Expectant Mothers Find a New Face in the Delivery Room

Laborists –  hospital-based specialists  –  are filling in the gaps as a growing number of obstetricians stop delivering babies because of malpractice insurance costs and long hours, the Boston Globe reports. Pregnant women don’t even meet a laborist until they arrive at the hospital to deliver, but some experts say the change will improve safety. Laborists start caring for women on arrival and have defined shifts, so they’re not overworked and fatigued.
Leeches Used to Help Reattach Severed Arm

Surgeons in Australia used leeches to reattach the severed arm of a surfer who was mauled by a great white shark. Agence France-Presse reports that doctors used the leeches to restore blood flow to the injured hand after 33-year-old Glenn Orgias almost lost it; surgeons said they are hopeful Mr. Orgias will regain some of the use of his hand. He was attacked by an eight-foot great white shark on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Feb. 12.

New Jersey Contemplates Medical Marijuana Law

New Jersey may soon allow patients with cancer, AIDS or other chronic illness to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, becoming the 14th state with a medical marijuana law, NewJersey.com reports. A bill passed by the state senate would allow patients to keep six marijuana plants and one ounce for personal use if diagnosed by physicians as having a debilitating medical condition. Patients would also need to register with the state.

Report: Millions May Lose Health Insurance Next Year

Six million Americans may lose their private health insurance by the end of 2010, and Medicaid spending will jump almost 10 percent to accommodate many of them, government health analysts say. A McClatchy Newspapers report says working-age adults are not the only ones who will be hit; Medicare beneficiaries will also be affected, because they won’t be able to afford to go on purchasing supplemental private policies.

U.A.W. and Ford Agree on Health Benefits for Retirees

The United Auto Workers and Ford have come to agreement on funding health benefits for retirees, creating what could be a model for the other two big U.S. carmakers as they try to fend off bankruptcy, The Washington Post reports. The deal would let Ford pay up to half of its $13.2 billion obligation to retirees with stock instead of cash; union members still must ratify the proposal.