Latest California Healthline Stories
Orange County Doctors Voice Concerns About CalOPTIMA HMO for Dual Eligibles
Orange County physicians on Wednesday said a proposal by CalOPTIMA, the county’s Medi-Cal agency, to move as many as 50,000 beneficiaries into an HMO would diminish patient care and damage their medical practices’ finances, the Orange County Register reports.
Senate Approves $1.5B for Veterans Affairs Health Care Budget Deficit
The Senate on Wednesday voted 96-0 to provide $1.5 billion in emergency funds for Department of Veterans Affairs health care programs, the Washington Post reports.
DHS Investigating Incident at Community Medical Center-Fresno
The Department of Health Services is investigating a March 9 incident in which two nurses at Community Medical Center-Fresno allegedly failed to monitor a woman with a high-risk pregnancy whose fetus died while the woman was being cared for at the hospital, the Fresno Bee reports.
Anti-Smoking Groups Ask To Intervene in DOJ Tobacco Lawsuit
Six health advocacy organizations on Wednesday filed a motion in federal court requesting permission to intervene in the Department of Justice’s civil racketeering lawsuit against several major tobacco companies, the Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.
Mental Health Proposals Considered
The Lancaster City Council on Tuesday was scheduled to consider an $18.4 million development agreement with the not-for-profit Mental Health Association and InSite Development to expand and combine a facility for mental health programs and an apartment complex, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Department of Justice Requests $14B in Remedies in Lawsuit Against Tobacco Companies
In a filing late Monday, Department of Justice lawyers asked a federal judge to order the tobacco industry to pay $10 billion to fund smoking-cessation programs, spend $4 billion to launch an education campaign about the dangers of smoking and be subject to financial penalties if youth smoking rates are not reduced by nearly half in the next 10 years, the Washington Post reports.
Los Angeles, Riverside County Supervisors Address Health Care Measures
Boards of supervisors in Los Angeles and Riverside counties on Tuesday took action on two health care measures.
Counties Approve, Prepare to Vote on FY 2006 Budgets
Several counties have approved or will soon vote on budgets for fiscal year 2005-2006, including funding for health care programs.
CMS Could Improve Efforts To Prevent Waste, Fraud in Medicaid, GAO Report Says
CMS could do more to help states prevent waste and fraud in Medicaid, according to a Government Accountability Office report, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Many Older U.S. Adults Concerned About Health Care Costs, Commonwealth Fund Survey Finds
Three of five older U.S. adults are concerned that they will not have the ability to pay for health care in the future, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the Commonwealth Fund, Bloomberg/Boston Globe reports.