No Higher Premiums for Those with History of Med Problems? In a surprising but welcomed turn, the health insurance industry has taken the unprecedented step of offering similar premiums to people with pre-existing medical problems as those with no reported medical history. The offer, from America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, “is a potentially significant shift in the debate over reforming the nation’s health care system to rein in costs and cover an estimated 48 million uninsured people,” The Associated Press reports. The proposal was contained in a letter to key senators, according to AP, in which the insurance giants said their members would “phase out the practice of varying premiums based on health status in the individual market” if all Americans are required to get coverage. “The offer here is to transition away from risk rating, which is one of the things that makes life hell for real people,” said health economist Len Nichols of the New America Foundation public policy center. “They have never in their history offered to give up risk rating.”

Baby Products Recalled Two baby items are being recalled because they are potentially harmful to infants, MSNBC reports. Fisher-Price is recalling tens of thousands of 3-in-1 high chairs because the seat can fall backward from the frame if the release is unlatched while a child is inside, and several thousand Baby Necessities pacifiers are being pulled from shelves because they failed safety tests, MSNBC reports. The high chairs have seat backs that can detach if not snapped fully into place. In at least one instance, a detached seat back resulted in a fractured skull. The high chairs, which were manufactured in Mexico, were sold at Target stores around the country between December 2008 and March 2009. Nearly 3,000 of the pacifiers, manufactured in China and imported by OKK Trading of Los Angeles, Calif., pose a serious problem, as the nipples can separate from the base and present a choking hazard. No incidents have been reported. The pacifiers were sold at dollar and discount stores around the country between August 2007 and January 2009. For information about the high chairs, contact 800-432-5437 or http://www.service.mattel.com or http://www.cpsc.gov. Regarding the pacifiers, phone 877-655-8697 or http://www.okktrading.com or http://www.cpsc.gov.

Erykah Badu Gives Birth
Erykah Badu, who has a brand-new baby girl, said that she and the baby are “doing fine.” The Universal Motown Records Group artist, whose baby was born Sunday, said she had a home birth that lasted about five hours and that she didn’t use painkillers. Rapper Jay Electronica is the baby’s father. Badu, whose real name is Erica Wright, has a son and a daughter from previous relationships.

Atlanta DJ Tied to Blaze?
Authorities in Atlanta are searching for a well-known radio personality in connection with a “suspicious” fire that consumed a townhouse and left one woman injured, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Through interviews with the injured woman, who suffered from a second-degree burn to her arm, and neighbors, investigators “learned that two people were there at the scene that left the scene, that we need to talk with.” The duo reportedly was Tony Matthews, who lived in the town home, and Porsche Foxx, formerly a popular afternoon DJ with V-103 in Atlanta. She reportedly was visiting the home when the fire broke out early Tuesday, according to Fulton County Fire Marshall Keith Padgett. “These are not suspects, they’re just people we would like to speak with,” Padgett said. Foxx, whose real name is Stephanie Calhoun, was fired from V-103 after a 2004 DUI arrest but was re-hired by V-103 in 2007. She was fired again last November. According to the Journal-Constitution, Foxx’s home in the upscale Regency neighborhood in south Fulton was destroyed by a fire three years ago. Investigators later determined that the blaze could have been caused by an unattended candle.

 At first he said, “I ain’t telling if it’s a boy or a girl.” However, Usher recently confirmed that he and his wife, Tameka Foster, are adding additon to their family on Dec. 15 — another baby boy.  Speaking to reporters backstage at his Wednesday night concert at Los Angeles’ Club Nokia, the singer said, “It’s one of the best Christmas gifts there is.”  The 30-year-old singer and his wife welcomed their first child, Usher Raymond V, into the world a year ago.

Baby Obama named in Florida. A Florida couple became among the country’s first to bestow the name Obama on their child, even before most news outlets had declared the Illinois senator the president-elect. Sanjae Obama Fisher was born at 8 p.m. (ET) at Hollywood’s Memorial Regional Hospital to Patrick and Sasha Hall Fisher. A hospital spokeswoman says it was the father’s idea. But mom still got to watch the election, after 14 hours at the hospital. Sanjae has two siblings, 8-year-old sister Shaniah and 4-year-old brother Shane. Read where else parents paid tribute to Obama’s family this way here.

Indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson wins re-election battle. Embattled congressman hopes to ride out storm. Indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson is breathing a sigh of relieve as he cruised to victory in the Democratic runoff for his 2nd Congressional District seat even as his trial on federal corruption charges looms and questions dog him about his effectiveness in Congress. Jefferson, 61, who became Louisiana’s first Black congressman since Reconstruction when he was elected in 1991, won 56 percent of the vote Tuesday compared to 42 percent for his opponent Helena Moreno, a former television reporter who had argued that scandal had obliterated the influence Jefferson built during his 18 years in Congress. Jefferson has pleaded innocent in the corruption case. Despite his loss of the Ways and Means post, he has insisted that he remains influential.

The most foreigners in a century become U.S. citizens.  More than 1 million people took the Oath of Allegiance and became U.S. citizens during fiscal 2008, the largest number in the 100 years that the government has been keeping records, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Last year’s spike was prompted by Hispanic media and grass-roots organizations that encouraged eligible residents to apply for citizenship during the heated debate on granting citizenship to undocumented residents. It also was the result of the government clearing a backlog of requests after increasing staff this year. The number of naturalization applications doubled from 730,000 in 2006 to almost 1.4 million in 2007. The surge led to a 16- to 18-month delay in processing naturalization applications, said Jonathan Scharfen, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acting director. But, the agency has reduced processing times to no more than 10 months and is on track to reduce the wait to five months by next summer, he said. A fee increase enabled the agency to hire 1,600 adjudication officers and pay for employee overtime during fiscal 2008, he said. Additionally, the agency has worked with the FBI to speed name checks, reducing a backlog of 350,000 checks to 33,000, Scharfen said. “We had people waiting five years for an FBI name check,” he said, but now every case is cleared within a year.

Rapper, sibling to serve year of probation.

Lil’ Wayne mentor Baby and his brother Slim have been sentenced to 11 months and 29 days of unsupervised probation after pleading no contest to drug charges. Baby’s tour bus was pulled over while allegedly carrying a pound of marijuana, plus at least a dozen passengers. Authorities determined that the weed was for personal use and not for sale. Baby and Slim can have clean records if they complete probation without incident. Question: How long do you get to be a grown man and still have people call you “baby?”

Kenyan Evans Cheruiyot wins Chicago race. The 2007 Boston Marathon champ has added the Chicago Marathon to his list of first-place finishes. Kenya’s Evans Cheruiyot completed the weekend race in just over two hours and six minutes. Dallas star On top of the ankle injury he suffered in a moped accident this summer, NBA player Monta Ellis’ wallet will be about $3 million light. Ellis first claimed that he suffered the severe sprain while playing a pickup. A $100,000 prize was the reward for finishing head of more than 30,000 other runners.

Top golfer enjoys mystery of parenthood.

Tiger Woods and his wife have the envelope – but they say they won’t open it. A photo of the child inside Woods’ pregnant spouse was given to the couple, yet the Woods want to be surprised about their second baby’s gender. Due in late winter, according to Woods’ Web site, the boy or girl will join 1-year-old daughter sibling Sam. Woods, who’s recovering from knee surgery, says he has fought the temptation to peek at that photo. “We didn’t know the first time (either),” he says.

Laila Ali delivered baby last month. Boxer and TV commentator Laila Ali has finally announced the birth of her first child. Curtis Muhammad, whose middle name honors his grandfather, Muhammad Ali, was born Aug. 26. But Ali posted the news on her Web site Thursday. Ali wed Curtis Conway last year in California. A statement on the Web site read:  “Although mom and baby are both healthy and happy, there were some surprises during labor that altered Laila’s birth plan. Mama and baby are resting.”

.

Ken Griffey Jr. is enjoying career in Chi. Following a trade that moved the future Hall of Famer from Cincinnati to Chicago, Ken Griffey Jr. is having a ball with his new teammates. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had on a team,” Griffey said recently. “I’ve never laughed this much at the ballpark in my life.” Fellow Sox agree that levity has its place in the locker room and among the squad members. Griffey has been well-received in Chicago since the trade.

