Health Headlines - November 27

U.S. Officials Probing Medicare Drug Plan Complaints

The marketing of Medicare's new prescription drug benefit has led to scores of complaints about aggressive and possibly illegal tactics used by some insurance companies and agents.

The New York Times reported that Medicare officials in the past few weeks have received complaints about uninvited door-to-door solicitation of business and misrepresentation of insurance products.

Federal and state officials said they also heard that some insurance agents have identified themselves as working for the Social Security Administration or the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and that some agents have asked beneficiaries for personal information like Social Security numbers and credit card or bank account numbers.

Officials were also investigating reports that some agents had offered cash payments to Medicare beneficiaries as an inducement to enroll in a prescription drug plan or a managed care plan.

"These steps are illegal, totally inappropriate and unacceptable," Patricia P. Smith, director of the Medicare Advantage Group at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told the Times. "They not only endanger the beneficiary. They could endanger the program. This will draw the ire of people who are legitimately looking at the program to make sure beneficiaries are protected."

The new drug coverage, known as Part D, is available to 42 million people who are 65 and older or disabled. The benefit, which goes into effect Jan. 1, is heavily subsidized by the U.S. government but is offered through private health plans and insurers.

Christopher Eisenberg, director of health plan accountability at the Medicare agency, said the U.S. government had received "more than 100 complaints concerning misconduct by independent agents" marketing Medicare products.

Indonesia Reports New Human Bird Flu Infection

Indonesia reported a new human bird flu infection on Saturday, and Taiwan joined other Asian governments in announcing it wanted to produce the anti-viral drug Tamiflu to treat human infections.

The Indonesia announcement came a day after the health minister said her country will begin producing and stockpiling Tamiflu because of fears of a human epidemic, the Associated Press reported.

On Friday, the country had also announced outbreaks of bird flu in poultry throughout the capital, Jakarta. And authorities destroyed 400 fowl in an area of Jakarta near the home of a young girl who died from the disease. So far, avian flu has been spotted in 23 of Indonesia's 30 provinces and has killed seven people

Indonesian health officials on Saturday confirmed that a 16-year-old boy had tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the virus, bringing to 12 the number of human cases reported in the country.

A senior Health Ministry official said the boy, from the town of Bandung, 90 miles south of Jakarta, probably had contact with infected chickens.

At least 68 people have died from the virus in Asia since 2003, most in Vietnam. Almost all cases have been linked to contact with infected poultry.

Indonesia and Vietnam, meanwhile, have secured permission from Swiss-based drug manufacturer Roche Holding AG to make Tamiflu, while other countries are in talks with the company.

In Japan, officials announced Friday that they are preparing a bird flu vaccine prototype. The prototype could help speed the development of a human vaccine should the H5N1 virus mutate into a form that could pass between humans, Tomohiko Arai, head of a government panel on science, told the AP.

Salmonella Outbreak Prompts Ontario Bean Sprouts Recall

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has ordered a province-wide recall of all mung bean sprout products distributed by a Toronto-based manufacturer after a salmonella outbreak affecting hundreds was linked to the vegetable.

The recall order was issued after 15 Kingston residents developed salmonella poisoning after eating the sprouts.

Toronto Sun Wah Trading, Inc. (also known as Hollend Enterprises, Inc.) has recalled all mung bean sprout products from grocery store shelves, distributors and restaurants, the Toronto Star reported.

Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontarios chief medical officer of health, confirmed the province is experiencing an outbreak of salmonella. Since the beginning of November, there have been 269 cases of laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonella poisoning throughout the province, and the number is increasing.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, which supplies about 85 per cent of groceries on shelves to more than 25,000 grocery stores across the country, said all member stores and distribution centers pulled all bean sprout products off their shelves even before a province-wide recall was issued.

Salmonella poisoning, which can spread from person-to-person, can spawn numerous symptoms including diarrhea, nausea and fever. The bacteria, which can be found in the intestines of poultry and cattle, can contaminate food if it comes in contact with unclean water, animal manure or an infected food handler.

Study: CO2 Levels Highest in 650,000 Years

Tiny air bubbles preserved in Antarctic ice going back millennia suggest levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are higher now than at any time over the past 650,000 years, researchers say.

Increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" that trap the sun's heat are thought to be caused by human activity and are the main cause of global warming.

"There's no natural condition that we know about in a really long time where the greenhouse gas levels were anywhere near what they are now," geosciences expert Edward Brook, of Oregon State University, told the Associated Press.

The new data was conducted by the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica and published Friday in the journal Science.

While skeptics have dismissed recent warming as part of the "natural cycle," the ice samples suggest today's warming trend is "over a factor of a hundred faster than anything we are seeing in the natural cycles," researcher Thomas Stocker of the University of Bern, Switzerland, told the AP.

Food Fact:
Sounds shellfishy...

Think you should avoid shrimp because it's high in cholesterol? Think again... All shellfish are low in fat, have almost no saturated fat, and fit squarely into a heart-healthy diet when boiled, steamed, grilled or pan-seared. The one no-no is ordering it fried, which boosts the fat totals way higher than they need to be.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Carry that weight?

How much should you be lifting? Here's a good rule of thumb. When you can perform 12 to 15 reps using excellent form, it's time to increase the weight used by 5%. In weight training, always use weights you can handle. Remember, we are training our bodies not our egos.

FAQ of the day:
What are the most cancer-protective vegetables?

In population surveys, the following categories seem to be the the most cancer-protective: Raw vegetables, alliums (onions, garlic), carrots, green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables and tomatoes.