Health Buzz: House Sets Sights on Health Insurance for All and Other Health News

House Sets Sights on Health Insurance for All

House Democrats are considering key health insurance legislation. One change would mandate that employers provide their employees with coverage or pay a percentage of their payroll to the government; another would add a public plan to be run by the government, the Associated Press reports. The plan would also require all Americans to get health coverage. Families that make less than about $88,000 could get government-subsidized care. A cost estimate hasn't yet been offered by the House, but independent experts think it may be close $1.5 trillion over 10 years. The plan is part of a government effort to transform the healthcare system, and President Obama has asked Congress for $634 billion over the next 10 years as a down payment on that transformation. Earlier this week, healthcare industry groups met with Obama and pledged to reduce healthcare costs by $2 trillion by 2019.

For more on health insurance, see U.S. News's rankings: America's Best Health Plans. Consider these COBRA basics and learn how to pick a health plan.

Patenting Breast Cancer Genes: Good for Patients?

Breast cancer patients filed a lawsuit this week against Myriad Genetics, a company that holds a patent on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Mutations of the two genes are linked to breast cancer (even in men) and ovarian cancer. The lawsuit, organized by the American Civil Liberties Union, will make a judge decide whether companies should be allowed to patent genes that occur naturally in the human body. "The patents granted to Myriad give the company the exclusive right to perform diagnostic tests on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and to prevent any researcher from even looking at the genes without first getting permission from Myriad," states a press release issued by the ACLU. The organization contends that Myriad's right to these genes "hampers clinical diagnosis" and discourages research on the gene mutations.

Lawsuit plaintiffs also claim the cost of the test, about $3,000, is too high and would be driven down if more companies offered it. Some patients, whose close relatives have the disease, also want the option of having a repeat test by another lab if their results come back negative for the mutation.

Learn 7 things to consider if breast cancer runs in your family. Before you have a screening test (for any type of cancer), here are questions to ask your physician.

An Elbow Syndrome? From a Cellphone?

When talking on a cellphone without a headset, you may hold your elbow in an unnatural, flexed position at an angle greater than 90 degrees. Doing that for a long time can lead to cubital tunnel syndrome, a nerve condition similar to carpal tunnel syndrome that could—at worst—cause you to lose strength in your hand. Long periods of sitting at a desk while leaning your elbow against a chair's armrest or flexing your elbow as you use a computer can also cause the condition in which the ulnar nerve—which runs from underneath the collarbone down along the interior of the upper arm through the cubital tunnel—can become compressed, causing symptoms that can spread from your hand to your forearm.

People with elbow pain should straighten the joint and rest it. If cellphone use seems to be the culprit, there is a simple solution: Buy a cellphone headset. Or try switching hands frequently while talking on the phone in order avoid unduly stressing one arm or the other. People with cubital tunnel syndrome can wear elbow pads or splints to keep their elbows properly positioned. Other treatments include physical therapy, anti-inflammatory meds, or surgery to decompress the ulnar nerve.

Consider how your Blackberry could be causing your thumb pain, and see U.S. News's condition page for bones, joints, and muscles.

—Megan Johnson

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