Latest California Healthline Stories
Medicare Drug Discount Card Program Web Site Contains Errors, Lawmakers Say
The Medicare Web site that lists prescription drug prices for the new drug discount card program contains a number of errors that could lead beneficiaries to sign up for a discount card that does not offer the best savings, Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) said this week in a letter to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, Roll Call reports.
Bush Administration Skewing Scientific Panels Based on Politics, Scientists’ Union Says
The Bush administration continues to “pac[k]” scientific panels with “ideologues” who share the president’s views on human embryonic stem cell research and other issues, according to a report released on Thursday by the Union of Concerned Scientists, Reuters reports.
Senators Seek FDA, NIH Advice on Clinical Trial Database
FDA and NIH officials should provide details about “what could be done” to improve, expand or create a new government-run database for all clinical drug trials, Sens. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) wrote in a letter to the agencies on Thursday, the New York Times reports.
U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler on Wednesday ruled that the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between tobacco companies and 46 states does not protect the companies from a Department of Justice lawsuit filed over alleged violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.
Pfizer Announces Program To Provide Prescription Drug Discounts to Uninsured U.S. Residents
Pfizer representatives in New York on Wednesday announced an initiative that aims to provide prescription drugs at discounts of 15% to 37% to an estimated 43 million uninsured U.S. residents, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Almost 100 hospitals in three southern states have filed suit against HHS over allegations that the federal government owes them more than $200 million in past Medicare reimbursements that were denied because of improper revisions to the reimbursement formula, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
Blue Cross of California officials on Wednesday visited North County Health Services in San Marcos as part of a statewide effort to encourage Mexican citizens living in California to apply for health insurance using a matricula consular — an identification card issued by the Mexican General Consulate — the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Consumer Advocates Criticize Tax Exemption for Blue Cross of California
Blue Cross of California, a subsidiary of Thousand Oaks-based WellPoint Health Networks, “enjoyed a unique and unfair loophole” that exempted the company from about $48 million in state taxes in 2003, consumer advocates said on Wednesday in a letter that criticized the proposed merger between WellPoint and Indianapolis-based Anthem, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Bill Banning Minors From Tanning Beds Dies in Senate
The Senate on Friday voted 9-19 to defeat a bill (AB 2193) that would have prohibited people younger than age 18 from using indoor tanning booths without a doctor’s prescription, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Many Children With Mental Illnesses Improperly Held in Detention Centers in 2003, Report Finds
About 15,000 children with mental illnesses were improperly incarcerated in detention centers in 2003 because of a lack of access to treatment, according to a report released on Wednesday at a Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs hearing, the New York Times reports.