Britain bans smoking in public places

It’s certainly not good news for smokers in Britain as UK implemented a complete ban on smoking in public places with effect from Sunday.
People will not be allowed to smoke in bars, hotels, clubs or any other enclosed public area.

Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, hailed the introduction of the ban — the biggest smoking ban in the world — as an important step towards a healthier population. Over three-quarters of the general public and 73 per cent of regular pub-goers support the ban, according to the Department of Health.

"Labour has taken action to protect people from smoke in their workplace, pub or cafe. A smoke-free country will improve the health of thousands of people ... I am thrilled that my first major announcement as Health Secretary enacts the single most important public health legislation,” he said.

Only prisons, submarines and hospices are exempted. The only option left for people is to go to pubs that have invested in outside facilities. Mot country pubs and a few in cities which have open spaces are also planning to put up marquees and heaters during winters.

The pro-smoking campaign, Freedom2Choose, estimates that up to 3,000 of its members — including owners of social clubs — may refuse to implement the ban. The group has challenged the ban on human rights grounds at the High Court in a bid to "fight against injustice and erosion of freedom and personal liberties".

A leading expert on the effects of tobacco, Professor Sir Richard Peto, said that it will prevent up to half a million deaths a year on the experience of Ireland, where cigarette sales fell by 17 per cent. A similar trend in England could lead to 1.5 million people quitting smoking, where sales of cessation products such as nicotine patches and gum have been rising for weeks.

England was the last part of the UK to ban smoking, following a ban in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Irish Republic has also banned smoking in public. Anyone lighting up in a public place faces a £50 fine — reduced to £30 if paid within 15 days. Owners of pubs, clubs and cafes face much stiffer punishment, with fines of £2,500, for every cigarette smoked at their premises.

Edwards to Detail Health Care Plan

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards wants to reduce the cost of U.S. health care by removing patents for breakthrough drugs and requiring health insurance companies to spend at least 85 percent of their premiums on patient care.

The former North Carolina senator was expected to discuss details of a universal health care proposal he released in February during an appearance Thursday at the Riverside Health Center.

Edwards' plan would remove long-term patents for companies that develop breakthrough drugs and then reap large profits because of the monopolies those patents provide, according to a statement by Edwards obtained Wednesday evening.

Edwards said offering cash incentives instead would allow multiple companies to produce those drugs and drive down prices.

He also was expected to detail a plan requiring health insurance companies to justify their rates by requiring them to spend at least 85 percent of the premiums they collect on patient care. He said New York, Minnesota, New Jersey, Florida already impose similar requirements.

"Three out of 10 health care dollars go to administrative costs. How much of this is spent on insurers giving families the run-around and figuring out how to deny claims?" Edwards said in the statement.

"Americans today aren't getting the quality of health care they pay for and can't afford the cost of the care they do receive," he said.

Edwards said Detroit, where General Motors Corp. (nyse: GM - news - people ), Ford Motor Co. (nyse: F - news - people ) and DaimlerChrysler AG (nyse: DCX - news - people )'s Chrysler Group spend $16 billion annually on health care costs and are expected to pay $114 billion in future retiree benefits, is indicative of health care ailments felt nationwide.

"Here in Detroit, the cost of health care is particularly crippling for business," Edwards said. "These businesses and their unions made a promise to workers and now it's time for the government to hold up its end of the bargain and lower health care costs."

Edwards previously has proposed that employers be required to provide health coverage to workers or pay into a government fund to support insurance, and allow workers to choose among plans.

A rival Democratic presidential candidate, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, has proposed to provide health care to millions of Americans and more affordable medical insurance, financed by tax increases on the wealthy.

International Health Officials Urge Widespread HIV Testing

In issuing new guidelines, UNAIDS and the WHO said 80 percent of people who are infected with the virus that causes AIDS are unaware of their situation.

An estimated 40 million people throughout the world are living with HIV. More than 60 percent live in Africa.

Kevin De Cock, the director of the HIV/AIDS program at the World Health Organization, says the guidelines are essential if people are to be treated. "We think these new guidelines are extremely important as we struggle to move towards universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support which the countries of the world have committed to," he said.

