US takes aim at deadliest drug problem _ painkillers _ with calls for education, monitoring

MIAMI (AP) -- The White House drug czar wants doctors, states and law enforcement working harder to stop America's deadliest drug-abuse problem: highly addictive prescription painkillers. They are killing more people than heroin and cocaine combined as they foster a slew of illegal "pill mill" clinics centered in Florida.

The federal government on Tuesday announced its first-ever comprehensive strategy to combat the abuse of oxycodone and other opioids, aiming to cut misuse by 15 percent in five years. That goal may sound modest, but it would represent a dramatic turnaround: Emergency room visits from prescription drug overdoses doubled from 2004 to 2009, when they topped 1.2 million, according to federal health officials.

High court asked to reinstate FCC indecency policy

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration asked the Supreme Court Thursday to reinstate a policy that allows federal regulators to fine broadcasters for showing nudity and airing curse words when young children may be watching television.

The administration is seeking the high court's review of appeals court rulings that threw out the Federal Communications Commission's rules against the isolated use of expletives as well as fines against broadcasters who showed a woman's nude buttocks on a 2003 episode of ABC's "NYPD Blue."

BlackBerry maker: UAE policy would apply to others

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The maker of BlackBerry devices says tighter restrictions on the popular gadgets proposed by Emirati authorities would likely apply to other smartphones too, raising new questions about data freedom in the Gulf Arab nation.

The United Arab Emirates' telecommunications regulator has outlined plans to limit access to the Blackberry Enterprise Server system, which provides the most secure form of communication on the handheld devices. It is used by many international companies and government agencies to keep emails and other data safe.

How Health Insurance Can Help You

Health insurance plans may seem like an added expenses that you might not actually need. Nevertheless, health insurance might be helpful for a number of reasons. You can research through health insurance plans to find the best one for you, whether it is something that only covers the a few and far-between doctor's visits you may need throughout the year, or disability coverage that takes into account any serious health issues that you may have. Health insurance, if it is the right plan, can serve as a hugely beneficial part of keeping you healthy.

Mass. mom who withheld son's meds gets 8-10 years

LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) -- A woman who withheld potentially life-saving medications from her autistic, cancer-stricken son was sentenced Friday to eight to 10 years in prison by a judge who said her actions "really do chill one's soul."

Kristen LaBrie was convicted of attempted murder Tuesday for withholding at least five months of at-home chemotherapy treatments for her son, Jeremy Fraser. The boy died at age 9 in 2009.

LaBrie, 38, wept and apologized before Judge Richard Welch handed down her punishment in Lawrence Superior Court.

A Consumer's Head to Health Care Modernize

The six-month anniversary age 26 on your health plan if he or she can't get coverage through a job. Recently policies can not refuse coverage for children capable age 19 based on pre-existing medical specifies. "Grandfathered" plans can, nevertheless, they in additional to can prepare yearly dollar limits on coverage and require patients to help pay for some preventive services.

Most people in the individual market are anticipated to move to new plans by 2014. Analysts say most plans in the group market will probably have missed their "grandfathered" status because of alterations fixed to them.