Latest California Healthline Stories
FDA Approves Black Box Warning Language for Certain Antidepressants
FDA officials on Thursday said they have approved the final wording for black box warning labels to be placed on certain antidepressants, after a government panel in September 2004 recommended that the warnings be added, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Alarcon Proposes Legislation To Increase Some Fines To Fund Trauma Care
Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Van Nuys) on Thursday announced that he has introduced legislation (SB 57) that would increase fines for some criminal offenses and traffic violations to fund trauma centers and emergency departments, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis Finds Workers’ Compensation Rate Reductions Slow, Savings ‘Modest’ Since Reforms Enacted
Last year’s workers’ compensation reforms, which were supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), have resulted in premium rate reductions that are “modest at best” and have “drastically slowed,” according to an analysis of rate changes on file at the Department of Insurance, the Contra Costa Times reports.
CDC Studies Focus on Racial Disparities Between African Americans, Whites
CDC this week in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published several studies addressing racial disparities in health care.
PacifiCare Releases Financial Performance Expectations for 2005
PacifiCare Health Systems on Tuesday announced that it anticipated 2005 earnings of between $3.64 and $3.80 per share and an increase in membership, Reuters/Orange County Register reports.
Few Seniors Search for Health Information Online, Survey Finds
Many U.S. seniors — residents ages 65 and older — have never used the Internet, and as a result, they lack access to an “increasingly important resource for health information,” according to new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Institute of Medicine Report Recommends Stricter Regulation of Alternative Medicine
The Institute of Medicine on Wednesday released “wide-ranging” recommendations to improve the regulation of dietary supplements and other alternative medicines in “an effort to help Americans sort through the mishmash of nontraditional therapies, some of which have potential benefits and some of which are sketchy at best,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
HHS, USDA Issue Revised National Dietary Guidelines Focused on Caloric Consumption, Exercise
U.S. Department of Agriculture and HHS officials on Wednesday released revised national dietary guidelines that focus on overall caloric consumption, daily exercise and whole grain consumption, the New York Times reports.
Orange County Register Examines Schwarzenegger Proposal for Program To Address Obesity
As part of his state budget plan, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday proposed providing $6 million for the California Obesity Initiative, a new project that has “encouraged” some health experts but has drawn criticism from others who say more funding is needed to address obesity in California, the Orange County Register reports.
California Chamber of Commerce 2005 Legislative Agenda Addresses Uninsured, Medical Malpractice
The California Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday released its legislative agenda for 2005, including a request for the state to address the growing number of workers without adequate health insurance, the Los Angeles Times reports.