Latest California Healthline Stories
Los Angeles Judge Dismisses Suit Seeking $500M in Back Taxes From Insurer
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights that sought to force the state to collect $500 million in alleged unpaid taxes from Blue Cross of California, the insurer said Monday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
DOJ Ethics Office To Investigate Allegations Regarding Racketeering Case Penalties
The professional ethics office of the Department of Justice will investigate whether “political concerns played a role” in DOJ’s decision to reduce the penalty it is seeking against the tobacco industry in the government’s civil racketeering lawsuit against several large U.S. tobacco companies, the Washington Post reports.
Schwarzenegger Announces Fitness Council To Improve State Residents’ Physical Health
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Friday officially launched the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports at Disney’s California Adventure theme park, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Proposed Medi-Cal Funding Agreement Includes Provisions on Expanded Coverage, Managed Care
California would have to create a new health coverage program for uninsured residents and expand utilization of managed care plans for some Medi-Cal beneficiaries, according to the latest version of an agreement on Medi-Cal funding being negotiated by members of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) administration and federal officials, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Settlement More Likely in DOJ Lawsuit Against Tobacco Companies After Announcement
The announcement by Department of Justice lawyers on Tuesday that they are seeking $10 billion for smoking-cessation programs in their civil racketeering case against several tobacco companies — rather than the anticipated request for $130 billion — “could bring the sides a step closer to settlement or at least give the government’s case a better chance to survive an appeal,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
DHS Investigating Need for Mental Health Care License at Santa Clara County Jail
The Department of Health Services is investigating whether the acute psychiatric care unit in Santa Clara County’s Main Jail should be licensed, in response to questions from the San Jose Mercury News, the Mercury News reports.
Impact of Medical Marijuana Ruling Examined
California Healthline highlights recent news on medical marijuana, including county regulation of dispensaries and the closure of several dispensaries.
Enzi Might Delay Committee Vote on Crawford Nomination as FDA Commissioner
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chair Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) on Thursday said that he might delay a Wednesday confirmation vote on the nomination of acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford as permanent commissioner to allow more time to increase support for the nominee, CongressDaily reports.
New Workers’ Compensation Regulations Governing Medical Treatment Take Effect
New workers’ compensation rules that will decide permanent disability awards were enacted Friday following their approval by the Office of Administrative Law, the Sacramento Bee reports.
United States Must Accelerate Translation of Research to Treatments, Report Says
The United States must accelerate the translation of cancer research into improvements in diagnosis and treatment of the disease, according to a report released on Monday by the President’s Cancer Panel, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.