export restrictions or extraordinary taxes, saying the move would ensure vital food assistance continues to reach people in need. (Source: UN News Centre - Health, Poverty, Food Security)

Statistics and Effects of Alzheimer's Disease

About Alzheimers Disease — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100

According to the Alzheimer's Association, November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month and Family Caregiver Month. I love that we are highlighting both the disease and the caregivers in the same month. So, first the disease. More than 5.4 million people have Alzheimer's in the United States. Worldwide, that number is 35.6 million and counting. As our country and world ages, those numbers will jump up exponentially. Let's talk about the caregivers now. The statistics vary, but there are between 10 and 15 million family caregivers for individuals with Alzheimer's. That's a lot of caregivers. How many people are affected in some way by Alzheimer's disease? Those directly affected could include anywhere from 15-20 million, if we add up the above numbers. According to the United States C...

You're So Vain: Narcissistic "Grandiosity" and What it Means to You

Psychology Today Personality Center — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:00:35 +0100

Businesswoman and real estate investor Leona Helmsley famously said, "We [rich people] don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." That's a quote people with narcissistic personality disorder can really relate to. They are aggravated by having to deal with the "little people" all the time. Primary Topic: Personality read more (Source: Psychology Today Personality Center)

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Show off Your Apps: Innovative Uses of NLM Information

Dragonfly — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:57:45 +0100

The National Library of Medicine’s software development challenge Show off Your Apps: Innovative Uses of NLM Information solicited applications that used the library’s data to develop innovative ways for people to obtain and share scientific and medical information. Entrants could create a new app, or submit an existing one. An independent panel of judges chose five winners and five honorable mentions of software applications that help people learn about anatomy, help researchers find gene information in research literature, and help people sift through large amounts of scientific and medical information. For more than 40 years, the library has been making the data it compiles for its electronic resources available for use in systems produced by others. Academic institutions, gover...

Greening Radiology

Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: With the increasing necessity of cost savings and energy reduction, this small and simple step, implemented hospital-wide, will lead to much larger cost savings across institutions. (Source: Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR)

Development of a simple field test for vehicle exhaust to detect illicit use of dyed diesel fuel.

Talanta — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Harvey SD, Wright BW Abstract Tax-free diesel fuel is intended for off-road uses such as agricultural operations, but illicit use of this fuel does occur and is a convenient way of evading payment of excise taxes. Current enforcement to prevent this practice involves visual inspection for the red azo dye added to the fuel to indicate its tax-free status. This approach, while very effective, has shortcomings such as the invasive nature of the tests and/or various deceptive tactics applied by tax evaders. A test designed to detect illicit dyed-fuel use by analyzing the vehicle exhaust would circumvent these shortcomings. This paper describes the development of a simple color spot test designed to detect the use of tax-free (i.e., dyed) fuel by analyzing the engine exhaust. D...

JCT: Obamacare's Exchange Subsidies Will Remove 8 Million Americans from the Tax Rolls

Forbes.com Health News — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:16:53 +0100

A new report from the Joint Committee on Taxation says that, thanks to Obamacare's exchange subsidies, an additional 8 million Americans will no longer have an income tax liability. If present trends continue, we will soon live in a country where a majority of Americans pay no income tax. This may sound like a good thing, but it's not. In fact, it's quite worrisome. (Source: Forbes.com Health News)

Low Taxes, High Rhetoric: What Consumers Really Do with Their Tax Cuts

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:30:00 +0100

The Republican-Democratic debate over income tax rates and the size of government has been long on rhetoric but short on data. What does published research say about what different economic groups do with savings from income-tax cuts? Will the economy slow if Washington cancels tax cuts on millionaires and billionaires?Most experts agree that tax cuts can stimulate a weak economy over the short term through increased consumption and investment, provided the money flows to people who are more likely to spend than save. Past observation has shown that because lower-income people often live paycheck to paycheck, they are more likely than the wealthy to spend. Yet “our research suggests that hasn’t been true for the past decade,” says economist Joel Slemrod of the University ...

