Latest California Healthline Stories
NIH Approves Federal Funding for Research on 13 Stem Cell Lines
Yesterday, NIH announced that 13 lines of human embryonic stem cells are eligible for federal funding. Four of the lines had been previously eligible for federal funding, but new ethics rules from the Obama administration raised questions over whether the lines would meet federal criteria. Washington Post.
Southwest Healthcare Submits Plan To Prevent CMS Funding Cutoff
Southwest Healthcare System has sent CMS a plan to address federal violations in hopes of delaying the planned June 1 cutoff for Medicare reimbursements to its hospitals. Meanwhile, the California Department of Public Health plans to revoke Southwest’s operating license. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Firms May Take Advantage of Home Care Reimbursement
Home health care companies might be taking advantage of an incentive in the Medicare reimbursement system to garner additional payments for potentially unnecessary care, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. Medicare reimbursements are calculated in part by the amount of at-home therapy visits that patients receive, plus an extra fee that is made available when a patient hits a certain number of visits. Wall Street Journal.
AstraZeneca To Pay $520M To Settle Marketing Charges
AstraZeneca has agreed to pay $520 million to settle federal allegations that it improperly marketed its schizophrenia medication Seroquel by pushing favorable research and concealing other research showing the drug’s link to diabetes. The company did not admit any wrongdoing. AstraZeneca faces 25,000 civil suits related to the drug, but it will not be subject to criminal charges. New York Times.
Federal Officials Face Challenges in Reform Law Implementation
Federal officials are facing pressure from dozens of special-interest groups that are trying to influence health reform implementation. Meanwhile, provisions, such as Medicaid expansion and extending health insurance to young adults, pose additional hurdles. USA Today et al.
Calif. GOP Congressman Challenges Reporting Mandate in Reform Law
Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Daniel Lungren introduced the first legislative challenge to the new health care reform law. Lungren’s bill would repeal a provision that requires businesses to report to the Internal Revenue Service purchases of more than $600 worth of goods from another business. The Hill‘s “On the Money” et al.
Dems Confirm Claims of Reform Law’s Adverse Effect on Earnings
An investigation by House Democrats confirmed some companies’ claims that a tax change included in the new health reform law would have an adverse effect on their overall earnings. The law eliminates a tax deduction available to firms that provided prescription drug benefits to retirees. New York Times.
Calif. SEIU Chapters Backing Alternate President Successor
Two California chapters of the Service Employees International Union have rejected outgoing SEIU President Andy Stern’s recommended successor, current SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, and are backing SEIU Executive Vice President Mary Kay Henry. Another California chapter is undecided. Other chapters nationwide also have split with Stern to back Henry. Los Angeles Times‘ “LA Now.”
Editorial: Lawmakers Bent to Unions in Killing Nurse Bill
Senators who rejected a bill, by Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, that would have permitted the state to track nurses with serious patient care infractions “took their marching orders from the unions” that cared more about “unionism” than “quality health care,” a Fresno Bee editorial states. “Nurses who prey on patients are rare,” though when it happens, California “needs to be able to strip them of their licenses,” the editorial continues. Fresno Bee.
Editorial Calls on Lawmakers To Pass Clinic Oversight Bill
The Senate Committee on Appropriations should approve a bill by Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod that aims to establish guidelines for the operation of independent surgical centers and fertility clinics, an Inland Valley Daily Bulletin editorial states. The editorial continues, “Sacramento needs to close the loopholes that allow fertility and surgery clinics to operate without sufficient medical oversight, to the potential detriment and endangerment of patients.” Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.