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Some Small Businesses Must Cut Employee Health Benefits Or Lay Off Workers Amid Economic Recession
Small businesses increasingly are eliminating their employee health coverage plans because of rising health care premiums and declining revenue attributed to the current economic recession, the Wall Street Journal reports. About 10% of small companies are considering ending their employee health coverage plans over the next year, compared with 3% of small businesses in 2005, according to a recent survey by the National Small Business Association. In 2008, 38% of small companies offered health coverage, compared with 41% in 2007 and 61% in 1993, according to NSBA. According to a Hewitt Associates survey, 19% of all U.S. businesses plan to halt providing health care benefits to their employees in the next three to five years.A rise in health care coverage premiums has contributed to employers eliminating plans, according to the Journal. Premiums for single policies increased by 74% for small businesses from 2001 to 2008, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. According to Scott Krienke, senior vice president of product lines for Assurant Health, health insurance premiums for small businesses increase by 8% to 16% annually on average, with smaller firms often having the highest increases. According to the Journal, many employers are choosing to eliminate health coverage instead of eliminating jobs or closing down their business. Some businesses have chosen instead to shift more health care costs to workers, change health insurers, switch prescription drug plans to encourage employees to purchase more generic drugs or offer employees wellness plans that encourage healthy habits as a strategy to reduce health care costs, the Journal reports (Mattioli, Wall Street Journal, 5/26).
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The Melanoma Research Alliance Awards Nearly Two Million Dollars In Research Grants That Address The Gap In Translational Science
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) announced the recipients of nearly two million dollars in grants to fund 13 individual scientists pursuing innovative melanoma research proposals. This second round of MRA grants is focused on research that addresses the gap in translational science.
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Genentech And Biogen Idec Submit Applications To The FDA For Rituxan For Most Common Type Of Adult Leukemia
Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec (Nasdaq:BIIB) announced that the companies submitted two supplemental Biologics License Applications (sBLAs) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Rituxan® (rituximab) plus standard chemotherapy for people with previously untreated or treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The companies will request a priority review, and if granted, anticipate the FDA will make a decision within six months.
Public Health

World Heart Federation Warns That Burden Of Tobacco Epidemic Continues To Worsen Societies And Economies

G-20 leaders pledged to provide the International Monetary Fund with $500 billion to help struggling economies, sparking global controversy. Yet startling research shows that the combined costs of tobacco-related death and related productivity losses, healthcare expenditures, employee absenteeism, and widespread environmental harm are responsible for draining the same amount - $500 billion - from the global economy each year and it receives much less attention than it deserves. In recognition of World No Tobacco Day on 31st May, the World Heart Federation insists on bringing more attention to the impact of tobacco on health and disease. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and is closely linked to cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. In 2010, it is estimated that six million people will die from the effects of tobacco - more than from HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined - and nearly three-quarters (72%) will be in low- and middle-income countries. Using tobacco causes clogging of the arteries, heart disease, stroke, sudden death and heart failure. Dr. Pekka Puska, President of the World Heart Federation stated: "This year we embrace the WHO theme of tobacco health warnings and demand that the tobacco industry display pictorial warnings on all tobacco packages in order to clearly and effectively communicate tobacco"s deadly consequences." Studies show that pictorial warnings work: they effectively motivate users to quit and reduce the appeal of tobacco for those who are not yet addicted. The World Heart Federation supports its members around the world to advocate for pictorial labeling, working with Ministries of Health, the media and businesses. But 9 out of 10 people live in countries that do not require warnings with pictures on tobacco packages. One successful example is in the Caribbean. Debbie Chen, Executive Director of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica, coordinates a coalition of partners, which includes the Heart and Stroke Foundation of the Barbados and the InterAmerican Heart Foundation, with a Bloomberg Award grant for Global Tobacco Control. She said: "We were convinced that labeling could help us when we read research from other countries. We have accelerated the process in the region and are determining which warnings will have the strongest impact in four Caribbean countries." Worldwide, tobacco control is one of the simplest ways to reduce cardiovascular disease; in low-re settings its feasibility and cost-effectiveness only magnifies its importance. About World No Tobacco Day and Warnings To know more about the World No Tobacco Day, and download toolkits, please visit: http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2009. To know more about the Framework Convention, please visit: http://www.fctc.org. To know more about countries that are working on ensuring tobacco products have pictorial labels, please visit: http://www.tobaccolabels.ca/labelima World Heart Federation


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