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Democrats Ban Usage of the Word 'Obamacare' in Congressional Mailings

Forbes.com Health News — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:17:45 +0100

Democrats have blocked Republicans from using the term "Obamacare" in taxpayer-funded Congressional mailings. (Source: Forbes.com Health News)

Telemedicine Reforms Without New Government Controls or New Taxes

ICMCC: The International Council on Medical and Care Compunetics — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:55:10 +0100

Source: Roger Downey, GlobalMedia Content: “British doctors are already accused of making “inappropriate referrals,” she says, whenever they put what’s best for their patients above what’s best for saving money. The NHS has given it a benign-sounding name, “Referral Management System.” This “hidden stranger,” as Dr. Gerada describes the system, interferes with doctor’s [...] (Source: ICMCC: The International Council on Medical and Care Compunetics)

Majority back universal healthcare, survey finds

The Irish Times - Health — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:01:06 +0100

Pfizer Health Index shows backing for scheme – even if it means rise in taxes (Source: The Irish Times - Health)

Electric car company uses $529 million in U.S. federal loans to assemble cars in Finland

NaturalNews.com — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) The federal government is having a good time freely dispensing billions of taxpayer dollars to green energy companies, despite the fact that it appears to have no solid game plan for determining which initiatives are viable, and which ones will go the way of Solyndra.And now ABC News reports that the US Department of Energy's (DOE) $529 million loan to Fisker Automotive, a high-end electric hybrid automobile startup company, has been used to establish a manufacturing plant in Finland rather than in the US.Henrik Fisker claims his company could not find a suitable manufacturing facility in the US to build its cars, and instead had no choice but to contract an overseas facility through the Finnish firm Valmet Automotive. He also claims that none of the US-based loan money is be...

The Cost of Alcohol and Its Corresponding Taxes in the U.S. A Massive Public Subsidy of Excessive Drinking and Alcohol Industries

American Journal of Preventive Medicine — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:00:32 +0100

In an invaluable update using a standard cost-of-illness approach, Bouchery et al. estimated the financial impact of excessive alcohol consumption in the U.S. for 2006, the most recent year for which data were available. The results ($223.5 billion or $746 per capita that year) are staggering and exceed the costs of the other leading preventable causes of death in the U.S., including cigarette smoking and physical inactivity. This is partly because excessive alcohol consumption involves many second-hand or external costs (i.e., costs that are incurred by those other than the consumers, sellers, or producers of alcohol) and because many alcohol-related outcomes begin at relatively young ages, which results in large future productivity losses and prolonged or recurrent expenditures related t...

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The cost of alcohol and its corresponding taxes in the U.S.: A massive public subsidy of excessive drinking and alcohol industries. - Naimi TS.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:00:32 +0100

[Abstract unavailable] Language: Eng... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Video: UC Berkeley dedicates Li Ka Shing biomedical center

bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:32:29 +0100

Billionaire philanthropist Li Ka Shing, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and a standing-room-only crowd on Friday dedicated the campus’ new Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences. The $80 million, six-level, 200,000-square-foot facility, which will feature the University of California, Berkeley’s stem cell program on the third and fourth floors, was funded in large part with a $40 million gift in 2005 from Hong Kong businessman Li. It also received $20 million from California’s taxpayer-supported stem cell research funding agency... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines)

Economics of tobacco control in Pakistan: estimating elasticities of cigarette demand

Tobacco Control — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Increasing tobacco taxes would have a significant impact on tobacco consumption in Pakistan. Cigarette consumption could decrease by 11.7% in the long term if there was a 10% increase in its price. The results of this study should benefit policymakers as it provides information on the characteristics of the cigarette consumption and cigarette demand function that may help in planning tobacco control strategies in low-income and middle-income countries. (Source: Tobacco Control)

Tennessee Obesity Task Force Wants More PE, Taxes on Sugary Sodas

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

The statewide group in charge of slimming Tennesseans’ waistlines hope the legislature will agree to a slate of new laws that could help. The Tennessee Obesity Task Force wants to be sure all schools are complying with the state’s 90-minutes-a-week mandate for physical education, a tax on sugar-sweetened soft drinks and increased fines for speeding in school zones. What task force leaders say has the best chance of passage is recurring funding for Coordinated School Health, a department of education office that places a student health monitor in every school district. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)

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Exposed: Illinois law financially penalizes public schools when vaccination rates drop below 90 percent

NaturalNews.com — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) One of the primary reasons for the big push among public school districts across the country to vaccinate as many students as possible appears to have a lot to do with maintaining their eligibility to receive local and state funding, at least in the state of Illinois.Section 27-8.1.7 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) Health examinations and immunizations law explains that if a school vaccination rate falls below 90 percent, state aid payments to that school are automatically cut by 10 percent until the school comes into "compliance" (http://www.isbe.state.il.us/accountability/html/105_public_health.htm).According to the current Illinois General State Aid fiscal schedule, Illinois schools receive $6,119 per student from the state. Ten percent of this amount equates to r...

