Cavities, Face Transplants and Lice, Oh My!: The ReportingonHealth Daily Briefing

Here's what we're reading (and watching) today:

Health Reform: Two stories worth reading today: In a great example of localizing the impact of national health reform legislation, the Fresno Bee's Barbara Anderson puts a price tag on how much federal money safety-net hospitals might lose under health reform. Over at The Wall St. Journal, Janet Adamy examines how health reform will transfer money and support from the old to the young, signaling an enormous change in American social policy.

Face Transplant: The Spanish farmer who received the world's first full-face transplant after being shot appeared in public for the first time to thank his doctors and family. Watch the BBC video, read the story and see a great infographic here.

Head Lice: Okay, ewwww. The American Academy of Pediatrics now is recommending that children infested with head lice shouldn't be banned from school until they're nit-free. Lice are a nuisance but not a public health hazard, according to new guidelines published today.

Letting Go: Atul Gawande writes movingly in the New Yorker about how patients and doctors decide to stop treatment of cancer and other fatal diseases.

Dental Care: The Philadelphia Inquirer's Brooke Minter looks at some of the 126 million Americans who don't have dental insurance and notes that health reform won't provide it. Check out our tips for covering access to dental care for more reporting resources.