New rules for mental health Care
According to federal regulations issued on Friday, employer-provided group health plans must now offer the same coverage for drug abuse and mental illness as for other ailments. Known as mental health parity, these new measures will ban group health plans from offering different coverage standards for mental health disorders. Substance abuse treatment also and those for surgery or general medical treatment.
Today, employer-provided group health insurance plans cover some 150 million Americans. A bill passed by Congress in 2008, the new rules, exempt group plans covering 50 or fewer workers. Group plans that offer mental health and substance abuse treatment cannot charge higher deductibles under the parity system. They also cannot place different limits on frequency of treatment than they would for medical and surgical care.
After federal agencies review comments from the public, industry and other interested parties, the rules cold take effect as early as July 1st. A Washington-based advocacy group, The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, said the regulations begin the final chapter in an effort to ensure that Americans with mental illness have equal access to health care.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
A surgery that including shrinking the size of the stomach, Gastric bypass surgery, sometimes recommended for obese people, involves re-routing the path that food takes. The possibility of post-surgical infection, blood clots or developing gallstones are a few risks with this procedure. So who as candidates for this bypass surgery?
The U.S. nations Library of Medicine says the following people may be: people who are obese and not able to lose weight by exercising and dieting, people who are committed to a diet and exercise regimen, people who are not mentally ill, people who do not have drug or alcohol dependency problems, people who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher; typically at least 100 pounds overweight, and people who have a BMI of 35 or greater, in addition to a serious health problem that could get better with weight loss — for instance, type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
If you feel you are in need of this surgery and you think you fit one of the criteria on this list, speak with your doctor and find out all the details. Understand the risks you will take and the benefits also and they you can decide which is right for you.
Fake Drugs Bought on the Web
People who are buying drugs purporting to treat erectile dysfunction over the Internet, are playing Russian roulette with their lives. At the very best, the drugs won’t help you and at the very worst, they can kill you. Dr. Margaret E. Wierman, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado at Denver feels you will waste your money and can possibly hurt yourself.
A mushrooming problem these days is counterfeit Internet drugs. Between 2005 and 2007 it was seen that seizures because of fake drugs sold in Europe quadrupled. According to the study, published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, And the number of investigations undertaken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration increased by a factor of eight between 2000 and 2006. Study authors stated that as many as 2.5 million men in Europe have taken counterfeit Viagra. The only way to avoid this growing problem is to not buy any medications over the Internet.
These Internet sales allow buyers to avoid that shame-factor that accompanies asking for this type of drug but the Viagra-like pills bought online are not really cheaper than the real thing. Men find in embarrassing to ask for this from their doctor and likewise to go to the pharmacy to pick up his prescription.
New rules for mental health Care
According to federal regulations issued on Friday, employer-provided group health plans must now offer the same coverage for drug abuse and mental illness as for other ailments. Known as mental health parity, these new measures will ban group health plans from offering different coverage standards for mental health disorders. Substance abuse treatment also and those for surgery or general medical treatment.
Today, employer-provided group health insurance plans cover some 150 million Americans. A bill passed by Congress in 2008, the new rules, exempt group plans covering 50 or fewer workers. Group plans that offer mental health and substance abuse treatment cannot charge higher deductibles under the parity system. They also cannot place different limits on frequency of treatment than they would for medical and surgical care.
After federal agencies review comments from the public, industry and other interested parties, the rules cold take effect as early as July 1st. A Washington-based advocacy group, The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, said the regulations begin the final chapter in an effort to ensure that Americans with mental illness have equal access to health care.
Marijuana Vendors
Growing to almost 1,000 since sale of the drug for medicinal use was approved in 1996, Los Angeles Tuesday gave final approval to an ordinance slashing the number of medical marijuana dispensaries. The Los Angeles City Council said 187 dispensaries would remain open for now, by a vote of 9-3, but it intends to reduce the number to no more than 70 over time.
With the possibility of raising the issue in a referendum, business owners and people taking marijuana by prescription vowed to take legal action against the ordinance. The ordinance, which will take effect after being signed by the mayor, also includes a series of new restrictions on the sale of marijuana. Between 800 and 1,000 shops have sprung up since 1996, hundreds of dispensaries in the city will close. These all sprung up thanks to legal loopholes in the sale and distribution of marijuana.
The new rules say that marijuana dispensaries will now be over 1,000 feet from libraries, public parks and schools and will now be made to close by 8pm. Allowing patients to apply for a license to purchase and sell the drug, California law stipulates physicians must have no relation with dispensaries. They can only prescribe marijuana as a therapy.
