health - "report"

Connecticut officials on Monday launched a new health insurance program, called the Charter Oak Health Plan, that is expected to expand coverage to 19,200 uninsured adults in its first year, the Hartford Courant reports. State residents ages 19 to 65 who do not qualify for existing state health insurance programs and are not insured through an employer are eligible for the plan, as well as those paying high premiums through private insurance, such as COBRA.read more

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Protection Plan Progress report, released today in conjunction with the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety Action Plan Update, shows significant areas of activity to further improve the safety of America's food supply since unveiling its Food Protection Plan in November 2007.The improvements highlight the agency's efforts to address domestic and global changes in our food supply to help keep consumers enjoying one of the safest food supplies in the world.read more

North Carolina health care insurers must provide the same amount of coverage for certain mental conditions as they do for physical ailments under a state law that took effect on Tuesday, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The North Carolina General Assembly last year passed the 'mental health parity' measure to require that nine common mental health conditions be covered at levels equal to physical conditions.read more

Black women taking low-dose oral contraceptives have a risk of side effects that can lead to heart disease and diabetes, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, Reuters health reports. For the study, NIH researcher Anne Summer and colleagues examined 104 healthy black women who did not have diabetes. Twenty-one of the women were taking oral contraceptives and 83 were not.read more

Indian generic pharmaceutical company Cipla recently received full FDA approval to sell and market in the U.S. an oral generic version of the antiretroviral drug zidovudine, the Drug Industry Daily reports. Cipla's application for zidovudine was considered under the expedited review provisions of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Drug Industry Daily, 6/30).read more

A new report published today by the Minnesota Department of health documents significant reductions in the number of methamphetamine (meth) labs and meth users in Minnesota over the past few years. The report, Methamphetamine in Minnesota: a report on the impact of one illicit drug, is the first comprehensive review of the impact of meth in Minnesota. It describes historical trends and economic costs of meth use; outcomes of the 2005 anti-meth law; and the range of national, state and local efforts aimed at combating meth.read more

India has managed to reduce the rate of HIV transmission in some states through increased awareness, resources and legislation, according to a report released Monday by India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Reuters reports.

The number of abortions in Wisconsin declined for the fourth year in a row in 2007, marking the lowest recorded number since the state began tracking abortions in 1974, according to a report by the state Department of health and Family Services, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Summaries of recent news about Medicaid programs in California, Maryland, Mississippi and Nevada appear below.California: The state's new fiscal year began on Tuesday, but lawmakers have not yet approved a state budget, which will prevent most physicians, hospitals, pharmacists and adult day care centers from receiving Medicaid payments, the Sacramento Bee reports.

GlaxoSmithKline on Monday said it does not expect to receive FDA approval for its human papillomavirus vaccine Cervarix until late 2009, Reuters reports. GSK said it has decided to wait until results from a Phase III trial of the vaccine are available before seeking U.S. approval.