Latest California Healthline Stories
Percentage of Employers That Offer Workers Health Insurance Has Decreased Since 2000, Study Finds
Sixty percent of U.S. businesses offered employer-sponsored health insurance to workers in 2005, compared with 69% in 2000 and 66% in 2003, as the cost of coverage continues to outpace inflation and wage growth, according to a new survey released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust, the Washington Post reports.
Schwarzenegger Expected To Sign Bill Restricting Food Sales in Schools at Nutrition Summit
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Thursday is expected to sign legislation that would limit sales of soda and snack foods on public school campuses in California, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Report Details Possibilities of Use for VA’s Westwood Property
Residents of west Los Angeles have voiced concerns that a 23-page summary report released Monday by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which detailed possibilities for development on the 387-acre Veterans Affairs complex in Westwood, contains loopholes and could lead to major development in an area they say is “already congested,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Nursing Home Operator Ordered To Pay Fine, Increase Staffing
Attorney General Bill Lockyer’s (D) office has ordered Irvine-based Sun Healthcare Group, which operates 18 nursing homes in California, to pay $2.5 million and increase nurse staffing for violations of an order to improve care, the AP/San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Sacramento Officials To Improve Disaster Preparedness for Seniors
After seeing the effects of Hurricane Katrina, Sacramento officials are re-evaluating plans on how to provide services to the area’s seniors in a disaster situation, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Riverside County Supervisors Approve Fee on Tobacco Retailers
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve an annual $350 licensing fee on tobacco retailers in an effort to address the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Stanislaus County Supervisors Agree to Clinic Restructuring Plan
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a plan that would restructure services at county health clinics and decrease the board’s annual allocations to the county Health Services Agency to $3.57 million with the aim of reducing an HSA budget deficit, the Modesto Bee reports.
California Healthline Rounds Up Medicaid Developments Related to Hurricane Katrina
California Healthline rounds up developments on the effect of Hurricane Katrina on state Medicaid programs and national Medicaid policy.
More Than 1M Caregivers in U.S. Are Children, Study Says
More than one million U.S. children ages eight to 18 care for relatives who are ill or have disabilities, according to the first study to examine child caregivers in the U.S., USA Today reports.
State HMO Report Card Finds Improved Care and Patient Satisfaction, ‘Shortfalls’ in Preventive Care
Overall quality of care provided through California’s 10 largest HMOs has improved and members are increasingly satisfied with their plans, although the HMOs continue to have “critical shortfalls” in providing preventive care, according to the fifth annual HMO report card released on Tuesday by the state Office of the Patient Advocate, the Los Angeles Times reports.