Morning Rounds: Tobacco Is Topic A, Kids Drugs Are OK, Docs Diagnose Health Plan

Good morning. Lots of health news to dissect today.

New FDA Commissioner Peggy Hamburg says she wants to take on tobacco, and it looks like she's going to get her wish.

NPR's Joanne Silberner reports that after a decade-long effort, the power to regulate cigarette content and advertising is about to fall into the agency's hands. They'll get a whole lot of new money to do it, too.

The Onion reports the fake but sadly, probably true peoples' reactions.

Flu Announcement Coming Soon

NPR's Richard Knox warns that the WHO is FINALLY about to declare its equivalent of DefCon FIve on the new H1N1 flu virus, stay tuned for details on what that really means.

 

Kids Are Alright

In other news, a key FDA panel has given doctors the green light to prescribe antipsychotic drugs for kids, despite the danger of life-threatening side effects.

NPR's Joe Shapiro reported FDA was headed this way on Tuesday, and our sister (brother?) blog, The Two-Way, had the breaking news punch.

With Health Details Comes Criticism

Now that details about the Democrats' health overhaul plan are beginning to emerge from Congress, it's not taking folks long to criticize them.

The New York Times reports that the American Medical Association, the giant among doctor advocacy groups, will not support the creation of a public health insurance plan as part of the overhaul package.

Here's what they said in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee:

"The A.M.A. does not believe that creating a public health insurance option for non-disabled individuals under age 65 is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs. The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans."

This little revelation might make for an uncomfortable silence or two during President Obama's scheduled appearance on Monday at AMA's annual meeting.

Our question is, why are they so eager to defend the current insurance system, which they complain doesn't pay them enough for their services?

Meanwhile, NPR's Julie Rovner does some truthsquading about the numbers Republicans are using as fear factor fodder about the potential impact of a public plan.

And Politico has the low down on the fissures emerging among Congressional Democrats lockstep message on the health overhaul.

Is the honeymoon over yet?