Americans struggling to make ends meet, including those who have seen their out-of-pocket costs for health care rise might see some relief from having their costs rise more because of inflation. During a hearing before Congress Thursday morning, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he was willing to act to stimulate the economy to stave off inflation and that helping the poorest Americans was the quickest way to do so.

That potentially good news could help ease the drain on the wallets of Americans who have faced rising out-of-pocket expenses since 2001 that have been worsened by rising unemployment and a credit crunch that has been fueled in part by the slumping housing market

The American Medical Association (AMA) wants tobacco to be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"The AMA is concerned that the federal government received failing grades for its tobacco control legislation and policies," Dr. Ronald M. Davis, AMA President, said Thursday. "It's a cruel irony that tobacco, the number one cause of preventable death, is one of the least regulated products

Each day, more than 1,100 kids become regular daily smokers and 1,200 people die from a tobacco-related illness, according to a new report released Thursday by the American Lung Association (ALA).

It cites the President's Cancer Panel report that found one-third of the nation's cancer deaths are preventable and due to tobacco use

Many states have been found wanting in taking action to prevent smoking, according to the State of Tobacco Control 2007 report.

Released by the American Lung Association Thursday, the annual report card looks at federal and state tobacco control legislation and policies in smoke-free air, cigarette tax, tobacco prevention spending, and youth access to tobacco products

A large-scale study of over 55,000 colorectal cancer patients found that Medicare beneficiaries in "high spending" areas get better care in some circumstances, but worse care in others. The findings show that on average patients in higher spending areas do no better than their peers in lower spending areas.

"In certain cases the increased spending is beneficial," says Mary Beth Landrum, a professor of health care policy at the Harvard Medical School and lead author on the study that will be published in the January/February issue of Health Affairs. "The focus should not simply be on cost containment, but rather on targeting care to the patients who we know will benefit