Latest California Healthline Stories
Medicaid Costs Fastest Rising Portion of State Spending, Study Finds
Medicaid costs increased faster than any other area of state spending in fiscal year 2003 and are expected to consume a greater portion of total spending than elementary and secondary education for the first time in 2004, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Association of State Budget Officers and the National Governors Association, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.
Sacramento Bee Examines Ballot Measure To Fund Emergency Care
The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday looked at Proposition 67, a measure on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot that would impose a 3% surcharge on telephone bills to fund emergency care for the uninsured.
American Heart Association Recommends Teaching Obesity Prevention in Schools
Schools should be “more aggressive” in educating children both in school and during after-school programs about heart disease and should promote physical education classes, heart-healthy meals and a tobacco-free environment, according to an American Heart Association statement published Monday in the journal Circulation, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
New York Times Examines ‘Difficulties’ With New Medicare Law
The New York Times on Monday examined the “difficulties” over the provisions and implementation of the new Medicare law.
The federal government’s trial against California-based Tenet Healthcare’s Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, which has “broad significance for the hospital business,” is scheduled to begin Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Diego, the Wall Street Journal reports.
State Issues Order Mandating That Providers Limit Flu Shots to CDC-Designated High-Risk Patients
Public Health Officer Richard Jackson on Friday issued an order mandating that all health care providers in the state limit influenza vaccinations to those at highest risk of serious illness or death from flu, a move intended to give providers the authority to withhold vaccination from those who do not meet CDC criteria for high-risk patients, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Senate Approves Corporate Tax Bill Without FDA Tobacco Regulation Provision
The Senate on Monday voted 69-17 to approve a corporate tax bill (HR 4520) that includes a $10 billion buyout for tobacco farmers after a provision was removed last week that would have allowed FDA to regulate the manufacture, promotion and sale of cigarettes, the Washington Post reports.
Poll Finds Increased Support for Proposition To Fund Stem Cell Research
About 46% of voters support Proposition 71, an initiative on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot that would fund stem cell research, and 39% oppose it, according to a Field Poll survey released Sunday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The “wacky” Nov. 2 statewide ballot — which features 16 measures, including five health-related initiatives — likely will not “shake the voters’ faith in direct democracy,” columnist Daniel Weintraub writes in the Sacramento Bee.
Employer Health Care Costs To Increase by 11% in 2005, Analysis Finds
Employer health care costs are expected to rise 11.3% in 2005, according to an analysis by consultant Hewitt Associates, the Detroit Free Press reports.