American Healthcare

Companies expect to spend an average of 5.9% more per employee on health insurance next year after shifting some costs to workers and making other changes, according to a survey by Mercer.

If they made no money-saving changes, per-employee costs would rise by an average of 10.1%, including an average 2.3% bump from complying with certain provisions of health-care overhaul, according to the survey of 1,091 employers.

AKaiser Family Foundation survey released last week found employees paid about 14% more for family coverage this year. Mercer’s survey looks ahead to next year and finds 57% of employers will ask workers to pay at least a somewhat greater share of the cost of coverage. S

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Doing good deeds for others can actually improve your health, scientists claim.

People who carry out charity work and other good deeds, such as helping with a neighbour’s gardening, experience less anger and stress and feel more positive and self-confident, a study has found.

The findings suggest there is scientific truth to the old adage that we help others we also help ourselves.

Don’t worry, be happy: Good deeds, like helping a neighbour with the gardening, can help reduce stress levels and promote self-confidence, a study found

The study at the University of Sussex’s Mindlab measured stress levels and other emotions of a group of men and women who performed good deeds for nine days.

Psychologist Dr David Lewis, who conducted the research, said: ‘Being more considerate can reduce stress levels.   <

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The Texas Medical Board has disciplined 37 Houston-area physicians and a physician assistant.

The board met in late August and took disciplinary action against 187 doctors, issued 88 physician licenses and made numerous updates to its own rules. For a complete list, =”http://www.tmb.state.tx.us/news/press/2010/090210.php”>here.

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Here are the most recent sanctions involving Houston-area physicians:

I take three steps backwards, close my eyes and jump. The wind rushes through my hair and I feel a thousand miles from the ground but as I open my eyes reality brings me back down to Earth with a reassuring bump.

I’m taking part in a group exercise class called Jukari Fit to Fly which gives the sensation of flying whilst strengthening the body. Here’s how I got on…

Charlotte practices a move on her flyset during the Jukari lesson

WHAT IS IT?

A fitness routine inspired by the trapeze performances of Cirque du Soleil that targets the core muscles and builds upper-body strength.

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Grady Memorial Hospital said this week it had negotiated a rough agreement with local dialysis clinics to provide care to 38 uninsured immigrants once served by Grady.

While the agreement eased concerns for those patients, most of them illegal immigrants, it does not address the dilemma of the future: What happens to the next wave of uninsured patients facing kidney failure?

Grady closed its outpatient dialysis unit in October to help it balance its books. The hospital said the unit was losing $4 million a year serving about 100 patients.

Most Americans with end-stage renal disease are covered by Medicare. I

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