ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 1 -- The veteran with the highest risk for suicide is a younger white man, according to a longitudinal study of VA data from 1999 to 2004.

The study of more than 800,000 U.S. veterans showed that in addition to being young and white, a history of substance abuse or hospitalization for psychiatric reasons in the year before a diagnosis of depression also put veterans at increased risk for suicide, reported Kara Zivin, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, and coll…

DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 22 -- Many people plan to get tested for HIV but fewer follow through -- especially among those in high-risk groups, researchers here said.

And overall rates of HIV testing have remained consistent and low, at about 37% for lifetime testing and 10% for testing in the previous year, Jan Ostermann, Ph.D., of Duke University, and colleagues, reported in the Oct. 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Those at high risk for HIV get tested more oft…

CHICAGO, Oct. 15 -- A substantial proportion of patients may not be able to name the medications they take, which could affect both inpatient and outpatient care, researchers here found.

Among even patients with adequate health literacy, 31.7% could not provide the name of a single antihypertensive drug in their records, Michael S. Wolf, Ph.D., M.P.H., of Northwestern here, and colleagues, reported in the November issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

T…

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11--Republican presidential candidate John McCain unveiled a health plan today that focuses more sharply on reducing costs than providing coverage for the uninsured.

The Arizona senator warned that the U.S. health care system could "implode" as it approaches a "perfect storm" of unaddressed problems.

In an address to the Des Moines Rotary Club, McCain said spiraling costs are unsustainable as patients pay more every year "to get service they don't think…

The finding emerged from an analysis that compared medical care in 204 commercial only plans, with treatment in 142 Medicaid/ commercial plans, and 37 Medicaid-only plans.

The analysis found that Medicaid patients received worse care on 10 of 1…