FEATURE ARTICLE
Obama to order FDA to help to reduce drug shortages
Associated Press, Source: cleveland.com

FEATURE ARTICLE
How safe is your hospital? New website lets you check
Government website lists rates of surgical complications, infections and other problems
By Jordan Rau, MSNBC, Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NEWSFEEDS

ELDER LAW
Elder Law Answers 

IRS issues long-term care premium deductibility limits for 2012
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is increasing the amount taxpayers can deduct from their 2012 taxes as a result of buying long-term care insurance . . .

Social Security benefits to rise 3.6 percent
After receiving no cost-of-living increase (COLA) for two years running, the nation's 63 million elderly and disabled . . .

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LEGISLATIVE

Elder Law
Bills Introduced
S 1750 (Franken, D-MN), to amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to establish a Home Care Consumer Bill of Rights and to establish State Home Care Ombudsman Programs; to Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. CR 10/20/11, S6871.

S 1744 (Klobuchar, D-MN), to provide funding for state courts to assess and improve the handling of proceedings relating to adult guardianship and conservatorship, to authorize the attorney general to carry out a pilot program for the conduct of background checks on individuals to be appointed as guardians or conservators, and to promote the widespread adoption of information technology to better monitor, report, and audit conservatorships of protected persons; to Judiciary. CR 10/20/11, S6871.

Health Law
Bills Introduced
S 1718 (Wyden, D-OR), to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to the application of Medicare secondary payer rules for certain claims; to Finance. CR 10/17/11, S6600.

HR 3218 (Bucschon, R-IN), to amend Section 1343 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to ensure the privacy of individually identifiable health information in connection with risk adjustment; to Energy and Commerce. CR 10/14/11, H6976.

ARTICLES

Health/Heathcare
5 surprising signs of an unhealthy heart
By Melanie Haiken, caring.com

6 drinks that lower blood pressure
By Nikki Jong, caring.com

Heart failure hospitalizations drop, saving billions
By Crystal Phend, ABC News

Ailing and overweight Americans cost billions in productivity
Full-time U.S. workers who have chronic health troubles or are overweight cost more than $153 billion in lost productivity each year from absenteeism, according to a Gallup-Healthways study released on Monday.
By Ian Simpson, Reuters

Top 10 hidden sources of salt
By Rebecca S. Boxer, M.D., caring.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Walter T. Burke
Louise P. Dempsey
Ruth L. Kleinfeld

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