This is what raises the health issues that exercise Ma, but Huang says since the crop itself exterminates insects, farmers need to use less pesticide.

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Her plea echoes that of Ma Xiaowei, a vice-minister of health, who said that during a random inspection of plastic surgery clinics in 2010, fewer than half met national standards.

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Unlike traditional Medicare plans, under MA, seniors are effectively given vouchers to buy health plans run by private insurers.

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Dr Berkman, a medical student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, conducted the research while studying for his MA at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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All this to say, it was strange to see the government increase MA funding for 2012, albeit at a rate that is lower than that of health care inflation.

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