Latest California Healthline Stories
State Compensation Insurance Fund Financially Viable, Audit Finds
State Compensation Insurance Fund, a quasi-public entity that provides workers’ compensation insurance to more than 50% of California employers, is financially viable, according to an audit the insurer released Wednesday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Consumer Advocacy Group Calls for Public Hearing on Anthem/WellPoint Merger
Consumer advocacy group Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights on Wednesday requested that Schwarzenegger administration officials hold a public hearing before approving a proposed merger between Indiana-based Anthem and Thousand Oaks-based WellPoint Health Networks, the Indianapolis Star reports.
U.S. District Judge Martin Jenkins in San Francisco on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction that prevents federal officials from pursuing a case against medical marijuana patients and two caregivers who provided the drug, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Senate Passes Bill To Allow Oral Surgeons To Perform Some Elective Cosmetic Surgeries
The Senate on Wednesday voted 33-0 to approve a bill (SB 1336) that would allow oral and maxillofacial surgeons to perform common elective surgeries that are generally performed by plastic surgeons, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Working Poor Receive Nearly 50% of Public Assistance Benefits, Study Finds
Families with low-wage, working members receive nearly 50% of the $21.2 billion spent in California each year for state and federal public assistance programs, including Medi-Cal, according to a study released Thursday by the University of California-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Bush Administration Video News Releases To Promote New Medicare Law Illegal, GAO Report Finds
General Accounting Office officials on Wednesday said that the Bush administration violated two federal laws through video news releases that were part of its campaign to promote the new Medicare law, the Washington Post reports.
NIH To Require All Employees To Report Consulting Agreements
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni will require all agency employees to report the financial details of paid consulting agreements with pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies over the past five years or face dismissal, NIH spokesperson John Burklow said on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
CalPERS Health Committee Recommends Dropping 36 Hospitals, Implementing Regional Pricing Plan
The CalPERS health committee on Tuesday voted 8-1 to recommend dropping 36 of the most costly hospitals from its HMO network, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Although documented immigrants with children in California are more likely to hold full-time jobs than U.S.-born parents, documented immigrants’ children are less likely to have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a report released Monday by advocacy group Children Now, the Fresno Bee reports.
Schwarzenegger Administration May Approve WellPoint/Anthem Merger Without Public Hearing
Officials from the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) may approve a proposed merger between Indiana-based Anthem and California-based WellPoint Health Networks without a public hearing, a possibility that has raised concerns from consumer advocacy groups, the Los Angeles Times reports.