The number of people with insurance coverage for alcohol and drug abuse disorders is about to explode at a time there’s already a severe shortage of trained behavioral health professionals in many states. Until now, there’s been no data on just how severe the shortage is and where it’s most dire. One health care consulting firm has developed the first measurement of how many behavioral health professionals are available to treat millions of adults with a substance use disorder in all 50 states.

The Architect of the Capitol began a multi-year project to repair deficiencies, restoring the Dome to its original, inspiring splendor. The Dome has not undergone a complete restoration since 1959-1960 and due to age and weather is now plagued by more than 1,000 cracks and deficiencies. Construction task lighting is visible and 720 LED construction task lights are installed to help workers as they restore the Dome at night.

The troubled payment formula for Medicare physicians is one step closer to repeal. The current system would be scrapped and replaced with payment increases for doctors for the next five years as Medicare transitions to a new system focused "on quality, value and accountability." The deal also would permanently extend the Qualifying Individual, or QI program, which helps low-income seniors pay their Medicare premiums. There's enough in the wide-ranging deal for both sides to love or hate.

Julia Sneden writes: One of the great strengths of this book is Dr. Mukherjee's willingness to detail the theories and politics and failures and frustrations that have accompanied this War On Cancer. After many years of emphasis on possible treatments for various cancers, it is only in the last years of the 20th century and these first years of the 21st century that the researchers realized they needed to go back to the very nature and core of what cancer really is, in order to understand and possibly manage or cure it.

Legislative attempts in many states have been made to make sure that patients and doctors are notified whenever imitations deemed "interchangeable" by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are substituted for brand-name biologics. Already, Colorado has passed a notification law, and Utah has revised its earlier law. More than a dozen states are considering comparable measures.

Announced at the Science Faire: A $150-million philanthropic effort to empower a diverse cadre of promising early-career scientists to stay on track to become scientific leaders of tomorrow; The $90-million Let Everyone Dream campaign to expand STEM opportunities to under-represented youth; A $25-million Department of Education competition to create science- and literacy-themed media that inspires students to explore 120 universities and colleges committing to train 20,000 engineers to tackle the “Grand Challenges” of the 21st century; A coaltion of CEOs called Change the Equation committing to expand effective STEM programs to an additional 1.5 million students this year

In the midst of Winter it is always easy to pine for Spring but then we often ache for Summer and its swimming weather only to welcome Autumn for the heat-relief it brings. Then Winter calls to skiers, sledders, and everyone for holiday fun. The year's variety, while it can be challenging, is emotionally bracing. It adds variety to our days and a sense of movement to our lives; almost like a well-written novel, it keeps us intrigued about what will happen next.

"By rethinking the whole approach to 3D printing, and the chemistry and physics behind the process, we have developed a new technology that can create parts radically faster than traditional technologies by essentially ‘growing’ them in a pool of liquid," said Joseph DeSimone. "In addition to using new materials, CLIP can allow us to make stronger objects with unique geometries that other techniques cannot achieve, such as cardiac stents personally tailored to meet the needs of a specific patient."