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$13.4 Million NIH Grant Received By Pitt To Create Virtual Models For Swine Flu, Epidemics
As the world prepares for a probable resurgence of H1N1 in the coming months, University of Pittsburgh researchers are controlling the spread of infectious diseases virtually with a $13.4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to establish a Center of Excellence in Modeling of Infectious Diseases. The five-year grant, part of the NIH"s Modeling of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS) program, funds the development and testing of computer simulations that will ultimately enable public health officials and policymakers to evaluate intervention strategies to contain infectious disease outbreaks.
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House Democrats Push Their Health Reform Plan
House Democrats" health care bill draft released Friday is likely to survive relatively intact, "including a robust new Medicare-like public health plan that would compete with private companies in a national health insurance exchange," Roll Call reports.
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Mouse Study Shows PET Can Measure Effectiveness Of Novel Breast Cancer Treatment
A new study published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that positron emission tomography (PET) scans in mice can be used to determine whether a novel type of breast cancer treatment is working as intended. Researchers successfully used PET and a specially-developed radioactive compound to image HER2 - a protein often associated with aggressive breast cancer - in breast cancer cells before and after treatment aimed at decreasing HER2 expression. This molecular imaging methodology could facilitate development of new targeted therapies not only for breast cancer, but also for certain types of ovarian, prostate, and lung cancers that may be aggravated due to HER2.
Public Health

430,000 West Virginians Are In Families That Will Spend More Than 10 Percent Of Their Income On Health Care In 2009

A report released by the consumer health organization Families USA spotlights a growing crisis among insured families, as rising health care costs devour a growing portion of their pre-tax income. In the United States, 64.4 million people under age 65 are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax family income on health care in 2009, and 82.6 percent of those people are insured-an increase of 22.7 million such people since 2000. In West Virginia alone, 430,000 people under age 65 are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax family income on health care in 2009, and 83.5 percent of those West Virginia families have insurance. In addition, there are 141,000 West Virginians in families that will spend more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. "As our findings make clear, high health care costs are not just a problem of the uninsured," Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, said today. "More and more families with insurance are affected by rising health care costs, and, for many, the burden of these costs is becoming too great to bear." That this problem is affecting more and more families is an essential element of this 2009 report, an update of a 2007 Families USA report that was the first of its kind to document these costs on a state-specific basis. The report shows that the number of insured people in families paying 10 or 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care has climbed dramatically in West Virginia, a symptom of the runaway costs plaguing the U.S. health care system. The report reveals: - 430,000 non-elderly West Virginians are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. - Between 2000 and 2009, the number of people in families spending more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care will have increased by 141,000, or 48.9 percent. - More than eight out of 10 people (83.5 percent) in families spending more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care are insured. - 359,000 non-elderly West Virginians with insurance are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. The report also looks at the number of people in families that spend more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care costs: - 141,000 West Virginians are in families that will spend more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. - Between 2000 and 2009, the number of people in families spending more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care will have increased by 47,000, or 50.7 percent. - Nearly four out of five people (78 percent) in families spending more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care are insured. - 110,000 West Virginians with insurance are in families that will spend more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on health care in 2009. As the Families USA report demonstrates, hundreds of thousands of West Virginians are in families that face high health care costs. A number of factors have driven this phenomenon. First and foremost, health insurance premiums are increasing. As premiums rise, employers are forced to make tough decisions, particularly in this recession, about the coverage they offer to their employees. Some drop coverage, others increase the share of the premium that employees must pay, and more offer insurance that covers fewer services and/or requires high out-of-pocket costs. As a result, West Virginia families must shoulder a greater portion of health care costs. "West Virginia families are hit hard in the wallet because of skyrocketing health costs," Pollack said. "As a result, West Virginians are spending much larger portions of their family incomes on health care costs-and health care is becoming less and less affordable. "The growing burden of health care costs on West Virginia families is a clear signal that health care reform is overdue," Pollack said. Families USA


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