Latest California Healthline Stories
California Healthline Highlights Recent Hospital News
Visalia hospital board approves construction plans for new facility; Kaiser Permanente acquires land for new facility in San Leandro
CDC Proposes New Quarantine Rules
CDC on Tuesday proposed “the first significant changes in quarantine rules in 25 years” as part of the federal government’s effort to prepare for a possible flu pandemic or other contagious disease outbreak, the New York Times reports.
VA, Canadian Pharmacies Will Offer Lower Prices Than Medicare Drug Benefit, Democratic Report Says
The Medicare prescription drug benefit does not offer medications at the lower prices available through the Department of Veterans Affairs, Canadian pharmacies or high-volume U.S. pharmacies, according to a report by the Democratic staff of the House Government Reform Committee, the Washington Post reports.
Visa, BCBS Join To Offer Health Debit Cards
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and Visa USA on Monday announced that they are partnering to offer a debit card to pay for health care expenses, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Fresno Approves Task Force To Address Concentrated Poverty, Including Access to Health Care
The Fresno City Council last month unanimously approved the creation of a “poverty task force” after a Brookings Institution study found that poverty — with implications for health care — is more concentrated in Fresno neighborhoods than in other major cities in the U.S., the Washington Post reports.
Majority of California Students Fail Fitness Test
About one in four California students from elementary school through high school is considered physically fit, according to results from the state’s 2005 Physical Fitness Test, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
WSJ Examines British Decision on Alzheimer’s Disease Medications
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined a preliminary decision issued by the British government that calls on physicians to no longer prescribe Alzheimer’s disease medications because the “benefit isn’t worth the cost.”
NPR Examines GOP Basis for Medicaid Spending Reductions
NPR’s “Morning Edition” on Tuesday examined the arguments some lawmakers have made in favor of reducing spending on Medicaid and other programs for low-income U.S. residents.
Lawsuit Alleges Florida Medicaid Provides Insufficient Care for Children
The Florida Pediatric Society, the Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the families of six children enrolled in Medicaid filed a lawsuit on Monday in Miami federal court alleging that Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and three state health care agencies are violating federal law by failing to provide the same level of medical care for children in Medicaid that is available to children with private insurance, the Miami Herald reports.
DHS Stops Medi-Cal Payments for Heart Transplants at Sutter Memorial Hospital
The Department of Health Services on Nov. 10 revoked certification for Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento to perform heart transplants, making such procedures ineligible for Medi-Cal reimbursement at the hospital, the Los Angeles Times reports.