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☆ US Justice Dept appeals Obamacare ruling blocking coverage mandate- White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is appealing a decision by a Texas judge that blocked Obamacare's mandate that health insurance plans cover preventive care at no cost to patients, the White House said on Friday. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday blocked the federal government from enforcing requirements that insurance plans cover preventive care, including screenings for certain cancers and pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV (PrEP). If O'Connor's ruling is not paused or overturned on appeal, insurers will be able to charge patients copays and deductibles for such services in new insurance plans. "The president is glad to see the Department of Justice is appealing the judge's decision," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. "Preventive care saves lives, saves families money, and protects and improves our health," she said.

☆ Judge strikes down Obamacare coverage of preventive care for cancers, diabetes, HIV and other conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A federal judge on Thursday struck down an Obamacare mandate that required most private health insurance plans to cover preventive care such as certain cancer screenings and HIV prevention drugs. You can find the full list of covered preventive services the judge struck down here. Judge Reed O'Connor in U.S. Northern District of Texas struck down those coverage requirements and blocked the federal government from enforcing them. The Affordable Care Act mandated free coverage of health services recommended by an independent panel of experts called the Preventive Services Task Force. They had also sought to overturn the federal mandate that requires Obamacare compliant plans to cover birth control with no out-of-pocket costs.

☆ U.S. seeks to expand birth control coverage under Obamacare
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Ahmed Aboulenein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A sign on an insurance store advertises Obamacare in San Ysidro, San Diego, California, U.S., October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Mike BlakeWASHINGTON (Reuters) -Women whose employers have opted out of covering contraceptives under their health insurance plans on religious grounds would gain no-cost access to birth control under a rule proposed by the Biden administration on Monday. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, requires private insurance plans to cover recommended preventive services including contraception without any patient cost-sharing, but current regulations grant exemptions for religious or moral objections. If the new rule is implemented, women enrolled in plans governed by the ACA would gain birth control coverage regardless of employer exemption, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement. The rule would also remove employer moral objections as grounds for exemption from coverage but keep religious ones in place.

More men are being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that is less likely to respond to treatments, a new study from the American Cancer Society suggests. Even more concerning than the rise in advanced cancer diagnoses is the increased number of prostate cancer deaths. “This increase is concerning and requires a new look at prostate cancer screening,” Tewari said. Essentially, that’s like 16 Boeing 747s crashing.”Black men had a 70% higher incidence of prostate cancer than white men. Declines in prostate cancer screeningIn 1994, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of measurements of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) to be used as part of a screening test for prostate cancer.

☆ A Silicon Valley biotech just showed a simple blood test can detect a hidden and deadly type of cancer. But the results fell short of investors' hopes.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Leah Rosenbaum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Guardant Health said that its blood test to screen for cancer caught 83% of colorectal cancer cases. On Thursday, Silicon Valley-based biotech Guardant Health announced that its blood-based cancer screening test correctly caught colorectal cancer cases in 83% of people who had the disease. The company already has several products on the market, including Guardant360CDx, an FDA-approved blood test to test cancer genomic markers that could help show what treatments the cancers are susceptible to. Colonoscopies are still the gold standard of colorectal cancer screening, despite involving sedation and hours of unpleasant physical preparation. And while colorectal cancer is the first cancer that is being studied for a blood-based screening, it certainly won't be the last.

☆ Only 14% of diagnosed cancers in the US are detected by screening, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A small proportion – 14.1% – of all diagnosed cancers in the United States are detected by screening with a recommended screening test, according to a new report. “I was shocked that only 14% of cancers were detected by screening. I think, for many people, we talk so much about cancer screening that we imagine that that’s how all cancers are diagnosed. She suspects that the percentage of cancers detected by screening could now be even lower than what was found in the new report. “I definitely think that the percent of cancers detected by screening would have been lower as a result of the pandemic.

☆ How to screen for colon cancer
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A representative for Alley confirmed to CNN via email on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to her death. Colorectal cancer, which includes colon and rectal cancers, is the second most common cause of death from cancer in 2022, outranked only by lung and bronchus cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program. Regular checkups are the best way to keep colon cancer at bay, according to the US Preventive Services Task Force. DNA stool test: A DNA stool test is another option, the society said. “You didn’t put the scope in yet, did you?” asked Couric, whose husband, Jay Monahan, had died from colon cancer at age 42 in 1998.

☆ Lower prostate cancer screening rates linked with more advanced cancers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Nancy Lapid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe benefits of screening for prostate cancer have been controversial. At individual facilities, higher rates of screening were linked with lower rates of subsequent diagnoses of advanced cancers. But for every 10% decrease in screening, there was a corresponding 10% increase in metastatic prostate cancer incidence five years later, the researchers said. Rose noted that while the USPSTF advice to limit prostate cancer screening has resulted in lower rates of prostate cancer diagnoses, rates of metastatic prostate cancer have increased "more dramatically." A spokesperson for the USPSTF said an update to its prostate cancer screening recommendation is not currently underway.

