Latest California Healthline Stories
Senior Advocacy Groups To Monitor Implementation of Medicare Drug Benefit
Four state senior organizations will use a $500,000 private grant to monitor the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit and lobby state and federal lawmakers to make the coverage more effective, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Reimportation Enforcement Eased in Budget Compromise Bill
Senate and House conferees on Friday reached an agreement for the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill (HR 2862) to curtail the U.S. Trade Representative’s authority to enforce provisions in future trade agreements that restrict prescription drug reimportation, CQ HealthBeat reports.
House Members Criticize Bush’s Pandemic Flu Preparedness Plan
Members of the House Government Reform Committee on Friday at a hearing “sharp[ly]” criticized the Bush administration’s $7.1 billion pandemic flu preparedness plan, saying it “shortchang[es] states” and does too little to “boost supplies of the antiviral drug Tamiflu,” CQ HealthBeat reports.
Medicare Drug Benefit Could Affect Availability of Pharmaceutical Discount Programs
The new Medicare prescription drug benefit could affect programs offered by pharmaceutical companies that provide no-cost or discounted medications to low-income patients, the New York Times reports.
Santa Cruz County Develops Call Center for Medi-Cal Enrollment Issues
Santa Cruz County has begun to establish an 18,000-square-foot Medi-Cal call center to help residents enroll and maintain enrollment in the program, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports.
Los Angeles County Investigates Alleged Improper CPR Certifications
Los Angeles County health officials are investigating allegations that a manager at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center was selling or giving away required certification for CPR training, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Committee Removes Provision To Provide DEA Authority
A House-Senate conference committee on Friday removed a provision from the fiscal year 2006 Science, State, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies appropriations bill (HR 2862) that would have allowed the Drug Enforcement Administration to determine which new prescription narcotics reach the market, the Washington Post reports.
Health Care Costs, Error Rates Higher in U.S. Than in Other Countries
Out-of-pocket health care costs and medical error rates are higher for patients in the U.S. than in five other Western nations, according to a Commonwealth Fund survey published on Thursday in the online version of Health Affairs, the Washington Post reports.
Jury Finds Merck Not Liable for Heart Attack of Former Vioxx User
A New Jersey jury on Thursday ruled that Merck is not liable for a nonfatal heart attack experienced by a former user of the COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx, which was withdrawn from the market in September 2004, USA Today reports.
Senate Leaders Consider Funding Mechanism for Pandemic Flu Plan
Senate Republican leaders on Thursday said they will not go forward with a plan to add $3.95 billion for pandemic flu preparations to the pending budget reduction package, CQ HealthBeat reports.