Latest California Healthline Stories
Size of California’s New Budget Gap Hinges on Special Election
California’s Legislative Analyst Office projects that the state will face a budget deficit of $12 billion if voters reject measures on the May 19 special election ballot that would shift funds from special accounts for mental health services and early childhood health and education. San Francisco Chronicle et al.
Health Care Reform News Around the Nation for the Week of March 16
Arkansas, Utah and Washington took steps toward expanding children’s health coverage, while Idaho lawmakers moved forward with cuts to the state’s Medicaid budget. Meanwhile, the governor of Pennsylvania advanced efforts to expand insurance coverage to low-income adults.
L.A. County Faces Obstacles in Effort To Reopen Hospital
Los Angeles County aims to reopen Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in three years. Questions remain about how the county will fund the effort, which will require major construction, hiring and planning efforts. Los Angeles Times, KPCC’s “Air Talk.”
Philanthropist Pledges $125M to UCSF Medical Center
Charles Feeney has committed to donating $125 million to a complex for women, children and cancer patients at UC-San Francisco Medical Center’s new campus downtown. The gift is the first donation to exceed $100 million since last fall, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. New York Times, San Francisco Business Times.
California Stem Cell Agency Board Names Two to Vice Chair Role
In two unanimous votes, the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine’s governing board decided to have two vice chairs and then filled the slots with biotech veteran Duane Roth and outgoing California Democratic Party Chair Art Torres. San Diego Union-Tribune et al.
Schwarzenegger Kicks Off Push To OK Special Election Initiatives
Gov. Schwarzenegger is urging voters to approve measures placed on the May 19 special election ballot as part of the budget agreement he signed last month. The governor says the initiatives will improve the state budget process, but health advocacy groups are critical of some measures. Los Angeles Times et al.
State Report Finds No Link Among Oroville Cancer Cases
The California Department of Public Health released a report Thursday concluding that a jump in the number of pancreatic cancer cases in Oroville cannot be attributed to pollution from heavy industry in the area. The report calls for continued surveillance. Sacramento Bee.
Escondido Nursing Home Hit With Major Citation, Fine
On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health issued a $90,000 fine and an “AA” citation — the most serious kind — to Escondido Care Center following an investigation of a patient death in November 2008. The facility’s owners have appealed the citation. San Diego Union-Tribune.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of March 13, 2008
Hoag Health Center has submitted expansion plans to the city of Huntington Beach, and the Los Angeles City Council voted to let the expansion of Providence Holy Cross Medical Center move forward without expanding a scheduled environmental review.
Report: Fraud, Abuse Drive Jump in Medicare Home Health Spending
The federal Government Accountability Office released research indicating that some home health care providers exaggerated Medicare beneficiaries’ medical conditions and others billed the government for unneeded services or care they did not provide. USA Today.