Latest California Healthline Stories
Implications for Pain Management Possible in Supreme Court Decision
The decision last week by the Supreme Court to uphold an Oregon law that allows physician-assisted suicide could help physicians who specialize in pain management and their advocates “to defend colleagues accused by the government of illegally prescribing narcotic painkillers to their patients,” the Washington Post reports.
Democrats Push for Hospital Retrofit Funding in $222B Bond Package
Lawmakers on Tuesday will begin discussing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) $222-billion bond proposal for state infrastructure projects, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Britain To Revise Decision on Coverage of Alzheimer’s Treatments
The British government on Sunday announced plans to revise a proposed decision on coverage of medications for moderate Alzheimer’s disease in a “closely watched test of what governments are willing to spend on health care,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
UCI Medical Center Passes CMS Review
A CMS inspection of the University of California-Irvine Medical Center in December found undisclosed deficiencies, but the hospital will remain eligible to participate in Medicare, according to letters CMS released Friday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kaiser Permanente Launches Disease Management Unit
Kaiser Permanente has launched a subsidiary — Kaiser Permanente Healthy Solutions — to market disease management programs to large, self-funded employers, the East Bay Business Times reports.
Legislators Propose Modifications To Medicare Drug Benefit
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) on Monday said that he will propose revisions to the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Rodham Clinton Criticizes Launch of Medicare Drug Benefit
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) launched a “sharp attack” on the new Medicare prescription drug benefit as part of a tour of several upstate New York cities on Monday, the New York Times reports.
Sacramento County Proposal for Mental Health Funding Criticized
Advocates for people with mental illnesses say law enforcement agencies should donate officers’ and deputies’ time to establish psychiatric response teams, rather than using Proposition 63 funds to pay their salaries, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Lawyers Prepare for Potential Changes to Medicaid Asset Transfer Rules
With the House poised to approve the budget reconciliation bill (HR 4241) — a provision of which would tighten asset-transfer rules for Medicaid eligibility — and send it to President Bush for his signature as early as Feb. 1, lawyers and financial advisers are “scurrying” to inform seniors that they should make plans to transfer assets before the legislation is enacted, the Wall Street Journal reports.
CNA Proposes Initiative To Limit Political Campaign Donations
The California Nurses Association on Monday announced a proposal for a ballot initiative that would impose strict limits on political campaign spending, including a ban on corporate donations to candidates and ballot measures, the Los Angeles Times reports.