Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Lockyer Files Suit Seeking Warning Labels for French Fries, Potato Chips

Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) on Aug. 26 filed a lawsuit against Burger King, Frito Lay, McDonald’s, Wendy’s and several other makers of french fries and potato chips, alleging the companies failed to warn consumers about a carcinogen known as acrylamide contained in their potato products, the AP/Oakland Tribune reports.

Legislators Continue Work on Legislation To Implement Medi-Cal Funding Agreement

Legislators have until the end of the week to write and pass a bill that would restructure distribution of Medi-Cal funds to hospitals and possibly shift beneficiaries to managed care plans as part of an agreement that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) made with the federal government, the Sacramento Bee reports.

CDC Reports Decline in Tooth Decay Among U.S. Residents

Tooth decay has declined among children and adults in the U.S. during the past decade, according to a CDC report released Thursday, Knight Ridder/Indianapolis Star reports.

Beneficiaries Have Mixed Opinion of Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, Survey Finds

Medicare beneficiaries are as likely have to a favorable opinion of the new prescription drug benefit as they are to have an unfavorable opinion, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey released on Thursday, the Washington Post reports.

Stanislaus County Officials Announce Plan To Address Health Services Agency Budget Deficit

Stanislaus County officials on Wednesday announced that they will close the public health complex on Scenic Drive in Modesto and relocate the urgent care and family practice facilities as early as 2006 as part of a three-year plan to address an $8.8 million budget deficit for the Health Services Agency this year, the Modesto Bee reports.

Cigna Launches Web Site To Help Customers Compare Prescription Drug Prices

Cigna has launched a Web site that allows its members to compare the prices of prescription drugs at 52,000 pharmacies nationwide, as well as mail-order or home-delivery drug services, Bloomberg/Indianapolis Star reports.

Lockyer Adds 39 Pharmaceutical Companies To Alleged Overcharging Case

Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) on Thursday filed suit against 39 pharmaceutical companies, alleging that the companies overcharged the state’s Medicaid program by hundreds of millions of dollars, the New York Times reports.