Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and Web from November 21-November 25.

Iowa Headlines

Iowa health official: Future of long-term care facilities cloudy
MASON CITY — State budget cuts could result in the closing of a significant number of long-term care facilities, a state health care official said Monday.  “We’re probably facing the most difficult time we’ve had in the last 30 to 40 years and it’s not just because of what’s going on at the state level, but also what’s going on at the national level,” said Steve Ackerson, executive director of the Iowa Health Care Association (IHCA) and the Iowa Center for Assisted Living. (November 23, Mason City Globe Gazette)

U.S. Headlines

Poll: Americans conflicted over health overhaul
Most Americans don’t expect a health care overhaul to affect their lives directly, but those who worry about the fallout outnumber those expecting to come out ahead, a poll out Tuesday has found.  The survey by the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that Americans are tuning in to the debate in Washington, with 60 percent saying they’re following it very closely or fairly closely. (November 22, Associated Press)

In Cancer Testing, Less Is Now Better
Worries that widespread screening for breast and cervical cancers can yield limited benefit and lead to unnecessary harm prompted decisions this week by two medical organizations to recommend less preventive testing. (November 21, Wall Street Journal)

How to Find Mental Health Care When Money Is Tight
Imagine this situation. You fall into a deep malaise. Friends say you need help, but you don’t have insurance (or the insurance you do have has very limited mental health benefits), and you worry that extra bills will only add to your malaise. So you do nothing. (November 20, New York Times)