Latest California Healthline Stories
CMS May Have Violated Federal Law With Efforts To Withhold Medicare Law Cost Estimates
The Congressional Research Service on Monday concluded that Bush administration officials “appear to have violated federal law” by barring CMS chief actuary Richard Foster from sharing with lawmakers his cost estimates for the Medicare legislation, the Wall Street Journal reports.
FDA Advisory Committee Votes Against Recommendation for Approval of Two Cancer Medications
An FDA advisory committee on Monday decided not to recommend approval for Genasense, an advanced malignant melanoma medication developed by New Jersey-based Genta and French partner Aventis, and RSR13, a treatment for breast cancer patients whose disease has spread to their brains developed by Colorado-based Allos Therapeutics, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Campaign Expenditures for Statewide Ballot Initiatives in 2004 Likely To ‘Dwarf’ Those in Past Years
The $30 million already donated to campaigns for November ballot measures, including three related to health care, is “just the opening ante” in an election year that is “likely to dwarf past elections” in spending, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Contra Costa Health Foundations Partner on Project To Make Communities ‘Elderly-Friendly’
The John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health Fund and the Y and H Soda Foundation on Monday will announce business, government and not-for-profit group leaders selected to work together on a three-year, $300,000 effort to develop plans to make communities in Central and Eastern Contra Costa County and the San Ramon Valley “elderly-friendly,” the Contra Costa Times reports.
Sutter Health Reports $465 Million in Operations, Investment Income for 2003
Sacramento-based not-for-profit Sutter Health on Friday announced income from operations and investments of $465 million for 2003, compared with $284 million for 2002, “fueling claims that it charges too much for its services,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
State Officials Say Loopholes Allow Seniors To Shift Assets To Qualify for Medi-Cal Benefits
State legislators have said they will “crack down” on an increasing number of California residents who are shifting assets to qualify for state-funded nursing home care, the Sacramento Bee reports.
New York Times Examines Decline of U.S. Dominance in Scientific Innovation
The New York Times on Monday examined the decline over the past decade of the United States’ dominance in scientific innovation, as other nations, especially in Asia and Europe, win more science prizes and produce more papers for scientific journals.
Some Doctors Indicate Support for Health Savings Accounts at Joint Economic Panel Hearing
Doctors who require patients to pay out of pocket for treatment because they do not contract with health insurers testified in favor of health savings accounts at a Joint Economic Committee hearing Wednesday, the Salt Lake City Deseret Morning News reports.
Health Care Fastest-Growing Component of California Budget
Health care is the “fastest-growing segment of public spending” in California, as the state spent more than $40 billion on health programs in 2003 with “no end in sight,” the AP/Sacramento Bee reports.
New Pediatric Guidelines for Symptomless Ear Infections Published
Physicians should wait at least three months before actively treating symptomless ear infections in children, according to new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics published on Monday in the May issue of the journal Pediatrics, the AP/South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.