Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.

Iowa News

Iowa’s physician workforce increased 6% over 5 years
Iowa’s active physician workforce increased 6 percent over the past five years, according to a new report that also shows the state’s ranking improving from 41st to 40th in the nation in the number of active physicians per 100,000 population. The 2011 State Physician Data Book lists Iowa with 6,294 active physicians in 2010, or 208.2 physicians per 100,000 population. This compares with a national average of 258.7, ranging from a high of 415.5 in Massachusetts to a low of 176.4 in Mississippi. (Eastern Iowa Health)

Actuaries say costs justify Wellmark rate increase
Iowa’s main health insurer is justified in raising its premiums by 9.4 percent for people who buy their own policies, two experts say. The actuaries examined the proposed rate increase from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and reported back to Insurance Commissioner Susan Voss that the increase was justified by rising health care costs. The reports, released Thursday, counter scores of complaints from Wellmark customers, who told Voss in a public hearing this month that they shouldn’t have to pay so much more for their insurance. (Des Moines Register)

All about starting somewhere
Hundreds of Kossuth County residents walked during the Start Somewhere Walk in October, and nearly 25 percent of Algonans have signed up online to support Algona’s bid for the grants and support available through the Blue Zones project. Ten Iowa communities will receive grants and expert support to create a healthier environment for their citizens. Currently Algona is one of 58 communities that passed the first cut. Kossuth Regional Health Center is leading the charge to help area businesses provide a healthier work place environment. (Algona Upper Des Moines)

Iowa survey shows concern for unbuckled teen passengers
A new motor vehicle safety study from the University of Iowa shows that nearly 25 percent of young Iowa teens remain unrestrained in cars, something researchers consider “alarming.” According to a news release from the College of Public Health, to monitor child passenger law, researchers spent three months observing 3,000 youth in 36 Iowa counties, and found that the 24.8 percent of unbuckled older youth (between ages 14 and 17) are violating the state’s child passenger safety law, which says backseat passengers under 18 must wear seat belts. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

Iowa, Nebraska gained population in 2010, Census data shows
A new U.S. Census report shows Iowa and Nebraska have each gained more than 12,000 people during the one-year period that ended on July 1. The estimates released Wednesday show that Nebraska’s population increased by 12,500 people between July 2010 and July 2011. Iowa’s grew by a little more than 12,100 in that period. In both cases, the growth rate was less than 1 percent. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

National News

House, Senate pass 2-month extension of payroll tax cut
House Republicans handed President Obama an end-of-the-year victory Friday morning, approving a measure to extend the payroll tax cut through February. The action ended a rancorous, weeks-long partisan stalemate and barely escaped a deadline to keep 160 million workers from seeing their paychecks shrink at the start of January. The House vote came about a half-hour after the bill passed the Senate. (Washington Post)

Medicare spending growth rising slower but enrollment will rise
Throughout Medicare’s 46-year-old history, monitoring the cost of the government health plan for the elderly has been a bit like the old joke: No one asked if spending would jump. They only asked how high. But in early 2010, the number crunchers at Medicare headquarters in Baltimore saw something surprising: a sharp drop in the volume of doctor visits and other outpatient services. Instead of growing at the usual 4 percent a year, the number of claims was suddenly climbing by less than 2 percent. Was this a one-time blip, or a fundamental shift in how seniors were receiving care? (Washington Post)

Report: Cuts in federal funding put public health preparedness at risk
The report looks at a range of scenarios, including some pretty bleak ones based on drastic federal cuts. There are a few areas of particular concern. One initiative at risk is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Cities Readiness Initiative, which helps with distribution of vaccines and antibiotics in a crisis. Ready or Not found that 51 of the 72 cities involved could be cut from the program based on current budget scenarios. Additionally, budget cuts could hobble labs in 10 states that are able to test for for threatening chemicals. That would leave the U.S. Center for Disease Control as the only public health lab able to test a full range of toxic chemicals and nerve agents. (National Public Radio)