Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Clinton Plans To Announce Health Insurance Proposal

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled on Monday to unveil her health care proposal. She said at a conference this week that if elected, she will work to “rein in the influence” of health insurers. Reuters/Washington Post, Washington Post Blog.

Insurer Group Urges Workers’ Comp Rate Increase

Workers’ compensation insurance rates in California have fallen by more than 60% over the past four years, but an influential insurance industry group says that a rate increase is needed to offset higher costs for legal work, fraud investigations and other administrative work. Sacramento Bee.

Budget Cuts Strain Efforts To Enroll Kids in Health Insurance

Children’s health advocates estimate that Gov. Schwarzenegger eliminated more than $65 million from efforts to enroll eligible children in public health insurance programs. The funding cuts were part of an agreement to win Republican lawmakers’ support for the state budget. Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Times.

Kaiser Chief Makes Case for Universal Health Coverage

George Halvorson, head of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, argues that expanding coverage to all U.S. residents is a moral obligation, noting that the majority of the uninsured are minorities. Sacramento Bee.

Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine Research Making Gains

No therapeutic cancer vaccines have received regulatory approval and the field remains risky; however, research into the vaccines looks promising and has attracted pharmaceutical company investors. Wall Street Journal.

San Francisco Health Access Program Ready To Expand Citywide

The program, called Healthy San Francisco, will expand to enroll residents at more than 20 clinics citywide next week after exceeding enrollment expectations at two pilot clinics. Officials hope to enroll more than half of the city’s uninsured in the first year. New York Times.