Latest California Healthline Stories
Fresno County Grand Jury Recommends Establishing Needle-Exchange Program
Fresno County should establish a needle-exchange program to help prevent the transmission of bloodborne diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C, according to a county Grand Jury report released last month, the Fresno Bee reports.
Births to Immigrant Women in California Increase, Report Finds
Infants born to immigrant women accounted for more than 46% of California births in 2002, compared with 23% of births nationwide — according to a report released Thursday by the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports immigration limits — the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
United States Spends More Per Capita on Health Care Than Other Nations, Study Finds
The United States spends more on health care per capita than other industrialized nations but does not receive more services, according to a study published on Tuesday in the July/August issue of Health Affairs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Will Not Make Appointment to Federal Medicaid Commission
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Joe Barton (R-Texas) on Monday said he will not make an appointment to the federal Medicaid commission charged with recommending short- and long-term reforms to the program, CongressDaily reports.
WellPoint Settles Claims in Class-Action Lawsuit Filed by Physicians Against Large Health Insurers
Indianapolis-based health insurer WellPoint has become the sixth company to settle claims brought by more than 700,000 physicians against major U.S. health insurers, filing an agreement valued at about $198 million, the Miami Herald reports.
Computer Error Delays Checks to Medi-Cal, Social Welfare Beneficiaries
A computer error in Santa Clara County’s new CalWORKS Information Network system this month delayed benefits for “several hundred” beneficiaries of Medi-Cal, general assistance and other social welfare programs, according to a social services official, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
San Mateo County Officials Reject Some Grand Jury Recommendations
San Mateo County will not adopt a grand jury’s recommendation that the county should sell San Mateo Medical Center to a private company or convert the hospital to a managed care system, county Manager John Maltbie said on Thursday, the Oakland Tribune reports.
Physician-Assisted Suicide Bill Shelved; Other Legislative Action Highlighted
Assembly members Patty Berg (D-Santa Rosa) and Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) will not push for a floor vote on a bill (AB 651) that would have legalized physician-assisted suicide in some cases after they said they would not be able to get enough votes to pass it, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Number of Bariatric Surgeries Increased by Five Times Between 1998, 2002, Study Finds
The number of bariatric surgeries performed in the United States increased by more than five times between 1998 and 2002, from 13,386 to 71,733, according to a study published in the July/August issue of Health Affairs, the Washington Times reports.
San Quentin Warden Removal Linked to Inmate Health Care Lawsuit
San Quentin State Prison Warden Jill Brown on Thursday was removed from her position after an investigation by the Department of Corrections inspector general found that she had discouraged prison medical personnel from cooperating with attorneys in a lawsuit addressing inmate health care, the AP/San Diego Union-Tribune reports.