Latest California Healthline Stories
L.A. City Attorney Asks Blue Cross To Verify Recent Policy Changes
Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is asking Blue Cross of California to verify its claims that it will change its process for canceling members’ health coverage and develop a third-party review process for cancellations. Blue Cross has 21 days to respond. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
California Prison Health Care Reforms Drive Up Salaries, Analysis Finds
Pay for top-earners in the California Department of Corrections has jumped by almost $70 million from January 2007, part of about $300 million in budget changes the state has approved over the past three years to address concerns about prison health care. Sacramento Bee.
State Cites Modesto Nursing Home for Patient Death
English Oaks Convalescent & Rehabilitation Hospital received an “AA” citation and a $100,000 fine from the Department of Public Health related to a patient death. A state official said the facility’s owner is appealing the fine. Modesto Bee.
Hospitals Request Re-Evaluation of Seismic Risk Using New Tool
Sixteen Northern California hospitals have asked the state to re-assess their risk of collapse in an earthquake using a new software tool that the state approved last year. Some hospitals face deadlines as early as 2013 for retrofitting buildings. San Francisco Business Times.
Survey: Ads Drive Patients To Request Specific Drugs
About 82% of consumers got a prescription from their doctor after asking about a drug advertisement, according to a new survey by USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. Spending on prescription drug ads hit $4.8 billion in 2006, up from $2.6 billion in 2002. USA Today.
Growth in Membership Numbers Slows at Kaiser Permanente for 2007
Kaiser Permanente leaders attributed its smaller increase in membership last year to an overall slowdown in the economy. Kaiser is continuing with plans to open three or four new facilities in California in coming years, although some projects could be downsized. East Bay Business Times.
Stanislaus County Proposes Cap on Dental Services
The $1,000 annual cap for patients in the county’s Medically Indigent Audit program is intended to help the county’s Health Services Agency bridge a budget shortfall for fiscal year 2007-08. The reductions are expected to save $587,000 annually and take effect on May 1. Modesto Bee.
Americans Travel To Mexico for Lower-Cost Health Care
Some U.S. residents are traveling to Mexico for prescriptions, doctor’s visits, dental care and surgery at a fraction of U.S. prices. Democratic presidential contenders Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) say their health plans would make care more affordable in the U.S. CBS’ “Evening News.”
Suit Seeks Faster Care for Vets With Mental Illnesses
Arguments began in San Francisco this week in a lawsuit that alleges the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is unable to provide timely mental health care to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA argues that California-based plaintiff Disability Rights Advocates is pushing for court interference with the administration’s management. NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
Supreme Court Ruling Lets Drug Maker Suit Proceed
A lawsuit against a company now owned by Pfizer can proceed in Michigan courts after the U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked on an appeal that would have barred individual damages suits for FDA-approved medications. Chief Justice John Roberts did not participate in the case. New York Times.