Latest California Healthline Stories
Mel Gibson Announces Opposition to Ballot Measure To Fund Stem Cell Research
Actor Mel Gibson on Thursday spoke out against Proposition 71 — a bond measure on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot to fund embryonic stem cell research — and gave the opposition campaign a recorded 60-second voice message, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports.
As the health care costs continue to rise, more U.S. residents are reducing their savings and retirement contributions to pay for care, according to an annual health confidence survey released by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, the AP/Boston Globe reports.
United States Could Import 5.2 Million Flu Vaccine Doses From Canada, Germany, HHS Secretary Says
Federal health officials could import up to 5.2 million additional flu vaccine doses from Canada and Germany to help mitigate an unexpected national flu vaccine supply shortage if manufacturing facilities in those countries pass FDA inspections, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced Thursday, USA Today reports.
United States Pays 81% More for Medications Than Canada, Six Western European Nations, Study Finds
On average, the United States pays 81% more for patented brand-name prescription drugs than Canada and six Western European countries, marking a “significant increase” from a 60% price differential in 2000, according to a study issued Thursday by Boston University’s School of Public Health, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Unanimously Approves New Sutter Hospital
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to allow Sutter Health to build a $200 million hospital next to the Burbank Center for the Arts, giving the not-for-profit hospital chain a “clear go-ahead” to move from its current location in Santa Rosa to a “major medical complex,” the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
Sacramento Bee Analyzes Advertisement in Favor of Measure To Fund Emergency Care
Statements included in a television advertisement supporting Proposition 67, a measure on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot to fund emergency services, are “technically correct” but are “missing some context,” according to a Sacramento Bee analysis.
State Lawmakers Call for Hearings on Wal-Mart’s Health Benefits
Democratic legislators on Thursday said that next year they would hold budget hearings on Wal-Mart’s health benefits, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Opposition to Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage Law Examined
The Los Angeles Times on Friday examined the claims of some opponents of SB 2, a state law that will require some employers to provide health insurance to employees or pay into a state fund to provide such coverage, that requiring employers to pay for health insurance would “worsen the state’s already bad business environment” — although they are not opposed to insuring their workers.
The Sacramento Bee on Friday examined support among some high-income individuals for measures on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot, including Proposition 71.
Monterey County Herald Publishes Recommendations on Ballot Initiatives
The Monterey County Herald on Wednesday published its recommendations for several initiatives, including five related to health, that will appear on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot.