Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

AG Accepting Grant Requests Related to Mylan Anti-Anxiety Drug Settlement

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) is soliciting letters of inquiry from state not-for-profit institutions and public agencies for grants to provide discounted prescription anxiety treatments to low- and moderate-income residents, according to the Cypresfunds.net Web site.

Mammograms Less Likely Among Low-Income Women, CDC Report Finds

Women without high school diplomas or with annual household incomes of less than $15,000 are less likely to receive mammograms than women with more education and higher incomes, according to a CDC report published on Thursday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

House Approves Bill To Extend Medicare Assistance Program

The House on Thursday passed a bill (HR 3971) that would extend for one year a program that covers some copayments for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, CongressDaily reports.

Price of Produce Linked With Weight Gain in Children, Study Finds

Children who live in areas where fruits and vegetables are more expensive are more likely to gain excess weight than those who live in areas where such foods are less expensive, according to a study recently published in the journal Public Health, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Voters Concerned Proposition 76 Spending Cap Would Reduce Funds for Health Care

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has campaigned statewide to raise support for Proposition 76 — a Nov. 8 special election ballot measure that would place a spending cap on the state budget — but voters “appear to lose interest when they learn of the sacrifices” that the measure would require, such as funding reductions to health care or education programs, the Los Angeles Times reports.

California Healthline Rounds Up Recent Hospital News

SEIU-United Healthcare Workers file suit against California Pacific Medical Center to prevent the hiring of replacement workers; University of California-Davis Cancer Center officials unveil plans for expansion

Senate Finance Committee Considers Possible Medicaid Cuts

The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday for the second day met with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to discuss cuts to Medicare and Medicaid under the fiscal year 2006 budget reconciliation process, but no deal emerged from the meeting, CQ Today reports.

U.S. Begins International Conference on Flu Pandemic Preparedness

The federal government on Thursday launched a major organizing effort to address a possible outbreak of avian flu as the Bush administration, the State Department and members of Congress crafted strategies for accelerating vaccine development and ensuring international cooperation, Reuters/Houston Chronicle reports.

Five Northern California Counties To Offer Health Clinics Geared Toward Latinos

Five Northern California counties will hold bilingual health clinics starting Saturday in an effort to promote healthier living among Mexican immigrants, the Sacramento Bee reports.