Price negotiations under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, SCHIP reauthorization, embryonic stem cell research, health care information technology and a number of other health-related issues are expected to be major legislative priorities in 2007, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, "After years in which Iraq and national security dominated the debate, ... the return of Democratic control in the House and Senate and the ramping up of the presidential campaigns are expected to bring health policy back into the legislative mix." House Democratic leaders have said that within the first 100 hours of taking control of Congress, they will pass bills that would lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and authorize HHS to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Tags: benefit health

Calcium is good for your bones and your blood pressure, and there is growing evidence that it could help a little with weight control, especially for women.

Some of the latest evidence comes from a retrospective study of nearly 11,000 middle-aged men and women conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Women who got 500 milligrams or more of calcium daily -- equal to drinking about two cups of skim milk -- gained about 10 pounds over a decade. Compare that to the more than 15 pounds gained by women who consumed less calcium daily.

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Tags: benefit health