Latest California Healthline Stories
Lawmaker Criticizes Jump in Bonus Payments at FDA
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) described FDA’s 29% increase in bonus payments over the past year as “outrageous.” The agency paid $35 million in bonuses to employees in the year that ended April 12. An FDA spokesperson said the bonuses help attract and retain workers. Bloomberg/Washington Post.
Bill With Medicaid Provisions Advances to President Bush
The Senate approved the supplemental funding bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Thursday, a week after the House approved the measure. Provisions in the bill would delay six Medicaid provisions proposed by the Bush administration for one year. The president is expected to sign the bill next week. CongressDaily et al.
At Least Two Measures on November California Ballot Hit Health Issues
One measure on the ballot will ask voters to approve almost $1 billion for children’s hospital projects and another would require parents or guardians of minors to be notified before an abortion. Yesterday was the deadline for qualifying measures for the November ballot. Ventura County Star.
Editorial Opposes Increasing Medi-Cal Eligibility Checks
An editorial urges Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and the Senate to abandon proposals to require Medi-Cal eligibility checks for children more than once a year, citing examples from other states that have tried similar maneuvers. Los Angeles Times.
Senate Does Not Pass Bill To Delay Medicare Pay Cuts to Physicians
The House approved the measure with a veto-proof majority earlier in the week, but the Senate fell one vote short of the threshold needed to stop debate on the legislation and bring it up for a vote. Medicare payments to physicians are slated to decrease by more than 10% on July 1. CongressDaily et al.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of June 27, 2008
Kaiser Permanente agreed to buy Moreno Valley Community Hospital, while Santa Clara County supervisors placed an $840 million hospital bond measure on the November ballot. UCLA officials prepared to move into the new UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center.