Latest California Healthline Stories
Health Service Union Locals Merge To Form One Local
Representatives of the Service Employees International Union on Tuesday announced a merger between two locals for health care workers to create the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, a statewide, 130,000-member organization, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
CalPERS Board Approves Proposal for Legislation To Address Medical Pension Fraud
As expected, the CalPERS board on Wednesday “in a swift and unanimous vote” endorsed a legislative measure that would revise the disability pension law for state workers and employees of local governments that are part of the system by granting CalPERS fewer limits on its fraud investigations and penalties, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Children’s Vaccine Funds Diverted To Purchase Imported Doses of Flu Vaccine
HHS officials on Wednesday announced that the department will use part of a $220 million grant intended to fund children’s vaccination programs to pay for doses of German-made flu vaccine that HHS has agreed to purchase to mitigate the national flu vaccine shortage, the New York Times reports.
Some FDA Scientists Felt Pressured To Approve Prescription Drugs, Survey Finds
About 18% of FDA scientists in 2002 said that they were “pressured to approve or recommend approval for a (new drug application) despite reservations about the safety, efficacy or quality of the drug,” according to the results of a survey scheduled for release to the public on Thursday, the Washington Post reports.
Most States Remain Unprepared for Bioterrorist Attacks, Report Finds
States have made some improvements in bioterrorism preparedness since 2001, but most remain “woefully unprepared” to respond to a bioterrorist attack or public health emergency, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Trust for America’s Health, USA Today reports.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors To Raise $6 Million To Restore Some Health Services
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to “fully or partially restore” some health-related services slated for funding reductions or closure under Mayor Gavin Newsom’s (D) budget proposal, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Inclusion of Specialists in Pay-for-Performace Programs
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday looked at the expansion of pay-for-performance programs to include 12 “high-volume” specialists, including gastroenterologists, orthopedic surgeons, gynecologists and cardiologists.
State Officials Announce Plans for Legislation To Make Changes to First 5 Programs
State officials on Tuesday announced plans for legislation to reform the state’s First 5 commissions — which use money from cigarette taxes to fund early childhood development programs, including health care programs — after auditors found problems within the organizations, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Boeing Employees Sue Aetna Over Alleged Improper Denials, Terminations of Disability Benefits
A lawsuit filed Tuesday against Aetna Life Insurance and Boeing’s Employee Health and Welfare Plan alleges that Aetna used a “sham claims review procedure to justify numerous wrongful denials and terminations” of disability benefits, according to a written statement by the plaintiffs’ attorney, the Hartford Courant reports.
Many Employers Share Increased Health Care Costs With Retirees, Survey Finds
Many employers this year asked retirees to share more of the rising cost of health benefits, and some plan to do so again in 2005, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Hewitt Associates that shows the “continued erosion of retiree health benefits among large employers,” the New York Times reports.