California Wants Deep Cuts to Medi-Cal, Posing Health Reform Headache for Feds

Health Reform: Even as it prepares for national health reform, California is cutting its public healthcare programs more aggressively than almost any other state. That poses a headache for federal health officials who worry other states will follow suit, Noam Levey reports for the Los Angeles Times.

Grim Humor: Why do doctors and other health professionals engage in "gallows humor" about their sick or dying patients? Katie Watson examines the longstanding phenomenon for the Hastings Center Report.

Lung Cancer: A bright spot of health news comes from the CDC, which reports that lung cancer rates are declining among Americans, with rates among women finally dropping between 2006 and 2008 after rising for years.

Poverty: New data about rising poverty in America suggests that our health may decline along with our incomes, as studies show that people living in high-poverty areas have higher rates of cardiac arrest, diabetes, prostate cancer and other conditions, Jeannine Stein reports for the Los Angeles Times.

Alzheimer's: Televangelist Pat Robertson once again drops jaws around the nation by suggesting it's okay to divorce a spouse with Alzheimer's disease. Heartwarming.

Want more from Reporting on Health? Join us, sign up for our newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Photo credit: Andreas D. via Flickr