Health News Roundup (Brian Harrod RoundupNewswires.com Health Editor-At-Large)

 News on Health continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

• Apple iPhone users will be able to see their medical records on Health app _{2018-01-24, 03:52 pm}
  Apple announced a new Health Records feature, which can be accessed in the Health app in the next iOS update expected in spring. Twelve hospitals and health care providers across the United States) partnered with Apple to streamline their medical records into one app.
• More _{2018-01-24, 03:52 pm}
  President Donald Trump's second health secretary won Senate approval Wednesday. Alex Azar will take on the leadership of a sprawling department shaken by the administration's tumultuous first year.
• Baker kicks off annual budget debate with a $41 million proposal _{2018-01-24, 03:51 pm}
  ... adults between 100 percent and 138 percent of the federal poverty line to comparable plans at the Massachusetts Health Connector, similar to a plan lawmakers rejected last year. Sudders said the administration took feedback from legislators and ...
• Tiny implant opens way to deliver drugs deep into the brain _{2018-01-24, 03:50 pm}
  Scientists have created a hair-thin implant that can drip medications deep into the brain by remote control and with pinpoint precision. Tested only in animals so far, if the device pans out it could mark a new approach to treating brain diseases - potentially reducing side effects by targeting only the hard-to-reach circuits that need care.
• Idaho to insurers: Give us plans that don't follow Obamacare _{2018-01-24, 03:50 pm}
  Concerned about soaring health care costs, Idaho on Wednesday revealed a plan that will allow insurance companies to sell cheap policies that ditch key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It's believed to be the first state to take formal steps without prior federal approval for creating policies that do not comply with the Obama-era health care law.
• Elton John announces final tour with stops in Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal_{2018-01-24, 03:49 pm}
  In this Feb. 27, 2017 file photo, Elton John arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. Elton John announced Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018 that his upcoming tour will be his last.
• Selling Blood Plasma Is Not Unethical _{2018-01-24, 03:49 pm}
  Several Canadian provinces are currently considering proposals to ban payments for blood plasma . Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta have already adopted such bans.
• OMIG Releases Audit Protocols for CDPAP _{2018-01-24, 03:27 pm}
  ... personal assistant services by a designated representative or ineligible family member); Failure to Complete Required Health Assessment (the regulations require that personnel records must include documentation of personal assistants' annual health ...
• Staying Healthy: Flu season in full swing at local, national level _{2018-01-24, 03:22 pm}
  All U.S. states except Hawaii are reporting widespread flu activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For the week ending Jan. 13, the proportion of people seeing their health care provider for flu-like symptoms was 6.3% the highest percentage recorded since the 2003-04 season.
• Why Your Free Time Probably Shouldn't Be Screen Time _{2018-01-24, 10:10 am}
  ... and their lives as a whole. These declines in well-being mirror other studies finding sharp increases in mental health issues among iGen, including in  depressive symptoms ,  major depression ,  self-harm,  and suicide . ...
• Trump administration seeks new ways to allow people to dodge ACAa s individual mandate _{2018-01-24, 03:47 pm}
  The Trump administration is exploring ways to excuse more Americans from the requirement that they prove they're insured in the remaining months before the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate is ultimately laid to rest. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is working on guidance expanding the so-called “hardship” exemptions from the 2010 health care law's mandate that people purchase health plans, according to two individuals familiar with the effort.
• Senate Confirms Alex Azar as Trump's 2nd Health Secretary _{2018-01-24, 03:46 pm}
  In this January 9, 2018 file photo, Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee January 9, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Alex Azar will take on the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services.
• The Fishing Line Jan. 24 _{2018-01-24, 03:46 pm}
  Well, it would seem we have lost most, but not all, of the second week of fishing after the storm to the weather. Totally to be expected at this time of year, but oh so hard to accept.
• Do I have the flu? How to know when symptoms are serious _{2018-01-24, 03:46 pm}
  Sickness is going around. The flu is among the most contagious and has already claimed dozens of lives this season, including at least 30 children.
• Gates backs Central America malaria elimination plan _{2018-01-24, 03:43 pm}
  Philanthropist Bill Gates promised millions more in funding on Wednesday as part of a new Central America malaria elimination fund aimed at wiping out the disease in seven of the region's countries and the Dominican Republic. Philanthropist Bill Gates promised millions more in funding on Wednesday as part of a new Central America malaria elimination fund aimed at wiping out the disease in seven of the region's countries and the Dominican Republic.
• Sir Elton John to embark on three-year tour ahead of retirement from live performing_{2018-01-24, 03:41 pm}
  Sir Elton John is to embark on a three-year farewell world tour as he bows out of live performing to spend more time with his children. The 70-year-old hitmaker - who has been touring for almost 50 years - announced his retirement on Wednesday evening ahead of a celebratory concert next week at Madison Square Garden in New York.
• The Latest: Governor files $40.9B budget with Legislature _{2018-01-24, 03:41 pm}
  ... on Wednesday calls for larger, targeted spending hikes in several areas of state government including mental health services and the Department of Children and Families. Baker is renewing his call to shift 140,000 non-disabled people from the ...
• Health department offers wellness screenings _{2018-01-24, 03:38 pm}
  The McHenry County Department of Health has scheduled two reduced cost wellness screenings for January. During the remainder of this month, for a $10 fee, participants can schedule a wellness and health screening appointment online at www.mcdh.info .
• Tobacco: The Promise of "Heat Not Burn" _{2018-01-24, 03:37 pm}
  In a decision expected to test the Trump administration's approach to tobacco regulation, U.S. health advisers will vote this week on whether to allow Philip Morris International Inc to claim its novel iQOS tobacco device is less harmful than cigarettes. IQOS is designed to heat tobacco but not burn it, and comes in a sleek package that would not look out of place in an Apple store.
• Puerto Ricans face foreclosure wave as moratoriums expire _{2018-01-24, 03:37 pm}
  Aylsa Torres sighed in relief when she received a letter from her bank two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit. She was among the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans awarded a three-month moratorium on their mortgage payments as the U.S. territory reeled from the storm's destruction.