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Deductibles, the share of medical costs that employees pay annually before their plan kicks in, will go up to $300 for individuals, an increase of $100. For families, the new deductible will be $900, an increase of $300. In addition, Boeing is instituting a copayment of 10 percent after the deductible has been met. The copayment will rise to 20 percent in 2012. But the most telling portion of the article is this snippet: In a letter mailed to employees late last week, the company cited the overhaul as part of the reason it is asking some 90,000 nonunion workers...

UN report says it found no proof of allegations of Hizbullah Scuds. Israeli accusations that Syria provided Scud missiles to Hizbullah has increased tension in the region, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated in a report on Friday quoted by Reuters. "Such tensions once again illustrate the importance of control by Lebanon over its borders and of the respect by all member states for the prohibition against transferring arms [in violation of Security Council resolution 1701]," said the report. Ban also wrote that the UN did not find any evidence that could verify the transfer of Scud missiles to Hizbullah.

Researchers Say Precise Link Between Sweets And Violence Unclear We know candy is bad for your children's teeth. But could it also cause bad behavior later in life? CBS 2's Jim Williams looks at a new study linking kids and sugar to violent crimes. Laura Budill had her hands full with her sons, Nathan, 3 and Tyler, 2, at a Lincoln Park playground Tuesday. They were active enough without sweets; but with sugar? "Every child is different," said Budill. "For my children, I know that it causes them to act out in hyperactivity." So Laura only allows them to have...

When Len was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it explained a lot. Why he had made poor grades in school even though he was smart. Why he was always losing things. Why he felt so restless. The diagnosis was a surprise, though: Len was 38. He didn't think adults were supposed to have ADHD. But after his 8-year-old son was diagnosed, the therapist suggested that Len be evaluated. "I grew up thinking I must be dumb or lazy," Len said. "It's hard for me to keep my mind on things that don't interest me. Finding out it's due...

I met Warren Kaul when I performed at the O Town Tea Party in Orlando, Florida. He was manning the Fair Tax booth. On stage, Warren expressed his displeasure with Obama's stimulus “nightmare” and his plans to transform America. Warren was born into extreme poverty and grew up in a two room shack in the hollows of Charleston, West Virginia. Encouraged by his mother, Warren was the first in his family to graduate high school. This was a major achievement for the Kaul family. Warren took it further and graduated college. Warren's success inspired his two sisters to graduated...

Almost one of every six foster children on mood-altering drugs in Florida is being medicated without the court order or parental consent required by law, according to a study released Thursday by the state Department of Children and Families. DCF Secretary George Sheldon acknowledged there was "no rational basis" for 433 foster children in Florida being given psychotropic drugs without the required documentation. He vowed that by next week, the agency would ensure that the children have parental consent to take the drugs or that their cases are scheduled to go before a judge. The study is more fallout from...

Leo Lytel was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. But by age 9 he had overcome the disorder. His progress is part of a growing body of research that suggests at least 10 percent of children with autism can "recover" from it — most of them after undergoing years of intensive behavioral therapy. Skeptics question the phenomenon, but University of Connecticut psychology professor Deborah Fein is among those convinced it's real. She presented research this week at an autism conference in Chicago that included 20 children who, according to rigorous analysis, got a correct diagnosis but years later were no...

A controversial time-out room at Windsor Elementary School is no longer in use, says the superintendent of the Annapolis Valley regional school board. "At this point, the room is not part of any student’s individual program plan," Margo Tait said. Citing confidentiality laws, Ms. Tait couldn’t say if that was the result of any decisions made with respect to eight-year-old Dylan Gale, a Grade 2 student whose family complained after he was placed in the room, which was a storage closet with gym mats taped to the walls for safety. Dylan has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and oppositional defiant...

Obama's Tired of Being in the White House Tue, Feb 3, 2009 He’s only been there for two weeks, but already Barack Obama is “tired of being in the White House.”Probably the first President in history to utter those words. WASHINGTON (AP) - On the rockiest day of his young administration, President Barack Obama did what surely made him happy for a while. He left. With little notice, the president and first lady Michelle Obama bolted the gated compound of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in their tank of a limousine on Tuesday. They ended up at a Washington public school, greeted...

Shock Jock Michael Savage is in hot water again this time for a stating his belief that 99% of Autism cases are fake. He has taken a beating from parents of autistic children and those who lobby for them. However, let us play devil's advocate for a moment... Are Savage's comments mean spirited or could there be some truth to it? Are children who are diagnosed with autism and Asperger's syndrome (Considered a high functioning form of Autism) being over diagnosed? Are the diagnostic criteria for Autism and Asperger's really too broad and too flawed that otherwise ordinary playful children...

