Latest California Healthline Stories
State Teenage Birth Rate Has Decreased By 40% Since 1991, Report Finds
The state teenage birth rate has decreased by more than 40% since 1991, when the state began teaching comprehensive sex education in schools, according to a report the California Wellness Foundation presented to state lawmakers last week, the Ventura County Star reports.
Pfizer Agrees To Settle Neurontin Whistleblower Lawsuit for $430 Million
Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced that Pfizer has agreed to plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing and pay a settlement of $430 million in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that the Parke-Davis unit of Pfizer subsidiary Warner-Lambert illegally encouraged physicians to prescribe the epilepsy drug Neurontin to treat conditions other than those approved by FDA, USA Today reports.
Sacramento County would save an estimated $283,000 per year through the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada but could lose $14 million in free and discounted medications provided each year by pharmaceutical companies, according to a report compiled by Jim Hunt, head of the county Department of Health and Human Services, the Sacramento Bee reports.
San Francisco Health Commission Approves Budget Cuts
The San Francisco Health Commission on Tuesday voted to approve budget cuts for the city Department of Public Health, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Financial Problems Ahead for County-Run Medi-Cal Health Plans, Report Finds
Some of California’s eight county-run Medi-Cal health plans — including Health Plan of San Mateo, after which the others were modeled — could become insolvent as early as next year, according to a report released Monday, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) revised fiscal year 2004-2005 state budget proposal, which he will issue Thursday, is expected to call for reduced Medi-Cal spending to help address a projected $15 billion budget deficit, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
House Passes Flexible Spending Accounts, Medical Malpractice Bills
The House on Wednesday approved two separate health-related bills that would address unused funds in flexible savings accounts and would cap awards in medical malpractice lawsuits, the AP/St. Petersburg Times reports.
Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. John Kerry Discusses Veterans’ Health Care Services
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) on Wednesday discussed veterans’ health care issues at an airport rally in Little Rock, Ark., saying that President Bush has reduced funding for Veterans Administration health programs, a move that has made care unavailable to hundreds of thousands of veterans, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
Costs of Retiree Health Care Higher Than Anticipated, Report Finds
Health care costs during retirement are often “drastically underestimate[d]” by workers because they believe Medicare or their former employers will pay their bills, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.
Natividad Medical Center and the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce are collaborating on a series of radio advertisements to coincide with “Cover the Uninsured Week,” a move that officials say represents “the first ste[p] toward a new era of cooperation between the two Salinas institutions,” the Monterey County Herald reports.