Whooping cough returns in kids as parents skip vaccines

May 25, 2009 - Whooping cough returns in kids as parents skip vaccines By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY Children who aren't vaccinated against whooping cough are 23 times more likely to develop the disease than children who get all of their shots on time, a new study shows. Whooping cough, or pertussis, has been making a resurgence in recent years as more parents decide not to vaccinate their children, says Jason Glanz, author of a study in today's Pediatrics. In a study of 751 children enrolled in Kaiser Permanente of Colorado, one in 20 children who skipped the vaccine developed whooping cough, compared with one in 500 vaccinated children. - 8 Comments

Health care businesses at risk in House overhaul

Oct 30, 2009 - WASHINGTON – The health care overhaul bill produced by House Democrats would impose an array of new taxes, fees and government mandates on major players in the health industry, including insurers, doctors and drugs and medical devices makers. In most cases, the pain has been meted out with an eye toward raising the money needed to finance President Barack Obama's plan for reshaping the health system but also with careful regard for gaining the votes that will be needed to pass a final bill. Democrats hope to vote next week on the measure, which would extend health coverage to tens of millions of Americans who don't have it, impose sweeping new restrictions on private insurers and create a government-run insurance plan to compete with them. - 14 Comments