Health care updates, March 26

Enjoy the spring weather!

President Obama Signs Historic Health System Reform Bill for Health of Our Nation
The American Medical Association (AMA) applauded the passing of the health care reform. This is the first time that AMA backed a government-initiated health care plan. This is a historic move, considering that the organization have even opposed the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid.

According to a statement by AMA President Dr. J. James Rohack:

“The president’s signature on historic health reform legislation today is a monumental moment in the health of our nation. While more still needs to be done, this bill makes real progress toward providing coverage to all Americans and improving our nation’s health care system.

Physicians see firsthand the pain and heartbreak that being uninsured causes in the lives of America’s patients. Today, we move forward to start to ease that pain.

By extending health coverage to tens of millions of uninsured, improving competition and choice in the insurance marketplace, promoting prevention and wellness, reducing administrative burdens, and promoting clinical comparative effectiveness research, this bill will help patients and the physicians who care for them. There are increased payments for primary care physicians caring for Medicaid patients and bonus payments for physicians in underserved areas. Those who have insurance will see improvements right away: lifetime caps on coverage end; children can stay on parents’ policies until age 26; and insurance companies can’t cancel coverage except in the case of fraud.”

ID physicians call for 10 new antibiotics by 2020
Doctors at the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is calling on the community to commit to the develop 10 new antibiotics by 2020, known as the 10 x ’20 initiative. The initiative aims to address the public health crisis of increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection, which according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is “one of the three greatest threats to human health.”

FDA Approves New Use of Xifaxan for Patients with Liver Disease
The U.S. FDA has approved the use of Xifaxan (rifaximin) for reduction in the risk of the recurrence of overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in patients with advanced liver disease. Xifaxan is already approved for the treatment of traveler’s diarrhea. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a worsening of brain function that can occur in patients whose liver can no longer remove toxins from the blood. Increased levels of ammonia in the blood are thought to play a role in the development of HE, and Xifaxan works by reducing these levels.

Doctors subpoenaed in Haim death
Several doctors have reportedly been subpoenaed in connection with the death of 38-year old actor Corey Haim, who collapsed in his LA home earlier this month. The Canadian actor had been battling drug addiction.