Latest California Healthline Stories
Five Ballot Measures To Address Prescription Drug Costs Among the 79 Proposals Submitted
Seventy-nine proposed ballot initiatives, including five that address prescription drugs, have been submitted to the Office of the Attorney General, the Los Angeles Times reports.
House Subcommittee Considers Pay-for-Performance System for Medicare Reimbursements to Physicians
The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee on Thursday held a hearing to consider a proposal to tie Medicare physician reimbursements to performance measures — a move that was recommended by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in January — CQ Today reports.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) California Rx plan, which relies on voluntary discounts from drug makers, likely would provide less savings on prescription drug costs than a plan proposed by some Democratic legislators, according to a report released Thursday by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Voluntary HIV Testing Should Be Part of Routine Medical Care, Studies Say
Voluntary HIV testing should be a routine part of medical care in the United States, and early detection of the disease could add more than a year to the lifespan of HIV-positive patients at a cost comparable to other common screenings, including those for high blood pressure or breast cancer, according to two independent, federally funded studies published in the Feb. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Baltimore Sun reports.
2002 Vioxx Study Submitted to FDA Showed Possible Heart Risks
A 2002 study indicated that older patients taking Merck’s COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx might be at higher risk for developing cardiovascular problems, but an FDA analysis of the study’s data found no correlation, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Senate Likely To Pass Class-Action Reform Bill
The Senate on Thursday likely will pass a class-action lawsuit reform bill (S 5) by a “comfortable margin” after the defeat of a series of Democratic amendments on Wednesday, CQ Today reports.
Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata (D-Oakland) on Wednesday said that funding formulas for public education included in Proposition 98 affect the availability of funds for state-funded health care programs for low-income residents, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
CDC Report Details Causes of Improper Release of Study on Obesity
A CDC study published in March 2004 that might have overstated the number of annual obesity-related deaths in the United States was improperly released because of “miscommunication, bureaucratic snafus and acquiescence from dissenting scientists,” according to a report posted on Wednesday on the agency Web site following an internal investigation, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Nation, Richman Address Proposed Legislation To Expand Health Insurance Coverage
Assembly members Joe Nation (D-Marin) and Keith Richman (R-Chatsworth) on Tuesday met with health experts at the University of California-San Diego, in advance of the planned introduction Thursday of legislation they say will “shake up the status quo” in California health care, the North County Times reports.
Claim Alleges Privacy Violations Related to Hospital Funding Measure in San Diego County
The San Diego Union-Tribune on Wednesday examined arguments surrounding a lawsuit that accuses doctors of violating patient privacy rights after they supplied information to a political action committee supporting Proposition BB.