About 2.5 million children in the United States take stimulant drugs for attention and hyperactivity problems. But concerns about side effects have prompted many parents to look elsewhere: as many as two-thirds of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D., have used some form of alternative treatment. The most common strategy involves diet changes, like giving up processed foods, sugars and food additives. About 20 percent of children with the disorder have been given some form of herbal therapy; others have tried supplements like vitamins and fish oil or have used biofeedback, massage and yoga. While some studies of...

CHICAGO (AP) -- American children take anti-psychotic medicines at about six times the rate of children in the United Kingdom, according to a comparison based on a new U.K. study. Side effects including weight gain and heart trouble have been reported in children using anti-psychotic drugs. Does it mean U.S. kids are being over-treated? Or that U.K. children are being under-treated? Experts say that's almost beside the point, because use is rising on both sides of the Atlantic. And with scant long-term safety data, it's likely the drugs are being over-prescribed for both U.S. and U.K. children, research suggests. Among...

Associated Press Children should be screened for heart problems with an electrocardiogram before getting drugs like Ritalin to treat hyperactivity and attention-deficit disorder, the American Heart Association recommended Monday. Stimulant drugs can increase blood pressure and heart rate. For most children, that isn't a problem. But in those with heart conditions, it could make them more vulnerable to sudden cardiac arrest - an erratic heartbeat that causes the heart to stop pumping blood through the body - and other heart problems. About 2.5 million American children and 1.5 million adults take medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, according to...

CHILDREN who use Ritalin for a long period of time could be more at risk of delinquency and substance abuse, a study has found. Doctors are suggesting children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should take a break from medication after three years of use. An American study - published in the Medical Observer _ has found that while drugs such as Ritalin can initially help sufferers, the benefit of prolonged use is in doubt. Some children stay on medication until they reach 18, but researchers believe it may not protect them from all the symptoms. Has your child been...

I spend a few minutes each day staying in touch with pop culture and news; Digg, Youtube, and Freerepublic are my mainstays. I have discovered, as I'm sure most readers have, that the comments and discussion of an article or post is as, if not more, interesting, funny, and informative as the original article. The problem is wading thru all the mediocre comments (often 100's) for the real gems among the bunch. I would like to suggest a rating system similar to other sites that allow other readers to rate comments which will allow other users to sort the comments...

MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 9 percent of American children have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but only 32 percent of them are getting the medication they need. That's the sobering conclusion of a landmark new study, the first of its kind based on what doctors consider the "gold standard" of diagnostic criteria -- the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. "There is a perception that ADHD is overdiagnosed and overtreated," said lead researcher Dr. Tanya E. Froehlich, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center. "But our study shows that for those who meet the criteria...

The great ADHD mythBy JENNY HOPE - More by this author » Last updated at 22:34pm on 9th March 2007  Have hyperactive kids been misdiagnosed with ADD? The psychiatrist who identified attention deficit disorder - the condition blamed for the bad behaviour of hundreds of thousands of children - has admitted that many may not really be ill. Dr Robert Spitzer said that up to 30 per cent of youngsters classified as suffering from disruptive and hyperactive conditions could have been misdiagnosed. They may simply be showing perfectly normal signs of being happy or sad, he said. 'Many of...

The FDA today ordered all ADHD drug makers to print patient medication guides warning of possible heart and psychiatric risks associated with the drugs. Those possible risks are already noted in the warning labels of all drugs approved by the FDA to treat ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). The planned medication guides are "just written in language that is more understandable for patients and their families," the FDA's Tom Laughren, MD, told reporters in a news conference. Laughren directs the division of psychiatric products at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The FDA's action isn't meant to scare...

Newly minted grown-ups are carrying out a massive natural experiment by choosing to do without the drugs that profoundly affected their experience of childhood. ...American society remains deeply ambivalent about the diagnosis of ADD, a catch-all term used more commonly in the past that includes today's more well-known attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. (Children diagnosed with ADD typically have difficulty focusing and paying attention. Those with ADHD are physically frenetic as well.) Almost three decades after the psychiatric profession first detailed the condition in its diagnostic manual, nagging questions remain: Does medicating a child with ADD help that child's well-being in the...

When Christine Drake worked as a Starbucks barista, the Seattle woman with psychiatric disabilities said it was the first time in her life that she "felt a sense of accomplishment." But after two years on the job, a new manager at the Starbucks store at 425 Queen Anne Ave. N. in Seattle allegedly discriminated against Drake, decreased her hours and berated her in front of customers, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Lisa Cox, an EEOC lawyer, said the world's largest coffee retailer ignored Drake's requests for help and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not accommodating...