Latest California Healthline Stories
Editorials Address Ballot Measure To Fund Children’s Hospitals
Two newspapers recently published editorials addressing Proposition 61, a bond measure on the statewide Nov. 2 ballot that would provide $750 million for construction, expansion and equipment for children’s hospitals.
Schwarzenegger Signs Bill Allowing Pharmacies To Sell Syringes Without Prescriptions
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday signed into law a bill (SB 1159) that will create a five-year pilot program allowing pharmacies to sell as many as 10 syringes to adults without a prescription, which “some advocates describe as one of the state’s most important public health policies in two decades,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
San Francisco Chronicle Examines Bill Addressing Nursing Home Reimbursement
The San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday examined the debate over a bill (AB 1629) the Legislature approved last month that would increase Medi-Cal and federal reimbursements to nursing homes.
Senators Urge Frist To Call for Vote on Legislation To Allow Reimportation of Prescription Drugs
A bipartisan group of six senators in a letter released Monday called on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to schedule a vote during the current session of Congress on legislation they sponsored that would allow the importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, despite Frist’s recent comments that action was “doubtful,” the Washington Post reports.
Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Edwards Addresses Health Care in North Carolina Speech
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) on Monday told a crowd of about 1,000 supporters in North Carolina that President Bush has not proposed an adequate health plan to address the uninsured and has favored policies that benefit pharmaceutical companies and insurers more than citizens, the AP/Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports.
State Fines Two Adult Film Companies for Unsafe Working Conditions
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday fined two Van Nuys-based adult film companies for allegedly allowing actors to perform unprotected sex acts, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
New York Times Examines Effects of Health Savings Accounts for Small Businesses
The New York Times on Tuesday weighed the benefits of health savings accounts, which allow people with high-deductible health care policies to set aside pretax income to pay future medical expenses, and looked at how they are “starting to shake up the group insurance market for small businesses.”
Workers, Businesses Debate Mandatory Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
The AP/Long Beach Press-Telegram on Sunday looked at opposing views on Proposition 72, a Nov. 2 ballot initiative under which state residents can vote to uphold or reject a law (SB 2) that will require some employers to provide health insurance to their employees or pay into a state fund to provide such coverage.
Majority of U.S. Residents Think Prescription Drug Prices Are Unreasonable, Harris Poll Finds
Two-thirds of U.S. residents say the cost of prescription drugs in the United States is “unreasonably high,” and 60% are in favor of government price controls — the highest portions in five years, according to a Harris Interactive poll, Bloomberg/Arizona Republic reports.
Federal Agency To Conduct Three Studies on Assisted Living
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will fund a yearlong $150,000 effort to research assisted living through three studies that will measure state regulation and consumer satisfaction with the industry, USA Today reports.