Latest California Healthline Stories
Schwarzenegger Calls for Federal Action on Reimportation
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Tuesday will send a letter to congressional leaders calling for federal action to permit U.S. residents to reimport prescription drugs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
USA Today Examines Recent Increase in U.S. Hospital Construction
USA Today on Tuesday examined how the U.S. is “in the middle of the biggest hospital-construction boom” in more than 50 years, a trend that likely will increase use of “high-tech medicine and add fuel to rising health care costs.”
Almost Half of Federal Spending Goes To Entitlement Programs
More than $1 trillion of the $2.2 trillion in federal spending during fiscal year 2004 went to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, according to the Consolidated Federal Funds Report released on Dec. 27, 2005, by the Census Bureau, the AP/Indianapolis Star reports.
Judge Rules D.C. Drug Price Law Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon on Dec. 22, 2005, ruled that a Washington, D.C., law aimed at regulating prescription drug costs by making “excessive” prices illegal is unconstitutional, the Washington Post reports.
California Healthline Highlights Health-Related Laws Taking Effect Jan. 1
Several health-related laws took effect Sunday.
Most U.S. Residents Believe Smokers Should Pay More for Health Insurance, Poll Finds
Most U.S. residents believe smokers and individuals who do not wear seatbelts should pay different levels of health insurance premiums, deductibles or copayments, according to a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll released this week, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Alameda, Sonoma Counties Approve Plans for Proposition 63 Funds
Alameda and Sonoma counties this week approved spending plans for Proposition 63 funds.
Senate Passes Bill To Extend 1996 Mental Health Parity Law
The Senate on Thursday by voice vote passed a bill (HR 4579) that would extend for one year a mental health parity law under which health insurers cannot place caps on annual or lifetime mental health benefits unless they place similar caps on medical and surgical benefits, CQ Today reports.
Managed Care Plan Beneficiaries To Pay More Under Medicare Drug Benefit
The new Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost “substantially more” for people currently enrolled in managed care plans such as Kaiser Permanente’s Senior Advantage, the Modesto Bee reports.
Flu Symptoms Cause Ambulance Diversions at Los Angeles County EDs
Fifty-seven percent of Los Angeles County emergency departments have diverted ambulances in the last five days as patients with flu-like symptoms “have flooded the already crowded” EDs, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.