Latest California Healthline Stories
Auditors Direct Alameda County Medical Center To Create Repayment Schedule for Debts to County
Outside auditors have said that Alameda County Medical Center must implement a schedule for repaying its debt to Alameda County, or county officials will have to reduce funding for other services, county Auditor Patrick O’Connell said Tuesday, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Federal Ban on Prescription Drug Reimportation ‘Unsustainable,’ Cato Institute Report Finds
Cato Institute report released Wednesday states that legalizing the reimportation of drugs from other nations would “let the global marketplace sort out imbalances” in drug costs and force other countries to share the burden of funding new medical research, the Washington Post reports.
Anthem Files Suit Against Garamendi Over Decision To Block Part of Proposed Merger With WellPoint
Indiana-based Anthem on Tuesday filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (D) over allegations that his decision to reject part of a proposed $16.4 billion merger with California-based WellPoint Health Networks was “an illegal act that must be set aside,” AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
NIH Official Discusses New Oversight System for Outside Consulting Agreements
Details of a new oversight system for consulting agreements between NIH employees and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are still being determined, and NIH Deputy Director Raynard Kington said agency officials “anticipate support” for the plan from the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, the Washington Post reports.
Governor Expected To Sign Bill Expanding Genetic Disease Screening in Newborns
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is expected to sign into law within the next two weeks a bill (SB 142) that would make infant testing for rare genetic diseases more comprehensive, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Chicago Tribune Examines Proposition 71 Campaign
The Chicago Tribune on Sunday examined the campaign surrounding Proposition 71, which would provide funding for stem cell research.
DOJ Appeals District Judge’s Decision Declaring Federal Abortion Ban Unconstitutional
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday filed an appeal seeking to overturn San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton’s ruling that a federal law banning so-called “partial-birth” abortion is unconstitutional, the AP/San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Garamendi’s Decision on Anthem-WellPoint Merger Could Affect 2006 Lt. Gov. Campaign
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi’s (D) “high-profile” decision to reject part of a proposed merger between Indianapolis-based Anthem and Thousand Oaks-based WellPoint Health Networks “is good fodder for a campaign” as he prepares to run for lieutenant governor in 2006, according to some analysts, the Sacramento Bee reports.
CMS To Boost Medicare Payments to Hospitals by $5 Billion
CMS on Monday released its changes to the Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System for fiscal year 2005 and said it will boost reimbursements to hospitals by $5 billion, the AP/Spokane Spokesman-Review reports.
Schwarzenegger Administration Delays Release of Medi-Cal Overhaul Plan Until January
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday announced that he would delay until January the release of a proposal to overhaul Medi-Cal because it was “incomplete and needed more study,” the Los Angeles Times reports.