Latest California Healthline Stories
House Democrats Introduce Compromise Medical Malpractice Legislation
Three Democratic members of the House on Wednesday introduced a bill they said could provide a “common-sense compromise” to medical malpractice reform, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Physician-Assisted Suicide Bill Clears Assembly Committee, Heads to Assembly Floor
As expected, the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a bill (AB 654) that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in some cases, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
More than 200 House Members Call for Vote on Prescription Drug Reimportation Legislation
Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.), author of a bill that would allow U.S. residents to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from other countries, on Wednesday said that 219 House members signed a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) urging him to schedule a vote on the measure, CongressDaily reports.
Average U.S. Family Will Use $12,214 in Medical Products, Services in 2005, Report Finds
The average U.S. family of four will use $12,214 worth of medical products and services in 2005, up 45% from $8,414 in 2001, according to a new report by Milliman, the Washington Times reports.
Not-for-profit Congregations Building Community is proposing that patients pay a voluntary copay of $10 to $15 for doctor visits in clinics run by Stanislaus County’s health system in an effort to alleviate financial strain, the Modesto Bee reports.
Legislation To Loosen Federal Stem Cell Funding Could Change Focus of State Program
Passage of a bill (HR 810) that would loosen restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research likely would shift grant awards by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine “squarely toward the controversial field known as research cloning,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
State Rescinds Report Critical of Staffing at Atascadero State Hospital
The Department of Health Services has rescinded a finding last month that staffing at Atascadero State Hospital was inadequate, saying that the ruling had been based on information that was not applicable to the hospital, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.
U.S. medical schools “vary widely” in how involved they allow drug companies sponsors to be in clinical research, with most schools saying they would not permit drug companies to “quash publication” of research but many saying they would allow other activities, according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the New York Times reports.
Universities Develop Plan To Supplement Medicare for Retirees
The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday profiled a new health insurance plan created by 29 universities and colleges that lets workers and employers contribute to a fund to pay for retired employees’ medical expenses and supplement Medicare.
State Considers Requiring Warning for Foods That Produce Carcinogen When Cooked
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment might require grocery stores, retailers and restaurants to alert customers about acrylamide, a carcinogen created when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.