Latest California Healthline Stories
Twenty-One States Support Lawsuit Challenging Reform
On Tuesday, attorneys general from 21 states filed an amicus brief with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of a Missouri-based lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal health reform law. The amicus brief states that the overhaul “rests on unprecedented assertions of federal authority, pushing even the most expansive conception of the federal government’s constitutional powers past the breaking point.” Omaha World-Herald.
Calif. Officials Seek To Address Safety Concerns in State Mental Hospitals
State officials are seeking ways to curb violence in mental health hospitals across California. The state is adding hospital staff, preparing to test an alarm system and working to create a new hospital oversight department. NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
New $200 Million Effort Aims To Address ‘Food Deserts’ in California
On Wednesday, first lady Michelle Obama is expected to announce a $200 million project designed to draw more grocery stores to underserved areas of California known as “food deserts,” where residents have little or no access to healthful food options. Los Angeles Times.
IOM Recommendations Call for HHS To Require Contraception Coverage
The Institute of Medicine has released new guidelines calling for HHS to require all new health plans to cover FDA-approved contraception without cost-sharing by consumers as part of the essential benefits package mandated under the federal health reform law. Politico et al.
Low-Income Seniors Facing Strain From Health Costs
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found that 47% of Medicare beneficiaries are at or close to the federal poverty level and on average are spending nearly one-quarter of their budgets on health care expenses. As part of federal deficit and debt-limit negotiations, lawmakers are considering measures that potentially could require Medicare beneficiaries to assume more of their health care costs at a time when many seniors are under financial strain. Washington Post.
U.S. C-Section Rate at New High, Just Above Calif. Rate
In 2009, the national rate of single-infant births delivered by caesarean section reached a new high at 34%, according to a HealthGrades study released on Tuesday. California’s c-section rate in 2009 hovered just below the national rate at 32.82%. The hospital quality tracking group’s study ranked California as having the eighth highest c-section rate among the 19 states studied for the report. California Watch.
Report: Tobacco Industry Spends Millions To Affect State Politics
An American Lung Association in California report finds the tobacco industry spent $9.3 million over the past two years to influence state politics. Funds partly went toward fighting state tobacco tax hikes. AP/San Jose Mercury News, San Diego Union-Tribune.
Autism Advocates Say Expanded Coverage Deal Will Not Fulfill Promises
Autism advocacy groups are criticizing an agreement reached by the state and Blue Shield of California that promises to expand coverage for a certain autism treatment. Critics say the deal’s requirements will prevent coverage from being expanded. San Francisco Chronicle.
Ambulance Workers in San Bernardino County Unionize
The United Steelworkers labor group recently announced that more than 450 ambulance workers at two locations in San Bernardino County have voted to join the union. The workers at American Medical Response facilities in Redlands and Rancho Cucamonga include paramedics, emergency medical technicians, mechanics and other employees. The steelworkers union said it plans to begin contract discussions with the ambulance company soon. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Three Calif. Hospitals Listed on U.S. News’ ‘Honor Roll’
Three California hospitals have made this year’s “Honor Roll” in U.S. News & World Report‘s annual “Best Hospitals” report. The report scored 720 hospitals based on various quality measures, such as mortality rates, nurse staffing and patient safety. The Honor Roll, which lists the top 17 hospitals, ranks Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles as fifth, UC-San Francisco Medical Center as seventh and Stanford Hospital & Clinics in Palo Alto as 17th. San Francisco Business Times, Reuters.