Latest California Healthline Stories
Wall Street Journal Profiles Las Vegas Cancer Care Institute
The Wall Street Journal on Friday profiled the efforts of MGM Mirage President Jim Murren and his wife, Heather Hay Murren, to establish a “state-of-the-art cancer institute” at the University of Nevada.
HHS Approves $1.7 Billion, Five-Year Federal Medicaid Waiver for In-Home Supportive Services Program
California will receive an additional $1.7 billion in federal Medicaid funds over the next five years to help pay for the In-Home Supportive Services Program, which allows low-income elderly and disabled residents to hire their own caregivers, under a federal waiver HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced Thursday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
USA Today Examines Laws on Purchases of Prescription Drugs in Mexico
USA Today on Friday examined the “unclear” laws on whether U.S. residents can purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from pharmacies in Mexico and transport them across the border.
Role of Health Care Issues in Presidential Election Examined
The Des Moines Register on Friday examined how health care issues are “shaping up as … key” concerns in the presidential election nationwide and in a “majority of battleground states” — such as Iowa, Ohio and Florida — where the “percentage of elderly residents tops the U.S. average.”
Travelers, UnitedHealth Settle Medicare Fraud Lawsuit for $20.6 Million
New York-based Citigroup subsidiary Travelers Insurance and Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group have settled for $20.6 million a civil suit that alleged the companies falsified reports and figures in order to defraud Medicare, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York announced Thursday, the Hartford Courant reports.
Senate Appropriations Committee Holds Bill To Ban Smoking in Vehicles with Young Children Present
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday held without a vote a bill (AB 1569) that would fine motorists for smoking in vehicles with young children present, the Copley/San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Nursing Homes Statewide Rally in Support of Bill Addressing Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rates
Statewide, 100 rallies were held at nursing homes on Wednesday to seek support for a bill (AB 1629) that would allow the state to apply $250 million in federal funds to increasing Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for nursing home care, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Terrorists Could Target Imported Prescription Drugs, FDA Official Says
Acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford on Wednesday said that “cues from chatter” collected internationally indicate that terrorists could target the United States’ food and drug supply, particularly prescription drugs that are illegally imported from other nations, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday issued its “strongest threat yet” to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, saying that it would sever the county’s contract with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science unless provisions were included in the contract being negotiated to “ensure that the school would maintain higher standards,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Some HMOs Resume Restrictions on Medical Services To Reduce Health Care Costs, Study Finds
HMOs are bringing back some “tried-and-true but highly unpopular methods” to control medical costs, according to a survey appearing Wednesday on the Health Affairs Web site, Reuters/Yahoo! News reports.