Instead of waiting for patients at walk-in clinics and hospitals to request HIV tests, Paul De Lay of UNAIDS, says the guidelines urge health care workers to offer HIV tests as a routine part of medical care. "It encourages health care providers to recommend an HIV test to people who show symptoms of illness, or who likely benefit in health terms from an HIV test," he said.

But the officials say under no circumstances should people be coerced into taking a test, nor should one be administered without their consent. The officials say those who test positive must also receive counseling afterward.

In addition to getting AIDS treatment they might ordinarily not receive, De Cock says people who know their HIV status are less likely to spread the infection to others. "There are data from the United States certainly showing safer behavior once people know their HIV infection status. Because the overwhelming majority of HIV-infected people wish to do everything they can to prevent transmission to others," he said.

Experts say it is unclear how the recommendations for HIV testing will be received in cash-strapped nations, particularly in Africa. According to one expert, the health care systems in many countries are in disarray, and many people who are HIV-positive fail to seek care until they are very sick.

Health Corp. apologizes for faulty breast cancer tests

The largest health-care corporation in Newfoundland has apologized for failing to fully disclose a review that found hundreds of woman, including 36 who died, received a false result on their breast cancer tests.

Eastern Health CEOGeorge Tilley acknowledges the health corporation knew that more than 300 patients got incorrect results, but initially they only acknowledged 117 cases of women whose treatment changed as a result of new tests.

Tilley told a news conference Friday he takes full responsibility.

"I also appreciate that this issue must be causing incredible anxiety for the families of the women who have passed away," Tilley told reporters. "We sincerely regret that. Unfortunately we simply do not know how many of these patients may have benefited from hormonal therapy," but didn't get it because of the inaccurate results.

The issue, revolving around faulty breast cancer testing done from 1997 to 2005, has sparked a potential class-action suit and threatened to shake public confidence in the health system in the province.

When a breast cancer tumour is removed, tests are done to determine the best treatment depending on whether the cancer cells have estrogen or progesterone receptors. Over 300 women got a false-negative result, meaning they may have been denied an alternate treatment for their cancer. It is not clear that if the 36 other women who didn't get treatment and died could have been saved with different therapies.

Eastern Health first became aware of the problem in 2005, Tilley said. That's when it stopped doing its own tests and began sending all breast cancer tests, including suspect results from tests as far back as 1997, to Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital to be redone.

The first results came back from Mount Sinai in October 2005, and Eastern Health notified the public that 117 results had changed.

Tilley acknowledged that the health corporation did not speak publicly about the additional patients who had a change in test result but no change in treatment plan. But all the women were notified about the changes in their test results.

"We believed at the time that the decision to focus on the 117 was the right one because this was, in our estimation, the critical piece of information. That being said, given the reaction that has come from not releasing the second number, I regret that decision and apologize for any confusion this has caused," he said.

Opposition politicians from two parties have called for a full public inquiry. Premier Danny Williams appears to be leaning in that direction, saying the government has a "moral responsibility" to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible.

A St. John's lawyer is leading a potential class-action lawsuit against Eastern Health on behalf of over 40 survivors and the families of the dead women. Ches Crosbie will be in a St. John's court next week to try to certify the action

President George Bush is pushing his health care proposal that would help provide coverage for the 46 million Americans who do not have any

It is being reported that George Bush has vowed to do whatever is necessary to bring health insurance to those Americans who do not have any. Over 46 million Americans are currently without health insurance, a fact that the US President says is unacceptible.

"From my conversations with Democrats and Republicans, it is clear both parties recognize that strengthening health care for all Americans is one of our most important responsibilities," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "I am confident that if we put politics aside, we can find practical ways to improve our private health care system."

Under Bush's proposed plan, health insurance costs would classify as taxible income: "Today, the tax code unfairly penalizes people who do not get health insurance through their job," stated Bush.

"If you buy health insurance on your own, you pay much more after taxes than if you get it through your job," he said. "I proposed to end this unfair bias in the tax code by creating a standard tax deduction for every American who has health insurance, whether they get it through their job or on their own."

Bush is also proposing a $7000 tax deductible for individuals, and a $15000 tax deductible for families.

"Americans deserve a level playing field," Bush said. "If you're self-employed, a farmer, a rancher or an employee at a small business who buys health insurance
on your own, you should get the same tax advantage as those who get their health insurance through their job at a big business."