 Vigorous Exercise helps those with “fat gene.” Physical activity may reduce the risk of obesity in people with a genetic mutation that predisposes them to high body-mass index (BMI), says a U.S. study released Monday. Recent research has shown a link between BMI and variants of the fat mass and obesity associated with the FTO gene, reports HealthDay. The mutations connected with obesity occur are associated with a 3.9-pound increase in body weight, according to background information in the study. While lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise are important factors in weight control, it’s not exactly clear how they interact with genetics. In this study, researchers analyzed DNA samples from 704 healthy Amish adults, average age 43.6, and also conducted a series of physiological tests on the participants, including recording their physical activity over a seven-day period. Those in the “high-activity” group burned about 900 calories (860 for women) more than those in the “low activity” group, the researchers wrote. “High activity” amounted to three to four hours of moderate intensity physical activity such as brisk walking, housecleaning or gardening, the researchers wrote.

Exposure could affect prostate and brain of babies.
Plastic baby bottles cause more concern.  Baby bottles made of a certain plastic are causing “some concern” among government scientists, according to a new report. Human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many polycarbonate plastics, such as those used to make some plastic water and baby bottles, is a problem because of the effect it could have on the development of the prostate gland, brain and behavior effects in fetuses, infants and children, according to the final report released Monday by the National Toxicology Program. Scientists with the program have concluded that BPA has the potential to cause harm to human reproduction or development. They base their findings primarily on a review of scientific information on BPA. But the scientists warn that the results are not conclusive. “There remains considerable uncertainty whether the changes seen in the animal studies are directly applicable to humans, and whether they would result in clear adverse health effects,” said NTP Associate Director John Bucher, Ph.D. “But we have concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed.”

Plastic baby bottles cause more concern.  Baby bottles made of a certain plastic are causing “some concern” among government scientists, according to a new report. Human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many polycarbonate plastics, such as those used to make some plastic water and baby bottles, is a problem because of the effect it could have on the development of the prostate gland, brain and behavior effects in fetuses, infants and children, according to the final report released Monday by the National Toxicology Program. Scientists with the program have concluded that BPA has the potential to cause harm to human reproduction or development. They base their findings primarily on a review of scientific information on BPA. But the scientists warn that the results are not conclusive. “There remains considerable uncertainty whether the changes seen in the animal studies are directly applicable to humans, and whether they would result in clear adverse health effects,” said NTP Associate Director John Bucher, Ph.D. “But we have concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed.”

His fellow Democrats and the news media wasted no time pouncing

With many die-hard Democrats poised to pounce on Sen. John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, because her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, Sen. Barack Obama reminded that he was born to an 18-year-old mother.  ”Let me be as clear as possible,” Obama said. “I think people’s families are off-limits, and people’s children are especially off-limits. This shouldn’t be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president. How a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be the topic of our politics, and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that’s off-limits.” The news broke Monday that Bristol Palin, a high school senior, is about five-months pregnant, and immediately the anti-McCain forces were making sure the public knew about inherent hypocrisy given Palin’s stance against contraceptives, school-based sex-education programs and abortion. CNN reported Monday that an aide to the 44-year-old Alaska governor said that she decided to reveal the pregnancy to quell Internet rumors that her 4-month-old baby, who has Down syndrome, was actually Bristol’s child. Some had reported that the Obama camp was responsible for the leaked information, but Obama denounced the charge. “We don’t go after people’s families; we don’t get them involved in the politics. It’s not appropriate, and it’s not relevant,” Obama told a Reuters News reporter, who had suggested Obama’s campaign was tied to the report. “Our people were not involved in any way in this, and they will not be. And if I ever thought that there was somebody in my campaign that was involved in something like that, they’d be fired.”

A Baby on Board the Republican Ticket?

So what’s up with John McCain’s running mate?  Is there anything else she would like to share with the American people before she accepts the nomination at the Republican National Convention? Get more at Pamela On Politics.