A report issued Monday by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 94 percent of nursing home had reports on violation of federal health and safety standards in 2007.

Nursing homes that had deficiencies that caused actual harm or immediate peril to patients comprise 17 percent, according to Daniel Levinson, inspector general of the DHHS

One of the pending bills waiting for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature is a proposal to expand the coverage of medical policies to include maternity service, tests for the HPV virus, which could cause cervical cancer, treatment for mental health and substance abuse problems.

But with the wider medical coverage for 18 million California residents, premiums would go up by $383 million annually, equivalent to 0.5 percent of the $74 billion that employers and individuals pay, according to data from the University of California's Health Benefits Review Program

Some caffeinated energy drinks that have up to 14 times the caffeine of a regular can of soda should carry labels that specify their amount of caffeine, says a Johns Hopkins University scientist.

According to Roland Griffiths, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, many of these drinks do not label the caffeine content which has potential health dangers

Li Changjiang, head of China's food safety watchdog, resigned Monday over the poisoned milk scandal which has so far left 54,000 Chinese children ill.

The chemical melamine was found in the tainted milk and dairy products made by China's three largest dairy firms. Four children have died from the poisoned milk, more than 100 are gravely sick and almost 13,000 are still confined in hospitals

While Medicare has assured there will be no rise in premiums in 2009 for majority of its elderly and disabled members, a study by Hewitt Associates projects a 9 percent rise in premium and out-of-pocket expenses for individual workers.

For companies, the cost of a health insurance policy will rise to 6.4 percent, which will hike the yearly bill to $8,863. For individuals, the premium is forecast to go up to $3,826 per annum. Meanwhile, Medicare contributions for seniors and disabled will be fixed at $96.40 for 2009