Latest California Healthline Stories
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday introduced several proposed amendments to the City Charter, including a proposal to make health coverage available to city residents through the San Francisco Health Service System, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Menifee Residents Push for Survey on Health Effects of Sewage Exposure
Residents of Menifee are pushing for Riverside County officials to conduct a health survey to determine whether processed sewage spread on land near their homes for several years has had any adverse effects on public health, the North County Times reports.
Institute of Medicine Report Denies Childhood Vaccine Link to Autism
An Institute of Medicine panel said Tuesday that there is “no credible evidence” that vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal or the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine cause autism, the Washington Post reports.
House Defeats Bill To Require Doctors To Report Undocumented Immigrants in Their Care
The House on Tuesday voted 331-88 against a bill (HR 3722) that would have required emergency department physicians to report undocumented immigrants that they treat and to deny most types of emergency care to them, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Doubling Prescription Drug Copays Reduces Use, Increases Risk, Study Finds
Doubling copayments for prescription drugs is associated with decreased use of eight types of medications for common chronic diseases and a rise in emergency department visits and hospitalizations, according to a study published in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Orange County Supervisor Says He Will Ask Board To Study Reimportation of Prescription Drugs
Orange County Supervisor Chuck Smith on Tuesday said that he will ask the county Board of Supervisors to study the potential savings and legal liability of a program to allow an estimated 30,000 county employees, retirees and their dependents to reimport lower-cost, U.S.-manufactured prescription drugs from Canada, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Tenet Healthcare, Blue Shield of California Renew Contract
Officials for Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare and San Francisco-based Blue Shield of California on Monday announced that they have agreed to a new contract that will give Blue Shield’s 2.7 million members access to “all covered inpatient and outpatient services” at 34 Tenet hospitals, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Palo Alto Medical Foundation Announces Plans for Hospital in San Carlos
Officials from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation on Tuesday announced plans to build the first new full-service hospital in San Carlos in 40 years, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
In a review of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) revised fiscal year 2004-2005 state budget proposal released Monday, Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill said that the proposal, which included the withdrawal of some funding cuts to health and welfare programs, was insufficient to address the state’s long-term budget deficit, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday was scheduled to consider a bill (SB 1336) that would allow oral and maxillofacial surgeons to perform common elective surgeries that are currently considered “the general domain of plastic surgeons,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.