☆ Kids ages 8 and up should be screened for anxiety, U.S. health panel recommends
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Earlier this week the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that primary care doctors screen all children ages 8 to 18 for anxiety, regardless of whether or not they are showing symptoms. It also reaffirmed that children ages 12 to 18 should be screened for depression, guidance it has given in previous years. From 2016 to 2019, some 5.7 and 2.8 million children were diagnosed with anxiety and depression, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "For older children and teens, screening and follow-up care can reduce symptoms of depression and can improve, and potentially resolve, anxiety," the statement reads. "However, there is very limited evidence on the benefits and harms of screening children younger than 8 for anxiety and younger than 12 for depression."

The recommendation from the independent panel of experts applies to children who aren't showing any signs or symptoms of a mental health problem. The health panel's new guidance represents a final set of recommendations for mental health screening for children. The problem, however, is that there is a dearth of mental health professionals trained to help such children. A second report found that emergency room visits related to children’s mental health rose dramatically in 2020, compared with 2019. But Pbert said that true mental health problems in children can result in excessive behavior changes.

☆ Anxiety: Influential task force recommends screening kids 8 and older
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Naomi Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —For the first time, the US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended screening for anxiety in children 8 and older. In its final recommendations, published Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA, the task force also urged screening for depression in children 12 and older, consistent with recommendations from 2016. The members considered recommendations on screening for suicide risk in children and adolescents but said there’s not enough evidence on its harms and benefits. Last month, the task force posted draft recommendations that for the first time said adults under 65 be screened for anxiety. “It is not coincidental that the USPSTF considered evidence for suicide and depression screening in the same updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review,” he wrote.

☆ Fact Check-Vitamin D is not 'the most effective medicine against cancer'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There is no evidence to support claims recently made online that vitamin D is “the most effective medicine against cancer” or that taking the vitamin prevents cancer or lowers the odds of dying from the disease, according to scientific analyses. In a follow-up analysis of the data (here ) , the same team found that taking vitamin D was associated with lower incidence of advanced cancers, but only among normal-weight individuals. If it can be confirmed, they said vitamin D might help slow cancer progression at lower cost than current cancer drugs,“Even if vitamin D effects were modest, vitamin D supplementation at the studied levels is much less toxic and lower cost than many current cancer therapies.”The researchers, however, did not suggest it would be more effective than existing cancer treatments. There is no evidence that vitamin D prevents cancer, or treats cancer more effectively than existing medicines. A large research review found no effect on cancer incidence or mortality from taking vitamin D. A large clinical trial found a possible slowing of cancer progression in people who do develop tumors, and concluded that if the effect could be confirmed, vitamin D might provide a “modest” benefit.

☆ Weekly Health Quiz: Broken Hearts, Anxiety and Exercise
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Knvul Sheikh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

What new guideline is the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force proposing for anxiety screening as Americans struggle to cope with illness, isolation and other stressors like inflation?

☆ Most Adults Should Be Screened for Anxiety, U.S. Panel Recommends
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Brianna Abbott | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Many Americans are reporting symptoms of anxiety disorders and depression following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adults under the age of 65 should be screened for anxiety disorders and all adults should be checked for depression, a government-backed panel said, as many Americans report symptoms of these mental-health conditions following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The draft guidance released Tuesday marks the first time that the United States Preventive Services Task Force has made a recommendation on screening adults for anxiety disorders. The move comes months after the task force issued similar draft guidance for children and adolescents.

☆ U.S. adults should get routine anxiety screening, panel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. doctors should regularly screen all adults under 65 for anxiety, an influential health guidelines group proposed Tuesday. It’s the first time the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended anxiety screening in primary care for adults without symptoms. “The most important thing to recognize is that a screening test alone is not sufficient to diagnose anxiety,” Pbert said. The group continues to recommend depression screening for adults and children, but said there isn’t enough evidence to evaluate potential benefits and harms of suicide screening in adults who show no worrisome symptoms. In 2020, a group affiliated with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended routine primary care anxiety screening for women and girls starting at age 13.

☆ For the first time, US task force proposes recommendation to screen for anxiety in adults
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Naomi Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The task force defines anxiety disorders as "characterized by greater duration or intensity of a stress response over everyday events." Screening tools already availableThe anxiety recommendation would apply to adults 19 and older who do not have a diagnosed mental health disorder. The statements are for anxiety screening in adults over the age of 65 and for screening of suicide risk in adults. The task force members also hope the recommendations will elevate awareness about the need for mental health screening and treatment. "We would like people to be honest, to provide their input and perspectives," Pbert said, adding that the task force will read every comment.

☆ A youth mental-health crisis is crushing working parents — and employers need to pay attention.
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-13 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The upshot: Today's working parents are under enormous pressure, and their stress has quickly gone from leaking into their professional life to crashing through the floodgates. It's up to employers, experts say, to help working parents manage their priorities and offer flexibility to face this daunting reality. Recognizing the pressures that exist for working parents right now is a good starting point. Importantly, she said, working parents need to be self-compassionate. "What our children need from us changes, and the roles we need to play for them change," she said.

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