Latest California Healthline Stories
Groups Say Medicare Drug Plans Too Complex for Some
Consumer advocacy organizations told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee that the number of options under the Medicare drug benefit can make it hard for beneficiaries to understand the program, while pharmacists argue that payment delays can hurt business. Dow Jones et al.
Gulf in Medicare Payments Impacts Central Coast
San Luis Obispo County is joining five other California counties in a federal claim to recover Medicare underpayments to physicians, a move that comes after lawmakers for the past five years have not acted to correct the situation. San Luis Obispo Tribune.
Bush, GOP Candidates Part Ways on Kids’ Insurance
Sen. John McCain is considering calling for an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has criticized some elements of President Bush’s proposal to narrow the focus of the program. Wall Street Journal.
Bill Would Let Feds Negotiate Prices for Prescription Drugs
The measure introduced in the U.S. Senate could have better chances of passage than any other effort to control prescription drug prices that Democrats have put forward this year. A similar rule was enacted in 1989, but President Clinton’s administration revoked it after a government panel voiced concerns about its effects on research and development of new treatments. The Hill.
Santa Clara County Widens Hospital Waste Inquiry
A surgical center marks the fourth medical facility in one week to be penalized for sending untreated medical waste to a San Jose landfill. The incidents might be tied to hospital employees disposing the waste in the wrong bins, hospital officials say. San Jose Mercury News.
California Stem Cell Agency OKs Facility Rules, Staff Changes
The public will get the chance to weigh in on how the agency will award grants for new research facilities under rules approved this week. The board also named an interim president during the search for a permanent leader. San Diego Union-Tribune, AP/Riverside Press-Enterprise.
UnitedHealth Ranks Low in Doctor Satisfaction Survey
Aetna ranked first for large insurers, and CIGNA topped the list for national health plans in a survey assessing physicians’ feelings about how quickly and accurately health insurers processed reimbursements. Wall Street Journal.
Kids’ Access to Care Goes Beyond Lack of Health Insurance
New research estimates that one in four children in the U.S. goes without health care at some point each year. Many have some insurance but cannot get services because of transportation problems or incomplete coverage. CBS’ “Evening News.”
Amendment To Permit Drug Reimportation Could Go Up for Vote
The U.S. Senate is working through the procedural steps to call a vote on legislation that would legalize reimportation of medications from almost 20 countries. The measure is attached to a bill that would reauthorize drug makers’ user fees to FDA. CongressDaily et al.
Contra Costa County Sees Disparity in Immunizations
The number of children in Contra Costa County who are immunized is on the rise, but a breakdown in ethnicities exposes lower rates of immunization for black and Hispanic children, compared to white children. Contra Costa Times.