Latest California Healthline Stories
Inaction on Medicare Fiscal Problems Could Lead to Budget ‘Crisis’
USA Today on Monday examined how many budget experts from across the political spectrum say that inaction on Medicare’s fiscal problems and other issues could cause the “worst fiscal crisis since at least 1983.”
More Treatment Does Not Improve Care for Chronically Ill, Study Finds
California hospitals vary in the amount of money they spend on health care for Medicare patients in the last two years of their lives, but more spending does not improve quality, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Health Affairs, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
San Francisco Supervisors Approve Medical Marijuana Regulations
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve regulations that limit the amount of marijuana a patient can purchase and prohibit the establishment of marijuana dispensaries in certain areas, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Lawsuit Alleges Negligence at UCIMC Liver Transplant Program
Three people on Monday filed a lawsuit against the University of California-Irvine Medical Center alleging negligence, fraud and conspiracy following a CMS investigation that found more than 30 patients at UCIMC died awaiting liver transplants after the hospital turned down organ donations because of staffing shortages, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Tenet Physicians Settle Case Over Unnecessary Heart Procedures
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday said they have settled civil claims against physicians at Redding Medical Center — formerly owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare — accused of performing unnecessary heart surgeries, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Belshe Recommends Voters Choose Whether to Increase Tobacco Tax To Fund Children’s Health Insurance
Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Kim Belshe on Tuesday suggested that lawmakers allow state voters to decide whether to increase the state tobacco tax to fund an expansion of children’s health insurance, the Sacramento Bee reports.
DHS Requests Medi-Cal Contract Extension for Molina Healthcare
The Department of Health Services has asked CMS for an extension on its Medi-Cal contract with Molina Healthcare while the department re-evaluates the HMO’s provider list, the Business Press reports.
Some Medicare Beneficiaries Confused as Drug Plan Enrollment Begins
Enrollment in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit began on Tuesday, and there are “early indications that many [beneficiaries] will need an antidote for the outbreak of confusion and frustration that accompanied it,” the Washington Post reports.
Fertility Center Cites Ethics Concerns in Withdrawal From Global Stem Cell Consortium
The Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco on Monday said it would no longer participate in a global consortium for embryonic stem cell research following ethics concerns regarding human egg donations in South Korea, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Proposition 73 Supporters Say They Will Continue Pressing for Parental Notification
Supporters of Proposition 73 said they will continue to press the issue of parental notification and might introduce another initiative on a future ballot, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.