Latest California Healthline Stories
Lawmakers To Weigh How Food Stamps Affect Obesity
Sugary, high-calorie sodas should not be covered through the U.S. food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Wellesley College professor and food expert Rob Paarlberg told the House Agriculture Committee last week. Sodas are part of the obesity problem, Paarlberg argued. Committee Chair Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) said lawmakers would examine how SNAP is contributing to obesity. Reuters.
Sacramento Hoping To Be Center for Medical Innovation
California is at the center of the medical device industry, and the Sacramento area is angling to become a major player with 54 such companies headquartered around the capital. MedStart, an effort by the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance to make Sacramento a center for medical technology, is aiming to have 10 more companies come to the area by the end of 2011. Sacramento Bee.
Reform To Exacerbate Emergency Department Crowding, Experts Say
Health care experts say hospital emergency department overcrowding is likely to worsen as more U.S. residents gain coverage under the new health reform law. Some experts say the country’s shortage of primary care physicians could spur more patients to seek care at EDs. The Hill.
Officials Urge Public To Take H1N1 Vaccine Amid Surplus
The California Department of Public Health is encouraging residents with chronic conditions to obtain vaccinations for H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, in anticipation of a possible seasonal outbreak over the next few months. The state has a surplus of the H1N1 vaccine because it received 12 million doses but administered only eight million immunizations. Los Angeles Daily News.
Report: Efforts To Fight Medicare Fraud Brought in Billions Last Year
A new report finds that the federal government’s efforts to combat Medicare fraud produced $2.5 billion for the program’s trust fund last fiscal year. The report also found that anti-fraud efforts helped return $441 million to Medicaid. CQ HealthBeat, AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Few Seniors Seek Care After Falling, UCLA Study Says
Less than half of seniors who had fallen reported visiting a doctor after the accident, according to a study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The study, which relied on a 2007 California health survey, also showed that seniors who did not seek medical attention after a fall also were unlikely to take steps to prevent future falls. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Debate Continues Over Long-Term Changes to Medicare Pay Formulas
Lawmakers continue to consider long-term adjustments to the sustainable growth rate formula that governs Medicare payment rates for physicians. Debate over the formula change is holding up a bill that would extend unemployment benefits. CongressDaily.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of May 14, 2010
CMS has threatened to revoke Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s Medicare and Medicaid contract unless the facility submits a plan to improve patient safety. Meanwhile, state regulators have announced plans to inspect Olive View-UCLA Medical Center over staffing concerns.
Opinion: Reinstate Funds for State Mammogram Program
The California Legislature “has the opportunity to make a very large statement” over the next few weeks when it considers legislation that would restore funding to the state’s Every Woman Counts breast cancer screening program for low-income women, Jeanne Conry, an ob-gyn at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center, and Donna Sanderson, executive director of the Sacramento Valley affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, write in a Sacramento Bee opinion piece. Conry and Sanderson add that if the funds are not restored, “the cost will be felt when taxpayers are paying for costly treatment for later-stage cancers for these women who did not receive screening in their 40s.” Sacramento Bee.
LAO: Federal Health Reform Law To Take Toll on State Budget
A Legislative Analyst’s Office report finds that the federal reform law could expand Medi-Cal coverage to as many as two million Californians, which could place strain on the state’s budget. Gov. Schwarzenegger is slated to release his new budget proposal this afternoon. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.