Latest California Healthline Stories
Rx Drug Spending Begins To Slump; Health Care Costs Remain on the Rise
As more health care costs have shifted to consumers and the economy has slowed, prescription drug spending growth has showed signs of slowing. Analysts say that the health care industry could be hurt by rising numbers of uninsured and an overall economic downturn.Wall Street Journal.
San Francisco Considers Tightening Limits on Smoking, Tobacco Sales
Mayor Gavin Newsom has proposed an ordinance that would bar tobacco sales in pharmacies, and a city supervisor has suggested a significant expansion of San Francisco’s no-smoking areas. The ban on tobacco sales in pharmacies would be the first in the U.S. San Francisco Chronicle.
Insurer Seeks Clarification of Tax-Exempt Status
VSP Vision Care of Rancho Cordova plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether the Internal Revenue Service properly repealed its not-for-profit tax exemption in 2003. Lawyers specializing in not-for-profit legal matters said the case could affect a number of tax-exempt health care organizations, but they doubted that the Supreme Court would hear the case. New York Times.
McCain, Obama See Similar Problems on Health Care
Presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) agree on what many of the challenges facing the U.S. health care system are, but they diverge on how to reduce costs, improve care and increase access to health insurance. Reuters.
David Brailer Discusses Health Care IT, Innovation
In a recent Q&A, David Brailer, chair of San Francisco’s Health Evolution Partners private equity fund and former national coordinator for health information technology, discussed health IT and the need for innovation in health care. San Francisco Business Times.
Congress Overrides President Bush’s Veto of Medicare Bill
President Bush rejected the bill on Tuesday, and both houses of Congress voted to override the veto hours later. The measure will delay cuts to Medicare payments to doctors for 18 months and will cut payments to Medicare Advantage plans to help cover the pay fix for physicians. Wall Street Journal et al.
Experts Discuss Future of Paid Sick Leave in California, U.S.
California Assembly member Fiona Ma discusses her bill to provide paid sick leave to nearly all California residents. Meanwhile, John Kabateck, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and Kim Stattner, an expert on absence management for Hewitt Associates, discuss the future of paid sick leave. KPCC’s “Air Talk.”
Sixteen Workers at L.A. County Clinic Suspended Over Criminal Histories
Sixteen workers at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital’s outpatient clinic were suspended after media reports revealed that county managers had not taken action against employees who hadn’t disclosed their criminal records. County officials are mulling next steps. Los Angeles Times.
California Set To Collect $23M From Drugmaker in Medicaid Fraud Deal
California and 19 other states will share more than $500 million that Bristol Myers will pay to settle allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors, inflated the price of its drugs for Medicaid programs and improperly marketed medications. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
VA Advertising Campaign Aims To Prevent Suicide
On Tuesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new advertising campaign targeted at veterans at risk for suicide. A three-month pilot project of the new campaign will take place in the Washington, D.C., area. VA has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent suicide. AP/Contra Costa Times.