The conflict between accountability and confidentiality in Medicare's access to psychiatrists' notes.

Australasian Psychiatry — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: While it is reasonable for Medicare, as a taxpayer-funded instrumentality, to require documentary evidence to substantiate and justify claims, such a requirement constitutes a significant breach of patient confidentiality. Obtaining patient consent appears to be the only ethical resolution of the issue. PMID: 22011326 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Australasian Psychiatry)

Egyptian mummy portraits go on display at Ashmolean museum

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:53:29 +0100

£5m Egypt project is allowing Oxford's Ashmolean museum to display stunning objects kept in storage for yearsThree beautifully restored mummy portraits of well-off young people who were, 2,000 years ago, probably members of a mysterious group called "the 6475" are to go on display at the new home for one of the most important Egyptian collections in the world.The three faces - an enigmatic, beguiling young woman and two handsome men - will go on permanent display at Oxford's Ashmolean museum next month as part of the second phase of its redevelopment.The £5m Egypt project is allowing the museum to display stunning objects which have been in storage for years with twice as many mummies and coffins being shown.The oldest, on linen, is of a young woman dating from 55-70AD, excavated by Flin...

Soyuz rocket prepares for first launch from French Guiana

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:59:58 +0100

Russian and European officials hope Soyuz will eventually be used to ferry humans into space from the new launch siteThe French Guianan jungle will resonate to an unexpected noise on Thursday – the deep-throated blast of a Russian space rocket as it soars into the morning sky. The Soyuz launcher will be making its first flight outside the former Soviet Union, carrying two European navigation satellites into orbit.The mission marks a major shift in thawing relations between the two powers. Success for the launch will also bring considerable relief to the 350 Russian engineers and technicians who have grafted for four years to carve a £500m launch site out of the sticky rainforest on the coast of France's outpost in Guiana. Malaria and yellow fever are endemic here and building of Russia'...

An outbreak of scientific accuracy

BMJ Online First — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Four things are certain in life: death, taxes, plagues, and movies about plagues. Almost every year, Hollywood releases yet another blockbuster outbreak film with an entirely formulaic plotline.A... (Source: BMJ Online First)

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Spaceport America opens – but space tourists will have to wait

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:43:54 +0100

Richard Branson hopes enough Virgin Galactic test flights can be done by end of 2012 to start commercial voyages soon afterWith his usual flair, British billionaire Richard Branson rappelled from a balcony, shook up a big bottle of champagne and took a swig while christening the world's first built-from-scratch commercial spaceport on Monday.Branson's Virgin Galactic will stage its commercial space tourism venture from Spaceport America in a remote patch of desert in southern New Mexico.Branson was joined by Governor Susana Martinez, the astronaut Buzz Aldrin and scores of would-be space travellers at the terminal-hangar for the dedication. It had been nearly a year since the businessman was in New Mexico to celebrate the completion of the runway."The building is absolutely magnificent," h...

How to Reform Medicare: First Stage to Fix the Current Program

The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:22:00 +0100

Medicare spending, a major driver of the budget deficit, is expected to jump from $522.8 billion in 2010 to $932 billion in 2020. Instead of resorting to the traditional “solutions” of raising taxes, cutting benefits, or cutting payments to health care providers, Congress should begin a two-stage structural reform of Medicare to transform the program into a robust system of consumer choice and competition. Such a system would serve beneficiaries better while restraining Medicare spending to protect current and future taxpayers. (Source: The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care)

Standard American Diet (Yes, it’s SAD)

Clinical Cases and Images — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:14:58 +0100

The average American consumes 45 gallons of soft drinks annually. This does not include noncarbonated sweetened beverages, which add up 17 gallons a person per year. Chips and Coke are a common breakfast.Nearly a third of American children are overweight or obese. In our inner cities a prevalence of obesity of more than 50% is not uncommon. Too many calories in, too little energy out. An 18% tax on pizza and soda can decrease U.S. adults' weight by 5 pounds (2 kg) per year, according to some researchers.Here are some ideas how to promote healthy diet from from the NYTimes:- taxing unhealthy food would reduce consumption and generate billions of dollars annually. That money could be used to subsidize the purchase of staple foods like seasonal greens, vegetables, whole grains, dried legumes ...