Police and health officials say a refrigerated truck carrying H1N1 vaccine has been recovered after being stolen from outside a swine flu clinic in Milwaukee. Health operators officer Raquel Filmanowicz of the city's health department said the truck was taken from the Sarah Scott Middle School after a clinic there closed Thursday. Filmanowicz said she doesn't know how much vaccine was in the truck, but that it was "compromised" in the theft and can no longer be administered. She doesn't know if the thieves were aware the truck contained H1N1 vaccine.
The AARP, the nation's largest and most influential association of older Americans, endorsed the House healthcare bill Thursday morning and vowed to lobby House members in advance of Saturday's historic vote. AARP Vice President Nancy A. LeaMond said the House package, which would spend more than $1 trillion over the next decade to expand insurance coverage to millions of Americans who lack it, meets the group's chief goals for reform, including strengthening Medicare. LeaMond praised House leaders for including a plan to close the coverage gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage known as the donut hole.
House Democratic leaders were struggling Thursday to contain uprisings on the hot-button issues of abortion and immigration that have left them little margin for error as they attempt to push through a massive healthcare reform bill this weekend. Although confident of victory, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders were working to limit defections to the roughly 25 Democrats viewed as "hard no" votes. For party leaders, setting a weekend deadline for passage represented a calculated risk, one that could backfire if the vote—now expected late Saturday or Sunday—fails or must be delayed. But they feared that if members were given more time to consider the legislation, new issues could arise, particularly as lawmakers digest the results from Tuesday's elections.
Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu says she generally backs President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul efforts. But she'd like to see a few items in the bill before voting for it. As Democratic leaders enter the intensive phase of their drive to pass health legislation, they must satisfy 60 Mary Landrieus in the Senate—every Democrat and the two Democratic-friendly independents, each with individual priorities—as they try to hold together a fragile coalition with no room for error. And that has only become more complicated as Democrats from conservative states puzzle over what to make of Republican victories Tuesday in governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey.
House Democratic leaders worked furiously on Thursday to secure the final votes for weekend approval of a sweeping healthcare overhaul as President Obama threw his weight behind the lobbying effort and Republicans dug in against the health plan. Democratic vote counters said they did not yet have the necessary 218 confirmed supporters. But they said they were confident they would exceed that total in time for a landmark vote set for Saturday on the $1.1 trillion, 10-year health plan that many Democrats have sought for years. Readying for the first floor test of legislation months in the making, top Democrats appealed to undecided lawmakers while trying to quell resistance from Hispanic House members worried the measure was too punitive regarding illegal immigrants and anti-abortion lawmakers who fear that public money could be funneled toward abortions.
Many doctors are performing unnecessary Pap smears, ignoring guidelines issued by major medical organizations and adding to healthcare costs, a survey of physicians has found. Of 1,212 primary care doctors who responded to a survey about cervical cancer screening, only about one-fifth described practices that were consistently in line with the latest recommendations from groups including the American Cancer Society and the United States Preventive Services Task Force, the study found. Most had overused cervical cancer screening. A vast majority said they would recommend annual Pap smears for at least three years for an 18-year-old woman, who had recently become sexually active, which is consistent with the recommendations of major medical groups. But many of the doctors said they would also recommend the screening for a 35-year-old woman whose cervix had been removed, but who had no history of cancer; testing in that situation would be inconsistent with guidelines.