Latest California Healthline Stories
States Could Launch Catastrophic Coverage Pilots
Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden will introduce a bill that would help states cover catastrophic health care costs for the uninsured. Oregonian.
Schwarzenegger Would Address Health Care in Second Term
Expanding health insurance coverage would be a priority for Gov. Schwarzenegger in his second term, although he does not support efforts to create a state-run health care system. Sacramento Bee.
California Healthline Highlights Recent Hospital News
Eden Medical Center to discontinue some services; Shriners Hospital negotiating lease for new building in Los Angeles
State Court Vacates Tobacco Judgement
The Florida Supreme Court agreed with a lower court’s ruling that the $145 billion punitive damages award “is excessive as a matter of law” because “it would bankrupt some of the defendants.” South Florida Sun-Sentinel et al.
San Diego Needle-Exchange Program at Issue
Mayor Jerry Sanders expects the City Council to reinstate a needle-exchange program. San Diego Union-Tribune.
Health Access Proposal Drawing Attention
USA Today examined San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s recent proposal to provide access to health care for 82,000 uninsured city residents. USA Today.
Survey Measures Health of California Residents
Most California residents describe their health as good, very good or excellent as asthma prevalence among adults increased and more than half of adults were overweight or obese. Sacramento Bee.
Receiver’s Report Criticizes Prison Health Care
Bureaucratic barriers, overcrowding and wasteful spending have contributed to a state prison health care system that is in a “state of abject disrepair,” according to a report by the receiver overseeing reforms. AP/San Jose Mercury News et al.
Flu in Children Often Misdiagnosed
Most children with the flu were diagnosed with conditions such as asthma, pneumonia and general viral illness, according to a study. Tennessean, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer.