Latest California Healthline Stories
Initiative To Fund Mental Health Services Qualifies for November Ballot
An initiative that would institute a 1% tax on adjusted personal incomes exceeding $1 million annually to fund mental health services has qualified for the November statewide ballot, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley announced Monday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Assembly Committee To Vote on Medical Fraud Bill
The Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday will vote on a bill (AB 2354) that would strengthen laws against medical discount card programs that are marketed to uninsured residents by offering discounts on health services for a monthly fee, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Storefront Medical Offices Emerge as Health Care Alternative for Latinos in Orange County
The Los Angeles Times on Sunday examined the increasing number of storefront medical offices in Orange County intended to attract Latinos by offering low fees, incentives and “culturally distinctive bedside manner.”
United States Should Implement Market-Based Health Care Reforms, Opinion Piece States
Although the quality of medical care in the United States is “the envy of the world,” the nation’s health care system is “in deep trouble,” as a result of diminished competition due to poor federal tax policies, insurance regulation and barriers to entry, according to a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.
Republicans, Democrats Discuss Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Card Program as Enrollment Begins
Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Monday met with constituents nationwide to discuss the new Medicare prescription drug discount card program, which began to enroll beneficiaries on Monday, the Chicago Tribune reports.
A Kaiser Permanente patient on Monday filed a class-action lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court against the Oakland-based HMO on behalf of more than 1,000 patients who may have been exposed to “contaminated instruments” during gastroenterology procedures at Kaiser’s South Sacramento hospital, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Department of Veterans Affairs, Army Launch Program To Help Injured Military Personnel Find Services
The Army and the Department of Veteran Affairs on Friday announced a new program intended to help military personnel with serious disabilities “navigate the return from war and maneuver through an often complex system of services and agencies,” the Washington Post reports.
John Muir Mt. Diablo Health System Plans $400 Million Renovation of Facilities
The John Muir Mt. Diablo Health System plans to spend about $400 million over the next four years at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek and Mt. Diablo Medical Center in Concord to double the capacity at each facilities’ emergency department, add parking, improve technology and comply with state seismic retrofit requirements, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Legislature Approves Bill To Restore County Health Care Funds Lost Through ‘Poison Pill’ Measure
The Senate and Assembly on Monday voted 34-1 and 66-0, respectively, to approve a bill (AB 1457) that would restore as much as $160 million in health care funding for counties jeopardized by a “poison pill” measure included in a state law regarding vehicle license fees, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
American Academy of Neurology Issues New Guidelines for Off-Label Use of Epilepsy Medications
“Frustrated by the drug approval process in the United States,” the American Academy of Neurology in San Francisco this week at its annual meeting issued guidelines recommending new epilepsy drugs for “off-label” use as stand-alone treatments, an “unusual step” that “essentially went around” FDA, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.