Latest California Healthline Stories
North San Diego County Community Health Care Groups Urge Passage of Healthy Kids Bills
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) should sign into law two bills that would expand access to public health insurance programs for children under age 19, leaders of community health groups said on Tuesday in an interview with the North County Times.
Judge Approves Health Net, Prudential Settlements in Physician Lawsuit Against Health Insurers
U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno on Monday approved $167 million in settlements reached by Health Net and Prudential Financial Services in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf about 950,000 physicians, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
Emergency Department Doctors Rally for Assistance in Washington, D.C.
More than 260 California emergency department physicians on Tuesday participated in a Washington, D.C., rally to call for assistance to fund emergency care, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Senators Call on President Bush To Appoint Permanent FDA Commissioner
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) on Tuesday called on President Bush to appoint a new FDA commissioner after Lester Crawford resigned Friday, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Fewer Than Half of California Counties Have Electronic Health Information Projects
Twenty-six of California’s 58 counties have regional health information organization initiatives in place, and most of those are in preliminary stages, according to a survey released by the not-for-profit California Regional Health Information Organization, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Tuesday in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said a bipartisan bill that would provide temporary Medicaid benefits for survivors of Hurricane Katrina should not be approved, CongressDaily reports.
Senate Bill To Authorize Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Has Votes Required To Pass
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Tuesday said he has garnered enough votes in the Senate to pass legislation that would authorize the HHS secretary to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare directly with pharmaceutical companies, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Health Care Costs Contribute To Higher Cost of Living in California
In order to have a “modest” standard of living and cover the basics of everyday costs, including health care, California residents need to earn far more than the state’s minimum wage or federal poverty level, according to the California Budget Project, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Exhaust Fumes Impact Mortality Rates From Heart, Lung Disease
Mortality rates for California residents increase when levels of microscopic, tailpipe exhaust particles are elevated, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Medical Board Launches Investigation of Improper Transplant at Hospital
The Medical Board of California on Tuesday said it has launched an investigation of the directors of the liver transplant program at St. Vincent Medical Center after a 2003 liver transplant to a patient who was 52nd on a regional transplant waiting list and staff efforts to falsify documents to conceal the transplant, the Los Angeles Times reports.