Latest California Healthline Stories
Health Insurers Must Provide 90-Day Supply of Prescription Drugs to Medicare Beneficiaries, HHS Says
Health insurers offering Medicare drug plans must provide beneficiaries with an additional 60-day emergency supply of medication, an extension that increases the emergency supply requirement under the Medicare prescription drug benefit to a total of 90 days, the Bush administration said on Wednesday, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
San Francisco Mayor Unveils Universal Health Care Access Plan
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday unveiled a universal health care access plan that would allow uninsured city residents to receive a defined set of health care benefits and would be funded by a private-public partnership, the San Francisco Examiner reports.
House Vote on Reconciliation Bill Expected Today
The final House vote on Wednesday on the fiscal year 2006 budget reconciliation bill (S 1932), which includes cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, “will be close,” according to lawmakers and aides, the Washington Post reports.
Grant Funds Outreach for Drug Discount Programs
The Riverside County Office on Aging will use an $18,000 grant from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to promote the Rx Help For Californians program, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Senators Question HHS Officials on Flu Preparedness Efforts
Congress will provide additional funding for preparation for a pandemic flu after lawmakers receive “assurances from public health officials about how existing flu-readiness funds are being used,” members of the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee said during a hearing on Tuesday, CongressDaily reports.
Sacramento, San Bernardino Counties Address Health-Related Issues
The Sacramento and San Bernardino county Boards of Supervisors address health-related issues.
Bush Proposes Expansion of Health Savings Accounts in State of the Union Address
President Bush in his State of the Union address on Tuesday proposed an expansion of health savings accounts and “pledged to slow the rising cost of health care by making it easier for individuals and small businesses to buy insurance,” USA Today reports.
Committee Approves Guidelines for Proposition 71 Research
Women who donate eggs for embryonic stem cell research funded by Proposition 71 would be able to receive reimbursement for expenses, including lost wages, but would be prohibited from receiving compensation, according to regulations approved Tuesday by an advisory committee, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Three California Companies Launch Pay-for-Performance Initiative
Cisco Systems, Intel and Oracle have created a consortium to financially reward physicians groups that use health IT to improve care for the companies’ employees, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Senate Confirms Judge Alito as 110th U.S. Supreme Court Justice
The Senate on Tuesday voted 58-42 to approve the confirmation of nominee Judge Samuel Alito as the 110th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the New York Times reports.