Latest California Healthline Stories
Jackson Resigns as Public Health Officer
Public Health Officer Richard Jackson on May 16 submitted his resignation, which will be effective June 30, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Roche Asks Court To Block Disclosure of State Contract Details
Drug maker Roche has filed an injunction in Sacramento Superior Court to block the release of details of its contract with the state to supply a hepatitis C medication, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Nomination of Crawford as FDA Commissioner To Proceed After HHS OIG Investigation Concludes
An HHS Office of Inspector General investigation has found no evidence to support allegations that acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford had an extramarital affair with an employee or acted inappropriately because of such a relationship, the Washington Post reports.
Proportion of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Remains Unchanged in California, Study Finds
The number of tuberculosis cases in California has declined over the last 10 years, but unlike the rest of the country, the proportion of a deadly, multidrug-resistant strain of the disease has not decreased, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Budget Conference Committee Restores $1.4M to CCLD Budget
The Legislative Budget Conference Committee, a joint panel of the Senate and Assembly, this week voted to add $1.4 million to the Community Care Licensing Division budget, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Low-income beneficiaries will need a simple enrollment process for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, several health care policy experts said on Wednesday at a forum sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Ventura County To Consider Launching Children’s Health Initiative
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will vote on whether to assess the cost of creating a program to provide low-cost health insurance to all uninsured children, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Families USA Report Examines Cost of Uncompensated Care for Workers With Health Insurance
U.S. workers with individual employer-sponsored health insurance in 2005 will pay an average of $341 in additional premiums — with total costs of $4,065 — to cover the cost of treatment for the uninsured, according to a Families USA report released on Wednesday, the Washington Times reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines Availability of Trauma Care in San Gabriel Valley
Trauma patients in the San Gabriel Valley, which has one trauma center, often must be transported to other facilities in Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Times reports.
San Francisco Supervisor Proposes Sales Tax Increase To Fund Health Services
San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly has proposed raising the city sales tax from 8.5% to 8.75% to fund San Francisco General Hospital and other emergency health services, which have experienced budget cuts in recent years, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.