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…in which we take a look at health, fitness, and medical insurance stories taken from around the world and conveniently placed on the internet for us to have a read.
First up – a 'sweetened beverage' can apparently 'reduce aggression' according to a report in Telegraph. well, I'm not going to argue with that [said he, slurping a sugarless coffee...]
The Beeb reports on new EU laws regarding health food claims.Now, we all know that a bit of poetic license is allowed on food packaging? Maybe not for much longer…
Over at The Guardian: top doctor calls for urgent action on salt and fats in food. Err, call me Mr Cynical, but haven't top doctors been calling for this since the Cretaceous Period??
Intriguing headline from the Herald: Poverty is not single cause of Glasgow’s ill health. What is then? Well, poverty is part of it, along with 'other factors'. Will be interested to see how this one develops.
Across the pond, the New York Times reports that Obama is set to bypass the senate in appointing the new Medicare/Medicaid chief. I don't know the significance of the senate being bypassed here, but it definitely makes Obama sound decisive and no-nonsense.
Strangest headline of the week goes to the AXA blog, with AXA PPP healthcare praises world's fastest Leprechaun.
If you know of a faster leprechaun, or just have any general comments on the above or suggestions for health news sources we should follow, drop us a comment.

Rainbow_Leprechaun

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A recent New York Times highlighted Maine’s attempts at comprehensive healthcare reform. Their experiences serve as a cautionary tale for Congress.   The state established a public health insurance plan, expanded Medicare and Medicaid eligibility, and banned insurers from refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions, but those actions have done  little to insure more of its residents.  Contrary to the promises of public option supporters, health care costs have only continued to rise in the state.

Reasons for the high health care costs range from the state-specific to the general. Unlike the bill that recently passed the House of Representatives, Maine’s healthcare reform legislation didn’t include a mandate to buy health insurance plans. It’s a vicious cycle: forcing health insurance companies to offer policies to unhealthy people with pre-existing conditions raises the rates for younger people; young adults will be even less likely to buy health insurance if their premiums go up, which results in the insurer’s risk being spread among less people. In the end, the older, unhealthier population remains in the pool and must contend with less affordable health insurance. Therefore, there is a larger uninsured population.

Granted, Maine is a market dominated by just one private health insurance company (which, with its effective monopoly, can increase premiums to their liking); and its population is older, sicker, and poorer than the U.S. in general. Senator Olympia Snowe points to her state as a cautionary tale of what may happen if drastic changes are made too fast. Snowe is a Republican that supports healthcare reform but is against the public option. Budgeting problems have caused Maine to cap enrollment of its own public option health insurance plan at under 9,000. The federal government, unlike most states, is allowed to run a deficit. However, it isn’t exactly rolling in the money right now either.

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