A major component to his proposal is taking money that is used to help hospitals cover the costs for the uninsured, and use it to allow individual states to set up programs to assist residents to get health coverage and assist those with high-cost health conditions.

Half-ton man gets to leave house at last

A man who once weighed well over half a ton left his house for the first time in five years Wednesday -- wheeled outside on his bed to greet neighbors and see a mariachi band."The sky is beautiful and blue, and what I want is to enjoy the sun," said Manuel Uribe, who had once been certified by doctors as weighing 1,235 pounds.Though still unable to leave his bed, Uribe has lost 395 pounds since he began a high-protein diet a year ago. He now weighs about 840 pounds.To celebrate the milestone, six people pushed Uribe's wheel-equipped iron bed out to the street as a mariachi band played and a crowd gathered. Then, a forklift lifted him onto a truck and the 41-year-old rode through the streets of San Nicolas de los Garza, a Monterrey suburb.With dozens of reporters and photographers in tow, Uribe traveled along, passing the town's plaza and church and waving at clusters of people eager to get a glimpse of him."It fills me with joy to see he's getting better and getting a little sun," Uribe's neighbor Guadalupe Guerra said. "I would go crazy if I had to be inside my house for so many years."Uribe was a chubby kid and weighed more than 250 pounds as an adolescent. In 1992, when he was 26, his weight began ballooning further, he said.Since the summer of 2002, Uribe has been bedridden, relying on his mother and friends to feed and clean him.He drew worldwide attention in January 2006 when he pleaded for help on national television. Afterward, an Italian and a Spanish doctor both visited and offered gastric bypass surgery.But Uribe chose to accept help from Mexican nutritionists working with the Zone diet. He says he will stick to that diet until he reaches his goal of 265 pounds."My goal is to leave the house on my own but I know that will be a long process," he said. Doctors say it may take three to four years for Uribe to reach his goal.Uribe said he plans to start a foundation to help overweight people get medical assistance and teach them about healthful eating habits.

IT and e-health is 'every nurse's business'

IT and e-health is every nurse’s business because it has to be integrated into practice, nursing leader, June Clark, said on the eve of a major discussion at the Royal College of Nursing’s annual congress this week.

The discussion on the theme “Computerised records – what can they offer?” will be available online at the College website. Professor Clark, a former president of the college and chair of the RCN Information in Nursing Forum, told E-Health Insider she hoped as many people as possible in the e-health community would get involved.

She hopes the session will raise awareness on several fronts: “The first is awareness among nurses that e-health and IT and the introduction of IT into the NHS is every nurses’ business because it has to be integrated into nursing practice,” she said.

“The other awareness that I want to get across to this audience and more generally that electronic patient records must have appropriate nursing content, not just medical content.”

Nursing content, she said, included pre-existing nursing diagnoses for the patient and records of interventions and outcomes. In the case of a patient with diabetes, for example, the electronic record would need to chart progress in teaching the person how to self-administer insulin and manage the condition generally – not just offer lists of blood glucose readings.

“Teaching patients how to manage their lives with diabetes doesn’t show [at present]. The electronic patient record (EPR) makes it possible – in theory at least – to do that at an individual and aggregated level,” she said.

“What EPRs would be able to show is how the outcome differs according to who did the intervention and indeed there’s good research from other countries that shows when you dilute the [nursing] skillmix patient outcomes change.”

She pointed particularly to the work of George Evers in Belgium and Linda Aiken in the US as demonstrating the effect of increasing or decreasing the levels of professional nursing.

Professor Clark said there was a need to invest in education for nurses now on such issues if the systems were going to produce the right information.

“The reason I’m pushing now is that we won’t ever get it right in the future unless the right decisions are made now and the education programmes are started now,” she said.

