Latest California Healthline Stories
Lawsuit Seeks To Overturn State Medical Marijuana Laws
San Diego County on Friday in U.S. District Court in San Diego filed a lawsuit challenging a voter-approved law that allows residents to use marijuana for medical purposes, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Opinion Piece Calls for Universal Health Coverage for Children
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) “missed an opportunity” in his State of the State address “to make the smart investment in our state’s human infrastructure: health care for all of California’s children,” Robert Ross, president and CEO of The California Endowment, writes in a Torrance Daily Breeze opinion piece.
Smokers File Lawsuit Against Philip Morris USA for CT Scans To Detect Lung Cancer
A group of long-term Marlboro cigarette smokers has filed a lawsuit against manufacturer Philip Morris USA that seeks to require the tobacco company to pay for low-dose CT cans to detect early stage lung cancer, the New York Times reports.
“[I]nstead of” seeking to legalize the reimportation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, state officials in California and elsewhere “should be asking how they can help their seniors enroll in the new, affordable and safe Medicare drug benefit,” former Secretary Tommy Thompson writes in a San Diego Union-Tribune opinion piece.
The quality of care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system rated higher among patients than that provided by private health care facilities, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, the Washington Post reports.
Senate-Approved Bill Would Create Name-Based HIV Reporting System
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill (SB 699) that would implement a name-based tracking system for HIV cases in the state in order to retain about $50 million in federal funding, the Los Angeles Times reports. The state’s current alphanumeric coding system “has been widely characterized as a failure,” according to the Times.
President Bush on Thursday said that he will ask Congress to pass legislation to allow small businesses to form association health plans as part of an effort to reduce health care costs, CongressDaily reports.
Two groups of senators have announced plans to introduce bills on Friday that would require the federal government to reimburse states that are covering the costs of drugs for Medicare beneficiaries who have had difficulty obtaining medications under the new Medicare drug benefit, CQ Today reports.
Cargill To Contribute to Health Savings Accounts for Farmers Under New Program
Officials for Minnesota-based Cargill on Thursday said that the grain marketing company will contribute to tax-free health savings accounts for farmers who promise to sell a portion of their grain to the company, the New York Times reports.
Legislature Passes Emergency Rx Measure; Schwarzenegger Meets with Leavitt
The Legislature on Thursday passed a bill (AB 132) to provide prescription drug coverage for residents dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal who have been unable to obtain medications under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.