Campaign Spending/ Birth Control/ Military Women

Missoulian: Court keeps corporate campaign spending ban in place, pending Supreme Court review
Western Tradition v. Attorney General

Missoulian: Obama: Birth control policy meets everyone's need
FACT SHEET: Women’s Preventive Services and Religious Institutions
“Today, President Obama will announce that his Administration will implement a policy that accommodates religious liberty while protecting the health of women. Today, nearly 99 percent of all women have used contraception at some point in their lives, but more than half of all women between the ages of 18-34 struggle to afford it.”

Missoulian: Women at war: Pentagon is easing its job limits

DOD Opens More Jobs, Assignments to Military Women
“Military women, particularly soldiers, will see more than 14,000 new job or assignment opportunities because of policy changes the Defense Department announced today.

The changes are included in a report the department submitted to Congress today, based in part on findings the Military Leadership Diversity Commission reported in March.”

Health Plan Briefs

Missoulian: Feds require consumer-friendly health plan briefs

HHS: Health Reform to Require Insurers to Use Plain Language in Describing Health Plan Benefits, Coverage
“People in the market for health insurance will soon have clear, understandable and straightforward information on what health plans will cover, what limitations or conditions will apply, and what they will pay for services thanks to the Affordable Care Act – the health reform law – according to final regulations published today.”

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT RULES

Afghanistan/ Line-item veto

Missoulian: General: US advisory teams heading to Afghanistan
DOD: Joint Command Boss Says ISAF Has Momentum to Succeed
“Currently, approximately 50 percent of the Afghan population has entered the process of transition, and the Afghan government and local communities throughout Afghanistan are increasingly taking the lead for their own security, governance and development, all without any significant spikes in the violence,” Scaparrotti said.

Missoulian: Congress tries to give president line-item veto
H.R.3521: Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011
“Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (CBICA) to authorize the President to propose the rescission (line item veto) of all or any dollar amount of funding provided by any enacted bill or joint resolution.”

Dementia/ Salt

Missoulian: A push for family input to detect dementia earlier

We can’t wait: Administration announces new steps to fight Alzheimer’s disease
“The Obama Administration today announced new efforts to fight Alzheimer’s disease, including immediately making an additional $50 million available for cutting-edge Alzheimer’s research. In addition, the administration announced that its Fiscal Year 2013 budget will boost funding for Alzheimer’s research by $80 million. Today’s announcement also includes an additional $26 million in caregiver support, provider education, public awareness and improvements in data infrastructure.”

Helena Independent Record: CDC: Breads top list of salt sources in US diet

Where's the sodium? There's too much in many common foods.
“For American Heart Month, the February edition of CDC Vital Signs focuses on the amount of sodium in Americans' diets and what we can do to reduce it. Too much sodium increases a person's risk for high blood pressure. High blood pressure often leads to heart disease, stroke, and other vascular diseases.”

FDA Questioning Xgeva

Helena Independent Record: FDA questions Amgen drug for prostate cancer

FDA: FDA ODAC Briefing Document
“Treatment with denosumab (Xgeva) did not result in an improvement in overall survival or progression-free survival.”