Latest California Healthline Stories
Sacramento Bee Looks at Hospital Billing, Charity Care Legislation
The Sacramento Bee on Monday looked at two bills in the Legislature introduced to address allegations that hospitals “us[e] aggressive collection tactics that often drive patients into bankruptcy.”
About 3.7 Million Medicare Beneficiaries Enrolled in New Discount Card Program
The Bush administration is nearly halfway toward its goal of enrolling 7.4 million people in the Medicare prescription drug discount card program, according to CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, the AP/Detroit News reports.
Justice Department Files 2,500-Page Court Document To Outline Main Arguments in Tobacco Lawsuit
The Department of Justice on Thursday “se[t] out central arguments” in its lawsuit against tobacco companies that accuses them of “using fraudulent means to recruit new smokers, misleading the public on the health dangers of secondhand smoke and violating the industry’s landmark legal settlement in 1998,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Medical Expenses Have Large Impact on Retiree Incomes, Study Finds
Medical expenses for employees who retire at age 65 without employer-sponsored health insurance and who qualify for Medicare can account for as much as 20% of their pre-retirement incomes, according to a study conducted in June by Hewitt Associates, the Washington Post reports.
U.S. Government, Pharmaceutical Industry Move To Block Prescription Drug Reimportation
The federal government and the pharmaceutical industry are “crack[ing] down” on attempts by people and organizations to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from other nations, Long Island Newsday reports.
Five Health-Related Ballot Initiatives Approved for Nov. 2 Ballot
Secretary of State Kevin Shelley last week announced the approval of 14 propositions that will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot — the largest number of approved measures since March 2000 — including five health-related initiatives.
Natividad Medical Center Unionized Workers Oppose Plan To Merge With Mee Memorial Hospital
About 700 workers at Natividad Medical Center represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 817 have signed a petition asking the Monterey County Board of Supervisors to reject a proposal to merge the facility with George L. Mee Memorial Hospital, a union official said Tuesday, the Monterey County Herald reports.
CDC Documents First Human-to-Human Rabies Transmission Through Organ Donation
In the first documented cases of human-to-human transmission of rabies through donated organs, three transplant patients died last month from the virus after receiving organs from an infected man, officials for CDC said Thursday, the Washington Post reports.
Solution To Overcharging is Universal Health System, Editorial States
Uninsured patients who “are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid,” face “a double whammy”: “[n]ot only do they have to pay their own medical expenses, but they often are victims of price-gouging by hospitals that offset lower fees they charge insurers, which have the clout to demand deep discounts,” a USA Today editorial states.
Creditors for Santa Paula Memorial Hospital last week made a claim of $10 million against the hospital board, alleging problems with hospital operations and misuse of funds, the Ventura County Star reports.