Health Headlines - March 30

Mental-Health Coverage Doesn't Increase Costs: Study

A new U.S. study says that providing insurance coverage for mental illness that matches coverage for physical illness does not increase the cost of mental-health care.

This kind of equal coverage for mental illness took effect for U.S. federal employees in 2001. It forbids insurers from charging higher co-payments or imposing tighter limits on psychiatric care or treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, The New York Times reported.

Researchers studied the impact of that federal policy, known as parity, and concluded that if it is properly managed, expanding coverage of mental-health illness "can improve insurance protection without increasing total costs" beyond the costs that are paid by insurers who don't offer parity.

The study found that the federal program did not increase the use of mental-health services but did result in significant reductions in out-of-pocket spending for many government employees and retirees, the Times reported.

Dr. Howard H. Goldman, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland, led the research team. The findings appear in the March 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Experts Offer Advice on Elective C-Sections

Women who plan to have several children should not have elective Cesarean sections, concluded scientists who attended a three-day meeting on the issue that was arranged by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

But the panel of experts said there's not enough research to make a definitive pronouncement on whether elective C-sections are good or bad for women who plan to have only one or two children, the Associated Press reported.

The meeting was held to discuss the growing trend in the United States of elective C-sections -- planned surgical births that are done when there's no clear medical need. While there are no official figures, some studies suggest there may be about 80,000 elective C-sections done in the United States each year, the AP reported.

Among the panel's recommendations:

* Women planning to have more than one or two children should not have elective C-sections, due to potential risk to future pregnancies. For example, a prior C-section increases the risk of a life-threatening placenta problem in a later pregnancy.
* C-section increases the risk of respiratory problems in newborns. Because of this, doctors should only perform elective C-sections on women who're reached at least 39 weeks of gestation, when fetal lungs are fully mature.
* Doctors should never initiate discussion of a purely elective C-section. If a pregnant woman requests one, her doctor needs to determine her reasons and help her fully understand the risks and benefits.
* If fear of pain during labor and delivery is the reason a woman wants an elective C-section, doctors should outline other options, such as pain-numbing epidurals.

Drug Restrictions a Problem for Medicare Patients

Many elderly people enrolled in the new Medicare drug plan are encountering an unexpected maze of restrictions.

Insurance companies are using a number of methods to compel their customers to use cheaper drugs, the Associated Press reported. In some cases, doctors have to get prior approval for a drug before an insurer will cover it. In other instances, plans limit the quantity of a drug that a patient can get.

The Medicare plans are also using "tiering" to restrict patient access to more expensive drugs. It's normal for private sector plans to place 15 to 20 drugs in the specialty tier -- which requires customers to pay for a quarter, a third or even more of the cost of the drugs, the AP said.

However, the Medicare plans "have an average of 88 drugs on the fourth (specialty) tier. That's unprecedented," Dan Mendelson, president of the consulting firm Avalere Health, told the AP.

"What they're doing is funding the benefit by shifting the costs onto beneficiaries who have chronic illness," he said.

Guidant Suspends Heart Stent Shipments

Quality problems have prompted Indianapolis-based Guidant Corp. to suspend shipments of a new heart stent in Europe and to halt enrollment of patients in a clinical trial in Japan to test the stent.

About one percent of the new drug-coated Xience stents did not meet quality standards, but no patients were harmed by the stents, the company said in a statement released Wednesday. It did not divulge how many of the poor quality stents were implanted in patients.

The sale of Xience stents in 25 European countries will be delayed until later this year. The stent has not yet been approved for sale in the United States, but Guidant did notify the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the suspension of shipments, Bloomberg news reported.

The faulty stents were made at Guidant's plant in Temecula, Calif.

"We have determined the root cause of the issue, have instituted corrective measures and have resumed manufacturing," the company said in its statement.

Last year, defects forced Guidant to recall more than 100,000 implantable heart defibrillators.

Candy Eggs Recalled

The Anthony-Thomas Candy Co. of Ohio is recalling packages of filled Easter candy eggs that may contain undeclared egg whites and the food colorings yellow # 5 and yellow #6.

People who are allergic or have a severe sensitivity to eggs could suffer a serious or life-threatening reaction if they eat the candies. The company said there have been no reports of such incidents.

The recall covers 6-ounce and 12-ounce packages of candy eggs filled with butter cream, peanut butter, fruit and nut, chocolate fudge, coconut cream, chocolate fudge pecan, and maple walnut fudge. The recalled packages carry production code numbers 6027 through 6083, the Associated Press reported.

The candy eggs were sold in a cardboard package with a clear cellophane top panel. The candies were sold in retail stores between Jan. 27 and March 27 in the following states: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Consumers can return the candies to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information, contact the Anthony-Thomas Candy Co. at (877) 226-3921.

FDA Approves 2nd Drug for Flu Prevention

The antiviral drug Relenza has been approved for prevention of influenza A and B in adults and children five years or older, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. The drug was already approved to treat influenza.

Relenza is the second drug to be given FDA approval for prevention of influenza. The other is Tamiflu, which is also approved to treat influenza.

"This approval (of Relenza) is a welcome addition to the available defenses against the flu. This new use offers the medical community another option to prevent and control influenza A and B," Dr. Steven Galson, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a prepared statement.

Relenza is made and distributed by GlaxoSmithKline Inc. based in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Food Fact:
Beat the low-energy blues.

Eat the right stuff at lunch, and you can cancel those desperate 3 p.m. coffee runs. The building blocks: Minimally processed carbohydrates (whole-wheat bread, whole-grain crackers, pasta, brown rice or bulgur); protein (lean chicken or turkey breast, low-fat or fat-free cheese, canned tuna or salmon); any fruit and/or any vegetable; and low-fat dairy (yogurt, pudding, certain low-fat cheeses, skim milk).

Fitness Tip of the day:
Touch-tone up!

Some of the best opportunities to burn calories arise as you're talking on the phone. Stand up and do front, back or side leg lifts while you chat. Add ankle weights for greater toning and calorie-burning effects. Stand on tip toes for as long as you can until the muscle starts to burn. If you're on a cordless, walk throughout your conversation. Or grab a heavy can of food and do alternating bicep curls for tighter arms. For a firmer butt, lean against the wall and sit on an imaginary chair.

FAQ of the day:
Do men need more calcium?

Guys, you need to bone up on your calcium totals, too. Osteoporosis occurs far more often in women, and since increasing calcium intake is one way to lower risk, it's often framed as a "woman's issue." But men also have good reasons to maintain optimal calcium intake. Many studies suggest that calcium helps regulate blood pressure. Other research suggests that dietary calcium lowers risk of colon cancer, the third leading cancer for both men and women. Intake for men should not exceed 2,000mg per day, as a recent study linked elevated levels with increased risk of prostate cancer.