Latest California Healthline Stories
Several Los Angeles-area television stations have declined to air an advertisement funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services intended to raise awareness about the dangers of syphilis, saying the content is inappropriate, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles County on Thursday announced that it had reached a tentative agreement with the Service Employees International Union Local 660, which represents nurses at county hospitals, that would raise wages by about 9% and provide an additional bonus for nurses with “clear records” who are willing to work at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines Domestic Partner Laws, Related Health Benefits
The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday examined state and local governments — including West Hollywood and California — that offer domestic partnership certificates by mail to couples nationwide, in part to allow partners to enroll in employer-sponsored health plans.
Four in Ten U.S. Residents Take at Least One Prescription Drug, Study Finds
More than 40% of U.S. residents take at least one prescription drug, and 17% take at least three, according to a report issued Thursday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the New York Times reports.
HHS Secretary Thompson Resigns From Cabinet Position
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson resigned on Friday, the AP/Washington Post reports.
New Research Could Undercut Claims of Obesity Epidemic
New unpublished research conducted by researchers at CDC and the National Cancer Institute likely will conclude that the number of annual obesity-related deaths in the United States “pales in comparison” to the 435,000 annual tobacco-related deaths and could “undercut claims of a recent surge” in obesity-related deaths, the Wall Street Journal reports.
State Personnel Board Does Not Re-Elect Harrigan to CalPERS Board
As expected, the State Personnel Board on Wednesday voted 3-2 to remove CalPERS President Sean Harrigan as its trustee to the pension fund, marking the end of a period “punctuated by sharp conflicts” between CalPERS and some corporations over corporate governance, health care costs and other issues, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Medicare Reimbursements for Cancer Medications To Decrease, Remain Adequate, GAO Finds
Although Medicare payments for cancer drugs will decline next year, the payments will exceed physicians’ costs by 6%, on average, while reimbursements for other cancer-related services will be more than double, on average, from what they were two years ago, according to a Government Accountability Office study released Wednesday, the AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
California Healthline Highlights Recent Hospital News
Several newspapers recently have published stories addressing developments at hospitals statewide.
Consumer Reports To Launch Prescription Drug Comparison Web Site
Consumer Reports on Dec. 9 will launch a new Best Buy Drugs Web site that will allow consumers at no cost to compare the cost and effectiveness of a number of commonly used prescription drugs, the AP/Detroit News reports.