Weekly Dose of Health News July 21 – 25, 2014

This article profiles New York City’s new HIV/AIDS chief, who steps into the post in September.

Medicare Advantage plans can be more cost effective by increasing competition through a single base subsidy amount.

From the United Hospital Fund’s webpage, two new reports on the Medicare Advantage market in New York.

On Tuesday, two federal appeals courts offered conflicting opinions on the legality of federal exchange subsidized health premiums. Other appeals courts will also be considering the same issue.

A procedure used in hysterectomies and to remove fibroid tumors, called power morcellation, may be linked to the spread of cancer cells from undetected cancerous tumors. Approximately 50,000 women undergo this procedure per year.

The L.A. Times reports that the national rate of diagnosed HIV infection has dropped by 33% over the last decade and that the rate of infection among men who have sex with men has increased 132% during the same period.

The New York State Office of Mental Health is holding a DSRIP webinar on August 6.

Check out the NYSDOH upcoming meetings calendar, including an August 7 HIV Prevention Planning Group meeting in Albany.

New York State is now collecting state agency data that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Participating agencies include the Department of Health, the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services. This information is designed to help the state address health and financial disparities, as well as other issues.

This is worth a look – workout videos featuring a boxer, bobsledder, dancer, doctor and a speed skater from the New York Times’ The Workout Video Channel.

Crains New York reports that New York educates more doctors than any other state and that most leave the state to practice elsewhere.