Health Highlights: Sept. 16, 2009
Sept. 17 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Senate Introduces $856 Billion Health Care Bill
Under a new bill introduced Wednesday, all Americans would have to buy health care insurance or pay a fine, and insurance companies would be forbidden to charge higher premiums to people with serious health problems.
The $856 billion, 10-year version of health system reform was introduced by Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. There don't appear to be any Republican backers, which means the bill faces a rough ride through Congress, the Associated Press reported.
"The Finance Committee has carefully worked through the details of health care reform to ensure this package works for patients, for health care providers and for our economy," Baucus said.
Under a new purchasing exchange, people could shop for and compare insurance plans. The bill would also expand Medicaid and place caps on patients' yearly health costs, the AP reported.
The bill doesn't include a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, once one of the key goals of President Barack Obama's proposed health care reform package.
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Coronary Artery Disease No Longer Top Cause of Hospitalization in U.S.
From 1997 and 2007, the number of Americans admitted to hospital for treatment of coronary artery disease decreased by 31 percent, which means it's no longer the No. 1 disease treated in hospitals. Pneumonia was the most common disease treated in U.S. hospitals in 2007.
A analysis of national data also showed that hospitalizations for heart attack decreased 15 percent (732,000 to 625,000) from 1997 to 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. That means that heart attacks have moved from No. 4 to No. 10.
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