Latest California Healthline Stories
Bush’s Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Proposal Would Eliminate 14 HHS Programs, Report Finds
The fiscal year 2006 budget proposal released last week by President Bush would eliminate or make large reductions in funds for a number of HHS and other programs that he has never targeted previously, according to a report released on Friday by the White House, the Washington Post reports.
CDC Panel Recommends Meningitis Vaccine for College Freshmen Who Live in Dormatories
An advisory panel to CDC on Thursday recommended that all college freshmen who live in dormitories receive meningitis vaccinations, a major revision to agency guidelines prompted in large part by the availability of a new, more effective vaccine, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.
Bill Would Provide $45 Million to Nursing Programs at Community Colleges
Assembly member Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) on Feb. 7 introduced a bill (AB 232) that would allocate $45 million to community college nursing programs to help pay for teachers’ salaries and supplies and allow nursing programs statewide to increase enrollment by about 3,000, the Fresno Bee reports.
Antelope Valley Hospital Posts $11.2 Million Loss Because of Low Reimbursements
Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster has finished fiscal year 2003-2004 with an operating loss of more than $11.2 million, double the loss of $5.7 million in FY 2002-2003, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Bush Says He Will Veto Any Legislation Changing New Medicare Law
President Bush on Friday warned Congress not to “reopen” the new Medicare law by introducing legislation that would change it, warning that he will veto any bill that seeks to reduce the new prescription drug benefit, the Washington Post reports.
Schwarzenegger Plan To Move Elderly, Disabled Medi-Cal Beneficiaries to HMOs Examined
The Sacramento Bee on Monday examined how Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) proposal to redesign Medi-Cal could affect elderly and disabled beneficiaries, who would be required to switch from fee-for-service coverage to managed care plans.
Resolution Near on Agreement With Federal Government for Additional Medicaid Funds
An agreement to increase federal Medicaid funds for California “could be ready for signing” by Thursday, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and state legislative leaders plan to travel to Washington, D.C., for a meeting with the state congressional delegation, the Sacramento Bee reports.
New York City Public Health Officials Announce Detection of Rare Strain of HIV, Issue Alert
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene officials on Friday at a news conference announced they have detected in a local patient a rare strain of HIV that is highly resistant to most antiretroviral drugs and causes a rapid onset of AIDS, the New York Times reports.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Friday in a letter to FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford asked that agency officials respond by Monday to allegations that regulators instructed drug safety officer David Graham not to discuss a recent, unpublished study he co-wrote on COX-2 inhibitors in his presentation at an advisory committee hearing scheduled for Thursday, the New York Times reports.
Schwarzenegger’s California Rx Plan Will Provide ‘Deep Discounts,’ Belshe States
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California Rx plan is the “only option that will immediately bring meaningful prescription drug discounts to millions of uninsured Californians,” Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Kim Belshe writes in a Sacramento Bee opinion piece.