Latest California Healthline Stories
Bill Aims To Create Program To Oversee Flu Vaccine Distribution
Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation (SB 1220) that would establish a bulk purchasing program to oversee the distribution of influenza vaccines statewide, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Health Savings Accounts Attract Younger, Higher-Income Federal Employees, Report Finds
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program members enrolled in high-deductible health plans associated with health savings accounts on average are younger than those enrolled in traditional plans and more likely to have annual incomes of $75,000 or more, according to a Government Accountability Office report released on Thursday, CQ HealthBeat reports.
CMS Lowers 2006 Cost Estimate of Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit by 20%
The net cost to the federal government of the Medicare prescription drug benefit in 2006 is projected to be $30.5 billion, 20% less than the government’s previous estimate of $38.1 billion, CMS Administrator Mark McClellan said Thursday at a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the New York Times reports.
California Healthline Highlights Recent Hospital News
Community Medical Centers notifies state that it will cancel its Medi-Cal contract by May 20 because reimbursement rates are too low; The University of California-Davis Medical Center loses its designation as a “magnet” hospital for nurses because of irregularities at the facility and disagreements over labor contracts, hospital officials say
Mental Health Department Authorizes Pay Increases for Nurses, Doctors
The Department of Mental Health on Wednesday agreed to increase wages by up to 18% for nurses and some doctors at state mental hospitals, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Studies Find Higher Cancer Rates Near Santa Susana Lab
Residents living within two miles of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Simi Hills may have been exposed to toxic chemicals from nuclear research and rocket engine testing, and have slightly higher rates of cancer compared with people who live farther from the lab, according to two studies released Thursday, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
WSJ Examines Increased Cost of Entitlement Programs
The Wall Street Journal on Friday examined how the “significance” the fiscal year 2007 budget proposal that Bush plans to announce on Monday is “dwarfed by one daunting fact”: 84% of the federal budget is “essentially committed” to interest on the federal deficit, defense and homeland security and entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
FDA Briefing Addresses Problems in Postmarket Medical Device Surveillance System
FDA officials on Thursday held a “rare media briefing” to detail “problems they face in monitoring” medical devices after they have been approved, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
GAO Audit Finds Agency Failed To Account for $1.3B in Savings
The Department of Veterans Affairs failed to show it achieved $1.3 billion in budget savings that it claimed in fiscal years 2003 and 2004, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, CQ Today reports.
Contra Costa County Proposes Nurse Retirement Benefit Restrictions
Contra Costa County has been negotiating with the nurses’ union to reduce spending on retirement benefits — a move that could provide nurses an incentive to seek work elsewhere, the Contra Costa Times reports.