Health Highlights: March 20, 2008

The survey found that 68 percent of people who identified themselves as Republicans, 32 percent as Democrats, and 40 percent as independents believed the U.S. system was superior. In terms of quality of care, 72 percent of Republicans, 49 percent of Democrats, and 48 percent of independents believed the U.S. system was best.

But only 40 percent of Republicans, 19 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of independents said the U.S. system was best in terms of affordable health care,Bloombergreported.

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Tuberculosis Disparities Persist in U.S.

There are continuing disparities and a slowing decline in tuberculosis rates in the United States, says a report Thursday in theMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers analyzed 2007 national TB surveillance data and found that the nation's TB rate that year fell to an all-time low of 4.4 cases per 100,000 people. However, they also found that the average annual rate of decline in TB cases was 3.8 percent between 2000-2007, compared to 7.3 percent between 1993-2000.

The report said that TB -- which typically attacks the lungs -- continues to disproportionately affect foreign-born people and racial/ethnic minorities. The TB rate among foreign-born people was nearly 10 times higher than that of U.S.-born people (20.6 vs. 2.1 cases per 100,000).

Compared to whites, TB rates were 23 times higher among Asians, eight times higher among blacks, and seven times higher among Hispanics.

The rate of multidrug-resistant TB remained stable, accounting for 1.1 percent of all cases in 2006.

The continued disparities and slowing decline in TB rates threatens efforts to eliminate the disease in the United States, the report authors said.

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Medicare Cuts Trigger Concerns About Healthcare Access: AMA