Latest California Healthline Stories
Rural Health Spending Increased in Revised Labor-HHS Budget Bill
Congressional conferees on Monday reached an agreement on a $601.7 billion Labor-HHS spending bill, with about $180 million in health-related costs shifted to win “the GOP votes that led to the bill’s failure on the House floor last month,” CongressDaily reports.
Officials in Santa Clara and Riverside counties this week will consider proposals for funds from Proposition 63, which state voters approved in November 2004 to provide funds for mental health services.
WSJ Examines Use of Ghostwriters for Articles
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined a practice in which pharmaceutical companies pay ghostwriters to draft articles for medical journals as part of “a marketing campaign … to promote a product or play up a condition it treats.”
UC, Nurses Announce Tentative Contract Agreement
University of California and California Nurses Association officials on Friday announced that they have reached a tentative agreement on a two-year contract, including a minimum 6% wage increase and maintaining current pension benefits, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Illinois Governor Promotes Children’s Health Insurance in Washington, D.C.
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) on Monday traveled to Washington, D.C., to promote All Kids, a new health insurance program for children in the state, and lobby for improved health coverage for children nationwide, the Chicago Tribune reports.
CDC To Issue Guidelines on Oral HIV Test
CDC plans to issue new guidelines on the use of OraQuick Advance oral HIV tests after a number of false positives recently were reported at clinics in San Francisco and New York City, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
White House Conference on Aging To Examine Elder Care
USA Today on Monday examined the fifth annual White House Conference on Aging, which takes place this week.
Newspapers Examine Effect of Health Care Costs on State Governments
Two newspapers recently featured articles examining states’ reactions to rising health costs.
Hospitals Inconsistent in Providing Cost, Charity Care Information
Hospitals do not consistently disclose pricing and charity care policies, according to a study by the California HealthCare Foundation, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports. The study is scheduled for release on Thursday.
Proposition 71 Might Have Implications for Other States
California’s experience with Proposition 71 “could serve as an example of what to do — or what to avoid — for other states trying to set up stem cell programs,” the New York Times reports. Proposition 71 was approved by voters in November 2004 to fund stem cell research.