health - "report"

In an article in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Andy Miller reported that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia ('Blue Cross'), Georgia's largest health insurance provider, sent an estimated 202,000 'Explanation of Benefit' ('EOB') and other letters to the wrong addresses last week, exposing patient names, social security numbers, medical conditions, treatment information, and other health and personal information to potential identity thieves.read more

New Star Guide Rates Water Quality and Safety of Popular Beaches Across the Coasts.The water at American beaches was unsafe for swimming last year with the second-highest number of beach closing and advisory days ever, according to the 18th annual beach water quality report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).read more

CHICAGO -- An old drug for urinary tract infections, methylene blue (Urolene Blue), may hold the key to a therapy that can slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease for as long as 19 months, researchers here reported.

By Will DunhamWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The numbers of people dying of AIDS and becoming infected with the virus that causes it have dropped modestly in recent years amid intensified global efforts to fight the disease, a U.N. agency said on Tuesday.About 33 million people globally were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus in 2007 -- most in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert -- down from 33.2 million in 2006, the annual United Nations report on the AIDS epidemic said.The number of AIDS deaths fell for the second straight year, with an estimated 2 million people succumbing to the disease in 2007, according to the report by UNAIDS. AIDS deaths had climbed steadily through 2005 since the disease was first identified in the early 1980s.

There have been significant gains in preventing new HIV infections in a number of heavily-affected countries, a UNAids report says.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An earthquake struck east of Los Angeles on Tuesday and was felt hundreds of miles south to the Mexican border and east to Las Vegas, but there were no reports of injuries, major structural damage or power outages.

All Associated Press news NEW YORK (AP) - Altria Group Inc. reports second-quarter results on Thursday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.OVERVIE...

CHICAGO -- A unique approach to mild Alzheimer's disease that targets the interaction of zinc and copper and amyloid beta showed safety and efficacy in a small clinical trial, researchers reported here.

A six-week extended course of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine did not clearly show a reduced risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission among breastfed infants, according to a study published Saturday in the journal Lancet, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, breastfeeding 'presents a life-and-death dilemma' for HIV-positive mothers in developing countries.read more

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt last week met with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and other policymakers to discuss changes to the state's Medicaid program, among other issues, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The meeting comes 18 months after the state rejected a Leavitt-backed plan to restructure safety net funding, according to the Times-Picayune.The meeting focused on three issues: * Changing the Medicaid program into an HMO-style system in which beneficiaries would choose a managed care plan and use local clinics;read more