Latest California Healthline Stories
President Signs Bill Letting FDA Regulate Tobacco
On Monday, President Obama signed into law legislation that gives FDA oversight of tobacco. The law will let the agency ban advertising aimed at children, lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products and regulate labeling. New York Times.
Advocates Protest Plans To Cut Adult Day Health Care, Prenatal Services
Advocates say Democrats’ budget plan could hinder California’s adult day health care program and prenatal services. Gov. Schwarzenegger has proposed eliminating the adult day health care program and cutting $20 million from prenatal care. Riverside Press-Enterprise, Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
Committee Approves Bill Requiring Medical Exams Before Cosmetic Surgery
Yesterday, a California Senate committee approved Assembly member Wilmer Amina Carter’s AB 252, which would require patients to undergo physical examinations before elective cosmetic procedures. Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar measure last year. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
White House Responds to Feinstein Concerns About Medicaid Cuts
In a television appearance Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein expressed concern that proposals to change federal Medicaid funding formulas could hurt California. That prompted the White House to point out that California has received more than $3 billion in increased Medicaid funds from the stimulus package. Roll Call.
Study: Patients Often Are Not Told About Bad Test Results
One in 14 patients is not informed by physicians about abnormal cancer screenings or other test results, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. New York Times, HealthLeaders Media.
Proposed Sale of State Fund Worries Brokers, Businesses
A proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sell a portion of the State Compensation Insurance Fund, the state’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance, for an estimated $1 billion has insurance brokers and small businesses concerned. Sacramento Business Journal.
Stanford Receives $10M Grant for Neuroscience Research
The National Institute of Mental Health has granted the Stanford University School of Medicine $10 million over five years to create and run the Silvio O. Conte Center for Neuroscience Research. San Francisco Business Times.
California Stakeholders Weigh In on Health Reform Efforts
The June edition of “Health Dialogues” includes segments on a recent Field Poll about Californians’ attitudes on health care reform, the political debate in Washington, D.C., the Canadian health care system and options for overhauling the U.S. health care system. KQED’s “Health Dialogues.”
Democratic House Leaders Roll Out Health Care Reform Proposal
The chairs of three House committees with oversight of health care matters drafted a proposal that includes a public plan and a requirement for individuals to maintain health insurance coverage. The draft proposal does not detail how the effort would be funded, but House leaders are considering a number of new taxes to help pay for the plan. New York Times.
Opinion: Hospitals Should Be Fined for Patient-Dumping
Members of the Sacramento City Council should support councilmember Kevin McCarty, who has proposed an ordinance intended to prevent patient dumping that would require “warm-hand-to-warm-hand” transfers of homeless patients and establish fines for hospitals that do not comply, a Sacramento Bee editorial argues. Sacramento Bee.