Health Highlights: March 11, 2015

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Most Health Law Insurance Consumers Receive Subsidies: White House

About 86 percent of the 11.7 million Americans who have private health insurance through federal and state marketplaces receive financial assistance from the federal government to help pay their premiums, the Obama administration says.

Those subsidies could be lost if the Supreme Court rules against the Obama administration in a pending case, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell warned, the The New York Times reported.

The plaintiffs in the case contend that the Affordable Care Act does not allow subsidies in the federal insurance exchange, which serves about 8.8 million people in 37 states. Another 2.9 million people are served by state exchanges.

More than seven million people could lose their financial assistance and be unable to afford their health insurance if the Supreme Court rules that subsidies are not allowed in the federal exchange, White House officials say, The Times reported.

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Health Officials Warn About Blinding Cases of Syphilis on West Coast

Health care providers on the West Coast need to look out for syphilis that can cause blindness, public health officials say.

More than a dozen cases of ocular syphilis — most among gay men — have been reported between Seattle and San Francisco, and two more potential cases have been reported in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Doctors and eye-care providers should be alert for symptoms of ocular syphilis, which typically occurs as a complication of primary or secondary syphilis infections, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.

“These new cases highlight the importance of ongoing, regular check-ups for sexually active individuals who feel they may be at risk, particularly men who have sex with men,” AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein said in a statement, the Times reported.

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Maker of Children’s Tylenol, Motrin to Plead Guilty to Selling Contaminated Medications

The maker of liquid Tylenol and Motrin for children and infants has agreed to plead guilty Tuesday to selling the over-the-counter medications even though the bottles were contaminated with metal particles.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare will pay $25 million as part of its plea agreement, the Associated Press reported. The Fort Washington, Pa.-based company, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, was facing a federal criminal charge for knowing for nearly a year that metal particles, including nickel, iron and chromium, were getting inside the bottles of medicine during the manufacturing process.

Although no immediate steps were taken to fix the problem, the Fort Washington plant where the contaminations occurred was shut down in 2010 and a new, yet-to-open plant has been built in its stead, the AP reported.

McNeil was first alerted to the problem in 2009 following a customer complaint, but the company kept selling the medications for several months before issuing a recall, according to the AP. At the time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the chances for serious medical problems were unlikely, but it advised consumers to stop taking the medications, the wire service reported.

The health care company is currently in an agreement with the FDA that includes increased inspections and oversights at it manufacturing plants, according to the AP.

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