Latest California Healthline Stories
Few Employers Offer Smoking Cessation Programs to Employees
Only 4% of U.S. employers offer programs to help employees quit smoking, despite higher health care costs for employees who smoke and smoking breaks that can decrease productivity. AP/Houston Chronicle.
Sources: Governor To Propose Prison Expansion Bill
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal is expected to ease prison overcrowding and includes construction projects such as medical facilities that will hold a combined 10,000 treatment beds, according to sources. Sacramento Bee.
Editorial: Cost of Retiree Health Benefits Could Affect Taxpayers
Under current tax rates and spending formulas, the state might be forced to cut expenditures or tax state services under a new rule that requires public agencies to account for the costs of future retiree health benefits. San Francisco Chronicle.
Medicare Reimbursements Boost Colon Cancer Screening, Detection
More beneficiaries are receiving colonoscopies and earlier detection of colon cancer has improved since Medicare began providing reimbursement for screenings, a study found. Washington Times.
Lawsuit Highlights Problems With DNR Orders
USA Today profiles a lawsuit involving a nursing home that did not follow a resident’s do-not-resuscitate order. USA Today
President Bush Signs Bill With Medicare Physician Reimbursement, HSA Provisions
President Bush signs into law a tax, trade and health care bill that includes provisions to reverse a 5.1% reduction in Medicare physician reimbursements scheduled for 2007 and to allow increased contributions to health savings accounts. CQ Today, Los Angeles Times.
Growth in Health Care IT Might Benefit Network Equipment Manufacturers
The demand for health care information technology offers potential for growth for network equipment manufacturers that can provide products to improve efficiency for hospitals, health clinics and government agencies. Wall Street Journal.
Study: Immigrants Not Responsible For Rising Health Care Costs in Los Angeles County
A spokesperson for the county Department of Health Services said the study shows that undocumented residents are only one component – not the cause – of the county’s budget deficit. The real problem is rising health care costs and the growing number of uninsured, according to the spokesperson. Los Angeles Daily News.
Judge Raises Salaries of Prison Mental Health Workers
The wage increases will help fill vacancies, especially for psychiatric positions and psychologist and social worker positions. Bakersfield Californian.
Hospital Reopens Neonatal Clinic After Bacteria Outbreak
White Memorial Medical Center earlier this month closed the neonatal intensive care unit after an outbreak of a bacterium that sickened five infants and might have led to the deaths of two infants. The parents of one of the infants have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit. AP/San Francisco Examiner, Los Angeles Times.