A look back at some of the top health-related news stories of 2012
The Institute of Medicine confirmed what most of us who pay doctors’ bills have known for years: The U.S. health-care system is sick and needs to purge itself of excess procedures, paperwork and other waste. The September report says $750 billion a year is frittered away on unnecessary services, inefficient delivery of care, excess administrative costs, inflated prices, prevention failures and fraud.
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In a decision that seemed to surprise many, confound some and confuse a couple of media organizations, the Supreme Court finally ruled on the legitimacy of the Affordable Care Act with a rousing—sort of. The court refused to strike down one of the law’s most controversial elements: a requirement that individuals had to buy health insurance or pay for not having it. Pundits pointed to one of the court’s most conservative members, Chief Justice John Roberts, as the likely deciding vote on the issue, and indeed he was—he called it a tax and said it was perfectly within Congress’ right to enact, thereby upholding the mandate and allowing “Obamacare” to go forward.
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Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is getting a second wind, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting the highest number of cases in over five years. In July, the CDC confirmed 18,000 cases nationally, which was double the amount reported during the same time period in 2011. The largest outbreaks were in Washington state, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Colorado.
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Starting in March 2013, New Yorkers craving a big gulp of their favorite soft drink will need to utter four magic words: “Make it a double.” The city’s restaurants and concession stands will be forbidden from selling sugary beverages over 16 ounces, thanks to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s recent mission to improve people’s health whether they like it or not.
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The debate is over—at least until the next study is completed. Earlier this year, millions of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s shoppers were shocked to learn that eating organic isn’t necessarily healthier than more conventional choices. Spending more for organic produce may limit your exposure to pesticides, but the food itself wasn’t found to be more nutritious.
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The Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services set an ambitious new goal this year to come up with an effective treatment for the disease by 2025. The council and its recommendations are part of a new law called the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, which seeks to develop a national plan to address the disease and its treatment.
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Men’s proclivity for beer, Spam and driving fast may not be the cause for them dying sooner than women after all. The real answer as to why females often outlive males may end up coming from studying the lifecycle of the common fruit fly. Researchers in Australia and the United Kingdom have discovered a mutation in the mitochondrial DNA of fruit flies that causes males to age faster. So, what does a fly have in common with a human? Turns out, the flies’ biology is similar to other animals, including humans.
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NYU School of Medicine researchers have given parents one more reason to throw out canned Spaghetti O’s and feed their kids fresh, whole foods. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed Caucasian children with high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine are five times more likely to be obese. BPA is commonly used as a coating on aluminum cans, and has been linked to heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes and other serious illnesses in adults.
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The Virginia General Assembly continued its support for cancer research and treatments in the 2012 session by passing four new cancer-related health care laws. One law requires health insurers to provide the same coverage for chemotherapy administered orally as for those administered intravenously or by injection. Another law sets out requirements for health providers to notify patients post-mammogram of the presence of dense breast tissue, which can sometimes hide cancer or other abnormalities. And, in the state proud of its history in shipbuilding and tobacco farming, two laws dealt with the harsher side of that legacy: Sept. 26 was designated “Mesothelioma Awareness Day,” while a fourth law provides grants to National Cancer Institute-designated health centers in Virginia to conduct cancer research in the state’s tobacco-dependent counties. Tobacco, of course, is the “cash crop” that provided the foundation for Virginia, and ultimately, the United States.
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If your fridge is full of Chinese takeout, then read on: In September, Consumer Reports warned Americans to limit their consumption of rice after finding high levels of arsenic in some varieties. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the claim.
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Over the past two decades, the war on cancer has had both wins and losses, according to a report in “CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.” Death rates are decreasing for colon, breast, prostate and lung cancers, while others, like kidney, thyroid, liver and pancreas cancers, are on the rise.
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Add peanut butter and almond butter to the growing list of recalled foods during 2012. New Mexico-based Sunland Inc. was at the center of the gooey mess, after salmonella-tainted nut butters left 30 people sick—mostly children under age 10—in 19 states between June and September. No deaths were reported.
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More than a thousand protesters converged on the Capitol grounds in Richmond this spring as lawmakers debated whether to require women seeking an abortion in the state to undergo a transvaginal, or internal, ultrasound beforehand. The proposal became fodder for satirists and comedians worldwide. In the wake of the furor, lawmakers ultimately amended the legislation to require only an abdominal, or external, ultrasound. However, physicians are required to ask each woman if she wants to see the results of the ultrasound, and if she refuses, she is required to sign a statement to that effect for her medical records.
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South Dakota-based Beef Products Inc. is suing ABC News for $1.2 billion for its stomach-turning reporting on “pink slime” being added to many of the nation’s ground beef products. Millions of Americans probably considered vegetarianism for the first time when they learned the goop is made from cow parts ordinarily used in dog food, which are pulverized and then soaked in ammonia to kill illness-causing E. coli and salmonella. Can you say, “Buy local”?
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While studying the genetics of breast cancer, researchers from the Cancer Genome Atlas Network were able to group tumors into four different classes. The typing may lead to the identification of weaknesses in certain tumors, more customized treatment plans—and ultimately better survival rates—for breast cancer patients.
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McDonald’s announced in September that all 14,000 of its U.S. stores would comply early with the federal government’s order for all restaurants with 20 or more locations to post calories on their menus by the close of 2013. The chain also introduced several new “healthy” menu items, including an egg white McMuffin, a grilled chicken option for the Happy Meal and seasonal fruits and vegetables as side options. Over the last few years, McDonald’s has added oatmeal to the menu, which is being served all day; the Fruit and Walnut Salad; the Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait; the Premium Ranch BLT Grilled Chicken Sandwich and more. These items and others are featured in “Favorites Under 400 Calories” signage recently placed next to the registers, says Shaye Arluk, McDonald’s Nutritional Consultant for the Hampton Roads region.
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The federal government is attempting what parents have failed at for years: getting kids to eat their vegetables. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture set new guidelines for school lunches, requiring students to put at least one fruit or vegetable onto their tray each day. Lunch ladies report their cafeterias’ trash cans are healthier than ever.
Donna Gregory, A.J. Plunkett and Heather McGinley contributed to this article.