Latest California Healthline Stories
Advocacy Groups Examine Alternatives to Canada for Reimportation of Prescription Drugs
Advocacy groups for U.S. seniors have begun to examine proposals to purchase prescription drugs from European and Asian nations because of concerns that the Canadian government might block the sale of lower-cost medications to the United States, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
CMS Details Changes to Reimbursements for Medicare Part B Drugs
CMS on Friday released details on changes to the system under which Medicare pays for medications administered to beneficiaries under Part B, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Bill Would Provide State Funding for Background Checks for In-Home Nursing Caregivers
Assembly member John Benoit (R-Riverside) has introduced a bill (AB 472) that would allocate state funding to counties to verify the criminal background of in-home care providers, the Sacramento Bee reports.
HIV Prevalence Among U.S. Blacks Doubles Between 1991, 2001
HIV prevalence among blacks in the United States nearly doubled between 1991 and 2001, while the rate remained steady among whites during the same period, according to a CDC report presented on Friday at the 12th Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, the Washington Post reports.
Bush To Discuss Medicaid Proposal With Governors Association Today
President Bush on Monday is scheduled to meet with the nation’s governors and push for an “early agreement” on his plans to restructure Medicaid, the Washington Post reports.
Columnist Addresses Popularity of HSAs in California
Californians have “less incentive” to sign up for health savings accounts than residents in most other states because California workers’ contributions do not reduce their taxable income on state returns, Orange County Register columnist Jan Norman writes in an opinion piece.
Palomar Surgeon Expresses Optimism After Meeting With Administrators About Staffing Problems
An orthopedic surgeon who earlier this month publicly stated that Palomar Medical Center should hire more operating-room staff said on Wednesday following a meeting with hospital administrators that he was hopeful that the situation would be addressed.
CHL Rounds Up Recent Coverage on Relationship Between Governor, Nurses
Several newspapers recently examined Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) labeling of the 60,000-member California Nurses Association as a “special interest” and the reactions of nurses to the governor’s decision last November to delay the implementation of revised nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.
San Diego Union-Tribune Sues Tri-City Healthcare District for Access to Public Records
The San Diego Union-Tribune on Thursday filed a lawsuit in San Diego County Superior Court seeking to obtain access to public records for officials at the Tri-City Healthcare District, the Union-Tribune reports.
CDC To Separate National Immunization Program, Vaccine Safety Division
CDC on Feb. 18 announced that it would divide its national immunization program, which encourages vaccination, and its vaccine safety branch, which monitors potential risks, to create two separate offices, the New York Times reports.