Latest California Healthline Stories
Senate Passes Bill To Create Web Site Comparing State, Canadian Drug Prices
The Senate on Thursday voted 21-13 to approve a bill (AB 1957) to help state residents reimport lower-cost, U.S.-made prescription drugs from Canada, the AP/Oakland Tribune reports
Fourteen independent pharmacies in California on Thursday filed a lawsuit against 15 large pharmaceutical companies for allegedly “conspiring” to maintain “artificially high prices for their drugs in the United States” and block the purchase of lower-cost medications from Canada and other nations, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Number of Uninsured U.S. Residents Increased to 45 Million in 2003, Census Bureau Reports
The number of uninsured U.S. residents in 2003 grew to 45 million, or 15.6% of the population, from 43.6 million, or 15.2% of the population, in 2002, according to Census Bureau figures released Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
N.Y. Federal Judge Rules Ban on So-Called ‘Partial-Birth’ Abortion Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Richard Casey on Thursday struck down the federal ban on so-called “partial-birth” abortion, saying that the law lacks an exception to protect a pregnant woman’s health, the Long Island Newsday reports.
Assembly Approves Needle Exchange Bill
A bill (AB 2871) that would facilitate the operation of needle-exchange programs for injection drug users cleared the Assembly this week and is headed to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), the Eureka Times-Standard reports.
San Francisco, UCSF Considering Plans for New Hospital
The San Francisco Department of Public Health and the University of California-San Francisco have resumed discussion of building a shared hospital complex in the Mission Bay development in the city’s South of Market area, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Presidential Candidates Address Census Bureau Report on Uninsured U.S. Residents
The candidates for the U.S. presidency delivered “sharply different views” of U.S. Census data released Thursday that showed an increase in the number of uninsured and low-income U.S. residents, the New York Times reports.
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (D) on Wednesday filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit from Indianapolis-based Anthem that claims the commissioner exceeded his regulatory authority with his decision to block part of a proposed $16.5 billion merger with Thousand Oaks-based WellPoint Health Networks, Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times reports.
Undocumented Immigrants Cost Federal Government $10.4 Billion in 2002, Report Finds
Undocumented immigrants in 2002 consumed $10.4 billion more in federal government services, such as Medicaid, Medicare and charity care, than they paid in taxes, according to a report released Wednesday by the Center for Immigration Studies, the Washington Post reports.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) trip to the Republican National Convention in New York City is being funded largely by donations from corporations with business interests in California, including some pharmaceutical firms, to help reduce the cost to taxpayers, Schwarzenegger aides said Wednesday, the New York Times reports.