Obama Defends Reform To Seniors Worried About Medicare Cuts
On Tuesday, President Obama pitched Democrats" health reform plans to senior citizens and assured them that Medicare benefits would not be cut to pay for covering the uninsured, the New York Times reports. Meanwhile, members of Congress said they were "deluged" with constituent calls expressing concern over the future of their Medicare coverage.
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In a disappointing move, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did an about face in issuing a final regulation classifying dental amalgam without calling for stringent precautions for pregnant women and children. Last June, a court settlement filed by the Consumers for Dental Choice required the FDA to withdraw claims of mercury amalgam"s safety from its Web site and issue an advisory indicating: "Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects
on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses." "FDA broke its contract and broke its word that it would put warnings for children and unborn children for neurological damage," said Charles G. Brown, National Counsel for Consumers for Dental Choice, who brought the lawsuit compelling today"s action. "Bowing to the dental products industry, FDA for the first time in its history pulled a warning about neurological harm to children. 
What The Texas Medical Association (TMA) along with Denton County Medical Society (DCMS) physician leaders are hosting a town hall meeting - "a House Call" - this week. Physicians are inviting patients, business leaders, and national and state elected officials to attend the local community House Call on health system reform. Physicians want to learn firsthand how patients feel about the current health system reform proposals. Should there be a "public option?"
Should government overhaul Medicare or Medicaid? These and many more questions are on the table, and the answers affect every single Texan - insured or uninsured, wealthy or poor. 
A bill (HR 252) introduced this month in the Ohio House would require a pregnant woman seeking an abortion to obtain written consent from the fetus" biological father, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. If the woman does not know the identity of the biological father, she would have to provide proof of paternity tests of potential fathers. The bill is sponsored by Rep. John Adams (R) and co-sponsored by four other Republicans.The bill would establish "abortion fraud"
as a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Repeat offenders could be charged with a fifth-degree felony, punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $2,500 fine. The bill is not clear as to who could be fined or jailed. 
Lawmakers are considering two new taxes to help pay for a health care overhaul: a tax on fatty foods and taxing insurers on so-called Cadillac plans. Both proposals were scrutinized in news articles. Forbes reports that while "chances are slim," a fat tax could "help offset the cost of ObamaCare." A study released Monday by the Urban Institute and the University of Virginia found that "a 10% excise or sales tax on fattening foods could raise $522
billion over the next 10 years. A 20% tax could raise $937 billion. Among its other uses (like paying down the deficit), that money could be used to defray the costs of health care reform or to curb the rise in obesity." But one group is "waging a multimillion-dollar media campaign in the Washington, D.C., area to stomp out any thoughts of food or drink taxes."