Headlines: March 29,2010

by Meg Larkin

            In health reform news, President Obama has nominated Dr. Don Berwick, current head of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  Dr. Berwick has been a strong advocate for increased quality in medicine.  With the role of Medicaid expanding under the new health care legislation, Dr. Berwick is widely seen as a sound choice because of his many years as a leader in the fields of cost control and quality improvement.  Dr. Berwick’s appointment requires confirmation by the Senate, which may reopen the debate over the merits of the new health care legislation.

            Another of President Obama’s appointments has already come under fire.  Ari Ne’eman, who serves on the National Council on Disability, has been criticized for his position that society should work to accept autistic people, not cure them.  Mr. Ne’eman, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, is the first person with autism to serve on the Council.  Mr. Ne’eman’s position is at odds with many leading Autism advocacy groups that focus on scientific research and potential autism cures or treatments.  Currently, an anonymous hold has been placed on Ne’eman’s nomination, which has stalled Senate confirmation proceedings. 

            In reform news, some insurance plans are offering money to subscribers who reduce their health risks.  These “pay for prevention” plans work to limit the future costs of health care by reducing the occurrence of chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes.  The plans offer financial incentives for enrollees to stop smoking, eat better, and exercise more.  The plans can help consumers learn more about how their habits affect their health, and help people become more cost-conscious consumers for health care.

            In research news, some women with BRCA may be able to forgo a mastectomy without impairing their chances for long-term survival.  While patients who underwent only a lumpectomy, instead of a mastectomy, had a higher rate of cancer recurrence, their survival rates after 15 years were about the same as those women who had the more dramatic procedure.   

            Finally, the F.D.A. has said that millions of people may have taken unapproved heart pills.  The nitroglycerin tablets are used to reduce chest pain and angina, and in some cases, to stop a heart attack.  Because the pills were in use before the F.D.A. came into existence, some had thought they were grandfathered in.  However, the agency, while not issuing a recall, has made it clear that no unapproved nitroglycerin tablets should be sold in the future.  The only F.D.A. approved nitroglycerin tablets are made by Pfizer, and will remain on the shelves.  Concerns over differences in potency and dosage prompted the agency action.

Meg Larkin is a second year law student at Boston University.  Please feel free to email her with any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns.