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Few options are available for the 42,000 Pennsylvanians losing coverage by the end of the month. Their state-subsidized health plan is out of money, and new Republican Gov. Tom Corbett is terminating the program.

Patients often welcome palliative care once it is explained that it can be more than hospice care. Many doctors, on the other hand, are still slow to embrace the approach.

When the severity of patient sickness and special local expenses are taken into account, some areas marked by big Medicare outlays flip from profligate to average or even frugal, according to the calculations from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The more oral sex someone has had, the greater their risk of getting oral cancers that grow in the middle part of the throat. Transmission of the human papillomavirus is the reason, a leading researcher says.

To boost the odds you'll stick with your medicines, try taking your pills when you do something else on a regular schedule, such as brushing your teeth. Signing up for automatic refills may also help.

Half a dozen states are considering changes in laws that would allow psychologists to prescribe medicines to treat mental illness. Shortages of psychiatrists in some areas and psychologists' success in New Mexico have given the approach traction, despite the objections of medical doctors.

The federal health overhaul law imposed a variety of restrictions on flexible spending accounts as a way to boost government revenue. Now a backlash is brewing in Congress and bills to roll back some of the changes are getting traction.

To reduce the odds a patient will have to return to the hospital, some health systems are trying to do a better job coordinating care. Starting in 2012, the federal health law will penalize hospitals for excess readmissions for some conditions.

In several states, lawmakers are advancing bills that would make it illegal for state officials to put the federal health overhaul into place. Even if the bills become state laws, though, they would likely be found unconstitutional.

The Dallas-area hospital running the event hopes to match people needing doctors with physicians looking for new patients. Despite the economic downturn, hospitals are trying new marketing techniques to attract patients and doctors. Many in the hospital industry say it's crucial in the face of increasing competition.