Latest California Healthline Stories
Starbucks Stores To End Use of Trans Fats in Foods
Starbucks stores in three California cities will be among those in which Starbucks will begin to eliminate trans fats from foods. AP/South Florida Sun-Sentinel et al.
Delta Dental Merges With Subsidiary
PMI Dental Health Plans offers the DeltaCare USA prepaid HMO dental plan in California. About 25% of California dentists carry the plan, which serves 900,000 members. Sacramento Business Journal, San Francisco Chronicle.
New York Governor Calls for Greater Insurance Access for Children
Approximately two-thirds of the state’s 500,000 uninsured children are in households with income levels that meet the requirements for state coverage but are not enrolled. New York Times.
Sources: Governor Will Propose Insuring All Children
Gov. Schwarzenegger is not expected to detail how his plan would be funded, but officials estimate that it could cost the state up to $400 million annually to cover the estimated 763,000 California children without insurance, including children of undocumented immigrants. Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee.
Approvals of New Medications To Increase by 2010
FDA has approved 37 new medications since the September 2004 withdrawal of Vioxx, compared with an average of 28 annually in the years prior to the withdrawal. Newark Star-Legder.
Trade Group Bans Expensive Gifts to Physicians
The code allows trade drug industry group members to provide physicians with gifts that are related to prescription drugs or that are inexpensive, such as pens or stethoscopes. Bloomberg-South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
San Diego Hospital Sold as Part of Settlement
Tenet Healthcare last year announced that it would sell Alvarado Hospital as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors to settle the kickback charges. AP/Boston Herald.
Education Most Important Indicator of Life Span
Studies have found a link between a few additional years of education and longer life spans and large improvements in health during old age, according to researchers. New York Times.
Hospitals Face Challenges in 2007
Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente and other hospital operators are considering options to finance compliance with state seismic safety rules and upgrades to information technology systems. Gov. Schwarzenegger’s expected health care reform proposal also could have implications for hospitals. San Francisco Business Times.
Field Poll: California Residents Concerned About Health Care
California residents said pharmaceutical companies’ and health insurers’ business practices contribute to health care cost increases, and about 40% of respondents said they expected problems with the health care system to get more serious. Stockton Record et al.