Daily Rounds: Healthy And Broke; Sleep Apps; Laptop Ad Offends; Ex-Smokers' Weight Gain

Health care options for young, healthy and broke (AP via KTUL) - "They're young, healthy and flat broke - and now the government says they have to buy thousands of dollars' worth of medical insurance. What should tapped-out twentysomethings do? Well, some may just do nothing. The annual fine for shrugging off the new federal insurance requirement, which is to begin in 2014, starts out at a relatively low $95, depending on income. That would be far cheaper than paying premiums. But that doesn't necessarily make blowing off the mandate a good idea for the fit and frugal. Millions of young people will qualify for good deals on health care if they take time to sort through the complicated law."

New technologies aim to help you sleep better (The New York Times) - The Renew SleepClock, which costs $199, is the latest addition to a new generation of smartphone apps designed to analyze and improve sleep patterns. While experts have warned for years that gadgets like smartphones are increasingly disrupting sleep by keeping us connected 24/7, these programs claim to do the opposite."

Related: When does an app need the FDA's blessing? (NPR)

Toshiba laptop ad featuring medical test subjects is turning researchers' stomachs (Huffington Post) - "Electronics manufacturing giant Toshiba has angered the medical community by producing an advertisement poking fun at human research subjects. The commercial shows a "professional medical test subject" undergoing a of series of clinical trials that lead to exaggerated and bizarre side effects. The subject states, "I'm fine with being a guinea pig — except when it comes to my laptop.'"

Ex-smokers 'gain more weight than thought' (BBC) - "The average weight gain associated with giving up smoking is much higher than previously thought, experts have found. People can expect to put on up to 5kg (11lb) within a year of quitting, research published on bmj.com suggests. This is more than the typical 3kg often quoted in advice leaflets and the 2.3kg many women smokers say they would be willing to tolerate in order to quit. But the health benefits of giving up smoking far outweigh what is still a "modest" gain, say experts."