Latest California Healthline Stories
IHSS, Healthy Families Could Face Elimination in Budget Plan
Tomorrow, Gov. Schwarzenegger is expected to release a revised budget plan that could dismantle California’s In-Home Supportive Services program and Healthy Families. Previous efforts to scale back the programs have been overturned by federal courts, but officials say the courts might lack the authority to reverse a wholesale elimination of the programs. Los Angeles Times et al.
Obama Administration Issues Legal Response to Suit Against Reform
Yesterday, the Department of Justice released a brief that defends the federal health reform law against challenges filed by a Michigan law center. Observers say the brief offers a preview of how the administration will respond to other lawsuits against the reform law. Politico et al.
Lack of FDA Approval for Genetic Test Kit Halts Sales
The pharmacy chain Walgreen said Wednesday that it will hold off on selling genetic testing kits made by San Diego-based Pathway Genomics after FDA said the kits could not be sold without regulatory approval. The kits were expected to be sold for $20 and for additional fees would identify a person’s risks for certain diseases, mutations or adverse drug reactions. Pathway Genomics said it is communicating with FDA about the kit. San Diego Union-Tribune et al.
Senator Seeking Answers on Mammogram Program Cuts
Sen. Jenny Oropeza has sent a letter asking California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshé to provide information about the number of mammograms provided after the state scaled back its Every Woman Counts breast cancer screening program for low-income women. CHHS has said it aims to reduce mammogram recipients to 259,000 this fiscal year, down from 311,000 last year. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Report: 6.5M Californians Under 65 Have Pre-Existing Conditions
In a new, California-specific report, Families USA finds that about one in five nonelderly Californians have a pre-existing condition that could prohibit them from obtaining health coverage in the individual market. Such individuals could benefit from a provision in the health reform law that bans insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Los Angeles Times‘ “Booster Shots” et al.
San Diego Company To Sell Genetic Tests in Drug Stores
San Diego-based Pathway Genomics has announced plans to sell its genetic testing kits in roughly 6,000 Walgreens stores nationwide beginning this week. The tests analyze individuals’ DNA variations to predict their risk for diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer and other medical conditions. Some experts have expressed concern about the accuracy of the testing kits and the need for physician interpretation of results. Washington Post et al.
White House Task Force Outlines Guidance for Curbing Child Obesity
Yesterday, first lady Michelle Obama presented the results of the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report. The report outlines 70 recommendations that aim to help reduce childhood obesity rates by focusing on interventions in five key areas. Washington Post et al.
Study: Screening Rates Linked to Financial Incentives
Rates of cervical cancer and diabetic retinopathy screenings were higher when physicians received financial incentives to conduct such tests and were lower when the rewards stopped, according to a study by British researchers, who looked at Kaiser Permanente physicians. Kaiser Permanente offered incentive payments for administering diabetic retinopathy tests from 1999 to 2003 and for cervical cancer screenings between 1999 and 2000 and from 2005 to present. Los Angeles Times‘ “Booster Shots.”
Discretionary Spending Could Add $115B to Reform Costs, CBO Says
An updated cost analysis from the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the health care reform law likely would cost $115B more over 10 years if Congress approves all of the discretionary spending included in the overhaul legislation. AP/San Francisco Chronicle et al.
Advocates Seek Wider Implementation of State Mental Health Care Law
California mental health advocates are urging more counties to implement a 2003 state law designed to make it easier for judges to compel patients with mental illness to take their medications if they are found to be a threat to themselves or others. San Francisco Chronicle.