Latest California Healthline Stories
Family Opportunity Act To Allow Medicaid Buy-In for Families With Disabled Children Stalled in House
The “[h]igh hopes” for the quick passage of a “popular but oft-delayed” measure to allow middle-income families to buy Medicaid coverage for their disabled children are “fading a bit” as House Republicans and Democrats attempt to negotiate funding for the legislation, CongressDaily reports.
Nurses at San Bernardino Hospital Seek To Change Union Representation
A majority of registered nurses at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, San Bernardino County’s largest public hospital, have signed petition cards expressing their support for leaving the San Bernardino County Employees Association and joining the California Nurses Association, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Federal Investigators Testify on Canadian, Online Prescription Drug Safety
While purchasing prescription drugs from Internet pharmacies can “pu[t] consumers at risk of taking counterfeits or using medications improperly,” drugs purchased from sites based in the United States or Canada are generally more reliable and safe, according to testimony from federal investigators at a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on Thursday, USA Today reports.
Senate Committee To Consider Bill To Regulate Workers’ Compensation Insurance Premium Rates
The Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee on Wednesday will consider a bill (ABX4 16) that would allow for the temporary regulation of workers’ compensation insurance rates, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Grand Jury Finds Problems with Sonoma County Mental Health Department Management
Discontent with Sonoma County Mental Health Division management staff, poor working conditions and perceived interference in medical decisions must be addressed, according to an interim report released Wednesday by a grand jury, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
CalPERS Board Approves Plan With 11.4% Increase in HMO Premium Rates
The CalPERS board on Wednesday voted to approve a plan that includes an average HMO premium increase for 2005 of 11.4%, which is in line with the estimated national average for the first time in three years, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Senate Committee Passes Bill To Ban Smoking in Vehicles With Young Children Present
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday voted 9-2 to approve a bill (AB 1569) that would fine motorists for smoking in vehicles with young children present, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Abdominal Liposuction Does Not Reduce Obesity-Related Health Risks, Study Finds
Abdominal liposuction, or the removal of the subcutaneous fat tissue, can improve appearance but does not reduce the risk of obesity-related health problems such as coronary heart disease and diabetes, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Ventura County Supervisors Allocate 95% of Tobacco Funds to County Health Programs
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to allocate $8.6 million, or 95%, of its share of the national tobacco settlement for this year to the county hospital, public health department and mental health programs, the Ventura County Star reports.
AARP Officially Endorses Senate Bill To Allow Prescription Drug Reimportation
As expected, AARP on Wednesday officially announced that the 35 million-member organization will endorse a bill (S 2328) that would allow the reimportation of prescription drugs from other nations, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.