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| Wisconsin governor wants to cut income taxes, public school aid Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 07:41 PM PST  (Reuters) - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker proposed a nearly $70 billion biennial budget on Wednesday that combines income tax cuts with increased spending on transportation infrastructure and private education. Walker, a first-term Republican facing re-election next year, said he would offset the tax cuts and spending increases contained in his 2013-2015 budget by redirecting some funds away from public schools and healthcare, freezing aid to local governments and selling off state assets such as power plants. ... Full Story | Top |
| Weary Marino bids farewell to WTA and cyber-bullies Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 05:15 PM PST  TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Rebecca Marino, a rising star in women's tennis, stepped away from the sport in search of a normal life on Wednesday, weary of battling depression and cyber-bullies. Ranked number 38 in the world two years ago, the 22-year-old admitted she had long suffered from depression and was no longer willing to make the sacrifices necessary to reach the top. "After thinking long and hard, I do not have the passion or enjoyment to drive myself to the level I would like to be at in professional tennis," Marino explained in a conference call. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida governor backs limited Medicaid expansion Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 05:08 PM PST  TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Florida Governor Rick Scott backed a limited expansion of healthcare coverage for the poor on Wednesday, joining six other Republican governors who have agreed to the measure under President Barack Obama's landmark reform law. Scott, a wealthy former healthcare executive and vocal critic of the law known as Obamacare, had balked previously at expanding Medicaid. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tennis-Weary Marino bids farewell to WTA and cyber-bullies Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 05:04 PM PST TORONTO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Canada's Rebecca Marino, a rising star in women's tennis, stepped away from the sport in search of a normal life on Wednesday, weary of battling depression and cyber-bullies. Ranked number 38 in the world two years ago, the 22-year-old admitted she had long suffered from depression and was no longer willing to make the sacrifices necessary to reach the top. "After thinking long and hard, I do not have the passion or enjoyment to drive myself to the level I would like to be at in professional tennis," Marino explained in a conference call. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. deserves top mad-cow rating, health officials say Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 04:26 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is expected to get the top safety rating for mad cow disease in spring, under a recommendation from international livestock health experts that was greeted on Wednesday as a sure-fire boost to U.S. beef exports. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the recommended upgrade, to "negligible" from "controlled" risk, was proof that U.S. beef meets the highest safety standards in the world. A trade group, the U.S. Cattlemen's Association, said the move was "a big step forward towards enhancing our export opportunities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Health-conscious Americans hurt aluminum can market Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 03:47 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. aluminum can sales are set to slow in 2013 for a third straight year as more consumers ditch sodas for healthier options such as water and iced teas, traditionally bottled in plastic or glass. The loss of market share in the fizzy drinks capital of the world, also due to loud anti-obesity campaigns such as those promoted by Walt Disney and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has forced producers of sheet aluminum for cans, as well as can fabricators, to seek new, more profitable markets abroad. ... Full Story | Top |
| FDA approves new silicone breast implant from Allergan Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 03:15 PM PST (Reuters) - Health regulators said on Wednesday they have approved a new silicone gel-filled breast implant made by Allergan Inc. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it approved Allergan's Natrelle 410 implants to increase breast size in women 22 years and older and to rebuild breast tissue in women of any age. The silicone gel in the Natrelle 410 implant is designed to be firmer than that in Allergan's previous Natrelle implant. The FDA requires Allergan to conduct a series of studies after the product is approved to assess the long term safety. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield antitrust lawsuits pile up Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 02:50 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A litigation onslaught facing the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its 38 member health plans over alleged antitrust violations has snowballed ahead of a legal status conference scheduled for Thursday. Three more lawsuits were filed last week alleging a conspiracy among the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member plans to divide the U.S. healthcare market into geographical areas that allowed plans to avoid competing with each other. At least 27 lawsuits have now been filed. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. issues final word on essential benefits under "Obamacare" Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 02:26 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday issued its long-awaited final rule on what states and insurers must do to provide the essential health benefits required in the individual and small-group market beginning in 2014 under the healthcare reform law. A cornerstone of President Barack Obama's plan to enhance the breadth of healthcare coverage in the United States, the mandate allows the 50 U.S. states a role in identifying benefit requirements and grants insurers a phased-in accreditation process for plans sold on federal healthcare exchanges. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bolivia's Morales says was unable to see Chavez in Venezuela Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 02:23 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Wednesday he was unable to see his friend, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when he stopped in Caracas on his way to the United Nations in New York because the socialist leader was still being treated for cancer. Morales, who was in Caracas on Tuesday, said he spoke with Chavez's family and doctor and described the socialist leader's surprise return to Venezuela on Monday - more than two months after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba - as a "great relief. ... Full Story | Top |
| Antioxidants may not ward off strokes, dementia Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 01:16 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who eat diets high in antioxidants may not have a lower risk of dementia or stroke, a new study suggests. Researchers found that people who ate or drank lots of coffee, tea, oranges and red wine were just as likely to develop neurological problems over the next 14 years as those who skimped on antioxidant-rich foods. "The literature on antioxidants and dementia has been mixed," said Elizabeth Devore, who led the new research at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. ... Full Story | Top |
| No long-term cost savings with weight loss surgery Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 01:11 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Weight loss surgery does not lower health costs over the long run for people who are obese, according to a new study. Some researchers had suggested that the initial costs of surgery may pay off down the road, when people who've dropped the extra weight need fewer medications and less care in general. The new report joins other recent studies challenging that theory (see Reuters Health story of Jul 16, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/NrQKPU). ... Full Story | Top |
| Stress and anxiety linked to sperm quality Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 12:39 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A man's ability to produce sperm may depend on his ability to handle stress, according to a new study from Italy. Researchers found that men with higher levels of both short- and long-term stress and anxiety ejaculated less semen and had lower sperm concentration and counts. Men with the highest anxiety levels were also more likely to have sperm that were deformed or less mobile. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil, Russia move closer to arms, technology deals Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 11:34 AM PST  BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil agreed on Wednesday to negotiate the purchase of Russian anti-aircraft missile batteries on the condition that Russia transfer the technology to Brazilian defense companies without restrictions. The agreement was announced after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on a visit to Brazil to advance defense, energy and agricultural deals with a fellow member of the BRICS bloc of emerging nations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ozone levels linked to cardiac arrest Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013 10:38 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cardiac arrests are more likely when levels of air pollution - especially soot-like particles and ozone - have been high in recent days or even hours, according to a large study from Texas. Evidence already links airborne particles with heart disease and lung problems but the new findings are the first to show that high ozone may immediately raise the risk that a person's heart will stop beating. ... Full Story | Top |
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