Latest California Healthline Stories
Patients with severe traumatic injuries are 20% more likely to die if they are taken to a Level II trauma center than if they are taken to a Level I trauma center, according to a study by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Life Insurer Hartford To Reduce Rates for Some Patients With Early Stage Breast Cancer
Officials for Hartford Financial Services Group announced the company will offer life insurance to women with certain forms of early stage breast cancer at the same rates that they offer to healthy women because of clinical progress in the reduction of fatalities from the disease, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.
Oral Arguments Begin in Supreme Court Case Over Oregon Assisted Suicide Law
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft did not exceed his legal authority in 2001 when he said the federal Controlled Substances Act supersedes an Oregon law that allows physician-assisted suicide, attorneys for the Bush administration argued on Wednesday in opening arguments in the Supreme Court case Gonzales v. Oregon, the Washington Post reports.
Illinois Governor To Propose Program To Provide Health Coverage for All State Children
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) on Thursday is expected to propose a plan to provide subsidized health insurance for 253,000 uninsured children in the state, many of whom are in families with incomes too high to qualify for government programs but too low to afford private health coverage, the Washington Post reports.
Local Governments Consider Medical Marijuana Regulations
The following are summaries of stories on local medical marijuana regulations in Alameda County, San Francisco and Visalia.
Single-Payer Health Care Plan ‘Most Appealing’ Solution, Columnist Hiltzik Writes
While Sen. Sheila Kuehl’s (D-Los Angeles) proposed single-payer health insurance plan “isn’t perfect,” it is “an attempt to fix a failing system in one fell swoop, rather than with stopgap measures that will merely delay the reckoning,” columnist Michael Hiltzik writes in the Los Angeles Times‘ Golden State column.
Diesel Fumes From Ports Contribute to Increased Incidence of Cancer
Diesel fumes from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach cause more than 50 cases of cancer per million residents who live within 15 miles of the ports, according to a draft of a study released Tuesday by the California Air Resources Board, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Sacramento City Council Considers ‘Community Benefit’ Guidelines for Hospitals
The Sacramento City Council on Thursday is expected to vote on a plan that would expand its authority over hospital construction projects to allow it to consider nine “community benefit principles,” including the “way large medical facilities spend money and care for patients,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
New Medicare Handbook Contains Error About Prescription Drug Benefit
The “Medicare and You” handbook that CMS is mailing out to beneficiaries this week mistakenly says low-income beneficiaries will be able to enroll in any prescription drug plan available in their area without paying premiums, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Schwarzenegger Signs Bill To Continue Medi-Cal Funding for Hospitals
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Wednesday signed a bill (SB 1100) by Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata (D-Oakland) that will ensure continued Medi-Cal funding for hospitals, the Los Angeles Times reports.