Latest California Healthline Stories
Government Witness in Justice Department Tobacco Case Estimates Cost of Treating Smokers
Treating the health problems of people who began smoking before age 21 will cost an estimated $840 billion by 2050, Timothy Wyant, a government witness and biostatistics specialist, testified on Monday in the ongoing federal lawsuit between the Department of Justice and several large U.S. tobacco companies, the Bloomberg/Washington Times reports.
Obesity Rates More Similar Among Different Income Groups, Study Finds
Obesity rates are higher among lower-income U.S. residents than among higher-income residents, but the condition is “growing fastest” among those with annual incomes of more than $60,000, according to a study presented on Monday at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Washington, D.C., the AP/Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Scripps Health Agrees To Continue Medi-Cal Contract Negotiations
Scripps Health officials on Friday said they will continue negotiations with the California Medical Assistance Commission over Medi-Cal payments for nonemergency procedures for beneficiaries in San Diego County, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
California Endowment President Addresses Issue of Uninsured at News Conference
The issue of the uninsured in the United States should concern all residents because people “are one pink slip away from being uninsured,” Robert Ross, president of the California Endowment and former director of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, said at a news conference on Monday to launch “Cover the Uninsured Week,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Long-Term Racial Discrimination Linked With Heart Disease, Study Finds
Long-term, low-level stress from racial discrimination may be negatively affecting blacks’ physical health, according to a study presented Saturday at a meeting of the American Heart Association, the Washington Post reports.
The Baltimore Sun on Monday featured NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, focusing on his role in implementing new rules to prevent conflicts-of-interest among researchers.
San Francisco Chronicle Examines Debate Over Disclosure of Off-Label Prescriptions
The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday examined the “growing chorus” of supporters for a law to require physicians to disclose to patients when they prescribe prescription drugs for off-label uses — those not approved by FDA.
Wall Street Journal Examines Arrangements Between Physicians, Medical Imaging Centers
The Wall Street Journal on Monday examined “increasingly common” arrangements in which physicians contract with medical imaging centers to “structure referral deals as leases, under which physicians, each time they send over a patient, are renting the scan center’s facilities and employees.”
Counties To Propose How To Allocate Proposition 63 Funds
Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties have received a combined $600,000 to research mental health care deficiencies in the counties and develop plans to allocate funds from Proposition 63, which voters approved in November 2004, the Modesto Bee reports.
Editorial, Opinion Pieces Address Uninsured, Legislation To Expand Health Care Coverage
The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday published an editorial and four opinion pieces addressing the uninsured and efforts to expand health insurance coverage.