Top cities for healthy strolls ranked

With the thermometer hovering at 22, and the wind ripping off a frozen Lake Mendota, Rink DaVee and his brother Jim decided to take a stroll.And why not? After all, according to a recent top 10 list, there's no better place in the country for walking than the capital city of a state known more for cheese and beer than exercising."It makes you feel better," DaVee said during a break in his walk Wednesday, standing on the icy, snow-covered trail that extends out over the lake. "It gets you through a cold month of March."Prevention magazine named Madison -- 1,300 miles north of sunny Miami -- as the most walkable of the country's 100 most populated cities. The list was commissioned by the American Podiatric Medical Association based on certain criteria. It ran in editions of the magazine released this week.Madison beat out the likes of Austin, Texas (No. 2), San Francisco (No. 3) and Miami, which barely cracked the list at No. 98.Factors contributing to the ranking were air quality, the percentage of people who walk to work, access to parks, number of athletic shoes sold, and (believe it or not) weather.Number of beaches versus frozen lakes apparently was not a factor. Crime rate, unfortunately for Miami, was.Adopting a walker-friendly plan 10 years ago was a major plus for Madison, said Prevention magazine's deputy editor Karyn Repinski. That plan focused on maintaining and improving the city's walkability and requires that when roads are redeveloped, they should accommodate not just cars, but bikes and pedestrians, too.But don't be fooled by all the signs of fitness around town. Madisonians also love their beer, bratwurst and Wisconsin cheese. The city of 250,000 plays host to a four-day extravaganza dubbed "The World's Largest Brat Fest," where nearly 200,000 brats are consumed over four days.Madison was the only city in the walking top 10 in a state that's not in the South or the West, a point of pride for people like Kathy Andrusz, coordinator of the Fit City initiative. Started in 2003 by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, the program is a collaboration between Madison city officials and more than 30 other groups to combat obesity and get people moving."We're definitely touting it," Andrusz said of the walking rating. "We're definitely proud of it and will be able to use it as a sense of pride, if nothing else."Madison is no stranger to No. 1 rankings. People still talk about Money Magazine naming it the best place to live in 1998, although that ranking dropped to 53rd last year. Outside Magazine named it the best road biking city in August, and other high rankings have come for its being vegetarian-friendly, gay-friendly, environmentally friendly, and, well, according to Midwest Living in 2003, the overall friendliest city in the Midwest.Even with all that love going around, who wants to break out the walking shoes in the middle of winter? Especially this winter, with snow on the ground every day since January 14, and an average high temperature in February of just 21.7 degrees and an average low of 7.2 degrees. It also snowed 22 inches last month."Winter weather is only a barrier if you let it be," Andrusz said. "It's a matter of attitude."Repinski, the magazine editor who spoke from New York City, which ranked 39th, said only a cynic would let a little winter weather get in the way of walking."I walked a mile this morning and I was walking in an inch of snow," she said. "The conditions don't have to be perfect for walking, that's what's nice about it."Downtown Madison lies on an isthmus with Lake Mendota to the north and Lake Monona to the south. Stretching to the west from the state Capitol is State Street, which is crammed full of bars, restaurants and boutiques, but no cars. It's perfect for, you guessed it, walking.At the west end of State Street rests the University of Wisconsin, where students are known to complain about the steep climb up Bascom Hill to the administration building, which offers a stunning view of the city and the Capitol dome.Even with 40,000 students mostly walking to and from class -- and bars at night -- Madison has a remarkable bike trail system, with more than 30 miles of trails and 110 miles of bike lanes even on the busiest of streets. Not to mention the 6,000 acres of parkland.Zac Stencil, 23, a senior at the university, said he walks about two miles every day to and from classes."You can meet cool groups of people who are walking beside you," Stencil said. "Plus, when the lakes are frozen you can walk right across."

Community Health trumps private bid for Triad Hospitals

Community Health Systems Inc. said Monday it has agreed to buy Triad Hospitals Inc. for about $5.1 billion plus $1.7 billion in debt, topping a previous bid by private-equity buyers.

Community Health said the deal would make it the nation's largest publicly traded hospital company. It would own or operate about 130 hospitals in 28 states and control more than 18,700 beds.

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health agreed to pay $54 per share, the companies said.

Triad, based in the Dallas suburb of Plano, had previously agreed to be taken private in a $4.7 billion sale, or $50.25 per share, to an affiliate of Goldman Sachs and a JPMorgan Chase & Co. spinoff.

Shares of Triad rose $2.60, or 5.3 percent, to $51.96 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange after hitting a 52-week high of $52.20. Community Health shares fell $1.13, or 3.1 percent, to $35.67.

