Latest California Healthline Stories
Former Philip Morris Employee Testifies in DOJ Case That He Researched Safer Cigarettes
Former Philip Morris chemist William Farone on Wednesday testified in the trial of a Department of Justice lawsuit filed against several large U.S. tobacco companies over alleged violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act that the industry failed to create safer cigarettes to avoid admissions that smoking is unhealthy, Bloomberg/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Chemicals in the Environment Contribute to Increased Breast Cancer Risk in Women, Report Says
Exposure to radiation, environmental toxins and common chemicals found in household items, such as plastic food containers, pesticides and paints, contribute “more than previously understood” to a person’s breast cancer risk, according to a report released Thursday by the San Francisco-based Breast Cancer Fund and Breast Cancer Action, the Oakland Tribune reports.
County Supervisors Approve Plan To Purchase Santa Paula Hospital
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $2.75 million deal to purchase the bankrupt Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Obese Patients Who Get Bariatric Surgery Live Longer, Healthier Lives, Studies Find
Extremely obese people who have gastric-bypass surgery to lose weight may live longer than obese people who do not have the procedure, according to two recent studies on bariatric surgery, USA Today reports.
Less-Expensive Prescription Drugs Available in United States, Task Force Finds
A 13-member federal task force on prescription drug reimportation has found that “if patients will shop around, they, very often, can beat the Canadian price” for medications, FDA Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning William Hubbard said on Tuesday, the AP/Austin American-Statesman reports.
Campaign Spending in Support of, Against Ballot Measures Tops $154 Million
Businesses, consumer groups, policy advocates and others to date have spent more than $154 million on advertising campaigns related to the Nov. 2 ballot measures, “exceed[ing] or nearly equal[ing]” such spending in the state’s last two general elections, according to financial reports filed Tuesday, the AP/Fresno Bee reports.
Vice Presidential Candidates Discuss Medical Liability Reform, Health Care Costs in Debate
Vice President Dick Cheney and Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) on Tuesday in the first and only vice presidential debate “engaged in a broad way with the major questions facing the electorate,” such as medical liability reform and health care costs, the Washington Post reports.
Senate Committee Examines Issue of Childhood Obesity
Public health experts on Tuesday testified at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing that the number of obese U.S. children between ages six and 11 has tripled over the past three decades, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Lawmakers, Advocates and Executives Meet To Discuss Plans for Lowering Health Care Costs
Lawmakers, health care industry executives and policy advocates on Monday conducted the first of five meetings that will be held in the state this fall to “foster dialogue on a [health care] system nearly all regard as deeply flawed,” the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
About 50% of uninsured female business owners said that employer-sponsored health coverage is very important, compared with 83% of those with health insurance, according to a survey by Blue Cross of California and the National Association of Women Business Owners-California, the Orange County Register reports.