The Triad transaction comes after hospital giant HCA Inc. was sold to private owners for $21.3 billion.

Hospitals are struggling with flat volumes and more unpaid bills from uninsured patients.

Triad signaled last fall that a sale was likely. The stock has slumped since mid-2005, and its largest shareholder, hedge fund TPG-Axon Capital Management LP, has accused Triad of "remarkably poor financial analysis" and failing to say how it would fix the company.

Triad said it paid a breakup fee to cancel its earlier deal with GS Capital Partners and CCMP Capital Advisors but didn't disclose the amount. If Triad was negotiating with Community by Friday, the fee could be up to $40 million; otherwise; it could be $120 million, according to a Triad regulatory filing.

Community Health is smaller than Triad by many measures, including beds and annual revenue — $4.37 billion at Community in 2006, versus $5.54 billion for Triad. Both favor small towns where there is less competition.

Triad has 53 hospitals in the West and South and another under construction. The company also provides hospital management and consulting services.

Triad's board recommended that shareholders take the Community Health offer. Two inside directors abstained. If approved by Triad shareholders and regulators, the deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

There is no financing condition to the sale. Community Health said it has lined up financing commitments from Credit Suisse and Wachovia Capital Markets LLC.

Wayne T. Smith, chairman, president and chief executive of Community Health, said the acquisition would increase his company's size and geographic diversity.

"This acquisition complements our rural strategy by adding mid-size markets in great locations," Smith said.

Community Health said it was withdrawing previous comments about its financial performance for 2007. Last month, the company said it expected to earn $2.30 to $2.38 per share on revenue of about $5 billion in 2007. Company officials said they planned to acquire three or four hospitals this year.

---

Hope For Comatose Patients

Science is far from omniscient – a woman’s miraculous temporary awakening from a persistent vegetative state stands as proof of this.

Christa Lilly suffered a cardiac arrest in November 2000, and has been in a coma-like state ever since. Her 73-year-old mother took care of her at home and reported to Christa’s doctor that during these years her daughter had awakened five times, sometimes for hours.

Last Sunday, mother Minnie Smith had the wonderful surprise of being answered to her “How are you, baby?” with a “Fine.” Christa then had three consecutive days of lucidity and activity.

She spent time with her family and friends and even went out to eat her favorite foods. Christa was happy to be with her four daughters, including a 12-year-old, and the three grandchildren she hadn’t met before.

"It's just got me dumbfounded," neurologist Dr. Randall Bjork told the Colorado Springs Gazette of Christa Lilly’s, a Colorado Springs resident, unexplainable, astounding revival.

"I'm just not able to explain this on the basis of what we know about persistent vegetative states. I've never seen this quality of awakening, and if this is true, it's going to change how we look at the persistent vegetative state," he told the newspaper.

Bjork confessed he hadn’t believed Christa was awake in the past.

“She was smiling and grinning and told my staff she wanted to go to a club, even doing a little chair dance in her wheelchair,” he mused.

After three miraculous days the 49-year-old woman relapsed in her mysterious state. Bjork considers it a “minimally conscious state” rather than a persistent vegetative state.

“We may have to rethink these people that have been called vegetative in nursing homes who may have some awareness of their horrible circumstances,” Dr. Bjork said. “It goes against the grain of what we thought.”

It seems though that love and caring endure through hopeless times and finally come through. Christa Lilly is a lucky lady to have such a devoted family.

Patrick unveils health plan

BOSTON — The average uninsured Massachusetts resident could obtain health care coverage for as little as $175 a month under the state's insurance law, Gov. Deval L. Patrick announced yesterday as he released the results of negotiations with the state's health insurers.

The lowest monthly premium is far lower than an earlier estimate of $380 a month suggested by some insurers.

"This is a big improvement from the first round of bids and a big step forward for health care reform," Patrick said. "The health security that was the point of health care reform will be delivered at an affordable price."

The minimum plan detailed by Patrick would cover the average uninsured Massachusetts resident, who is typically around 37 years old. It includes prescription drug coverage and covers basic medical care, such as emergency room visits and outpatient medical care.

Lower cost plans would be available to young adults. Prices would also rise and fall depending on the age of the person seeking insurance and where they live. If purchased on a pre-tax basis, the lowest cost plans drop to $109 a month for someone earning $50,000 a year.

The panel charged with overseeing the law — the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector board — is expected to give its seal of approval to the seven health care plans that met the affordability goals at its meeting Wednesday.

One board member, Charles Joffe-Halpern, who runs North Adams' Ecu-Health Care, said he was "very encouraged" by the numbers and looking forward to examining the plans.

"We will be giving our seal of approval to the different plans. Then, on March 20, we will be making the significant decision of what is minimal credible coverage and deciding who will be mandated to purchase health insurance. This is very encouraging new and hopefully augurs success," Joffe-Halpern said.

On March 20, the board will also vote on whether the insurers will be able to offer lower cost versions without drug coverage. Health care advocates have said any minimum coverage must include prescription coverage. They said that without it, the state would be giving its blessing to inferior insurance plans.

The insurers include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, ConnectiCare, Fallon Community Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Health New England, Neighborhood Health Plan and Tufts Health Plan. Three plans were rejected because their premiums were too pricey.

The lowest bidder was Neighborhood Health Plan.

Deborah Enos, Neighborhood Health Plan President and CEO, said the insurer could hold down costs because many of their members rely on lower-cost community health centers for primary care. She also said the plan offset monthly premiums by requiring members to pay a little more.

All of the plans must include coverage for preventive doctor visits and an out-of-pocket limit, after which the plan would pay everything else to prevent individuals from facing bankruptcy, said Connector Authority Executive Director Jon Kingsdale. They must also include emergency, mental health, substance abuse, rehabilitation, hospice and vision care coverage.

The insurers will be able to offer different kinds of plans, from basic to premier coverage.

The announcement won applause from Senate President Robert Travaglini, and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi called the initiative "a huge step toward making affordable health care a reality."

The lower-cost plans are a critical piece of the landmark insurance initiative, which requires all Massachusetts residents to have health coverage by July 1 or face tax penalties.

One of the toughest parts of the law has been trying to come up with relatively low cost private health plans for uninsured residents earning too much to qualify for subsidized care — about $29,400 annually for an individual. An estimated 160,000 to 200,000 people are uninsured and do not qualify for state-subsidized plans.

Patrick said he personally intervened, calling the chief executive officers of three of the state's largest insurers and encouraging them to do better.

Bush plugs healthcare plan

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — President Bush traveled here Wednesday seeking support for his healthcare proposals, taking a turn at the controls of a surgical robot at a Chattanooga hospital and praising Tennessee's effort to expand healthcare coverage to the uninsured.

At an event at this city's convention center that was billed as a round table on his initiatives, Bush traded one-liners with a handful of workers who have had trouble getting health insurance and employers who have had difficulties providing it.

One of the workers was interior designer Amy Childers, whose employer does not offer health coverage. She said she had purchased private insurance, but dropped it last summer when she turned 35.

At that Bush interjected: "You don't look a day over 34."

"Most people say 22, but thanks," Childers responded amid laughter from the audience. She added that she had dropped coverage because the cost went from $130 a month to $210.

"Doesn't it make sense to change the tax code so that Amy Childers can better afford insurance?" Bush asked.

The president has proposed making medical insurance premiums deductible for all Americans, up to $15,000 for a family and $7,500 for individuals. Currently, employers can deduct healthcare premiums without limit, but individual taxpayers cannot.

Bush and his staff argue that the current system penalizes consumers who must purchase individual policies, such as the self-employed or those working for small businesses. They also say it creates an incentive for employers and employees to choose more expensive healthcare than they need, helping drive prices higher.

The president's proposals have gotten a frosty reception on Capitol Hill. Democrats, who took control of both chambers of Congress last month, agree that health insurance should become more affordable for the self-employed. But they say that the biggest problem is the 47 million people in the United States with no health insurance, and that the president's proposal would help only a small fraction of them.

In particular, congressional Democrats point out that the premium deduction would not help taxpayers who do not itemize deductions on their income tax returns. Instead, they favor a tax credit for premiums, which they say would help all taxpayers regardless of their filing status.

"While the president's focus on healthcare is important, his proposals will only worsen the crisis by undermining the quality coverage that millions of working families now rely on, and replacing it with a tax break that will benefit the wealthiest Americans," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said Wednesday in a statement.

hello world