Latest California Healthline Stories
During the last five years, 77% of prison contracts for health care services were awarded without competitive bidding, and contract costs increased by 150%, state Auditor Elaine Howle said Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles County Has Higher Rates of Death From Heart Disease, Diabetes Than Rest of State
Los Angeles County residents have higher rates of death from heart disease, and diabetes than residents in most other counties in the state, although they fare better when it comes to cancer, according to an annual report card released Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services and the California Conference of Local Health Officers, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Higher Medicare Spending Does Not Mean Higher Quality, Study Finds
States that spend more on Medicare do not necessarily provide better quality of care to beneficiaries, according to a study published Wednesday on the Health Affairs Web site, the AP/Boston Globe reports.
Senators Consider Adding Medicaid Buy-In Measure to Tax Bill
Senate Democrats are considering the addition of a Medicaid measure (S 622) to the corporate tax bill (S 1637) that would expand coverage to more children with disabilities, the CQ Today reports.
Medical Discount Card Program Launched for Alameda, Contra Costa Residents
Beginning April 12, Contra Costa and Alameda county residents can pay a monthly fee to receive discounted prices on outpatient care from a network of doctors, surgery centers and diagnostic imaging centers, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Opposition to Reimportation ‘Compelling,’ Surgeon General Says
In an interview on Tuesday, Surgeon General Richard Carmona said testimony by drug industry officials opposing the reimportation of prescription drugs from other nations because of the risks posed by counterfeit drugs was “compelling,” the AP/Miami Herald reports.
Bills Aim To Target Health Benefits at Wal-Mart, Other Large Grocery Stores
Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D) and other Democrats are pushing two bills to “pressur[e]” Wal-Mart, which is seeking to expand in California, “to improve health benefits for its employees — or pay a steep price,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Heart disease and stroke experts from several San Diego-area medical facilities recently held a forum to discuss possible remedies for addressing the “growing epidemic of heart disease, diabetes and obesity” across the state, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
One-Fifth of Population Provides Unpaid Care, Study Finds
One out of five U.S. residents provides unpaid caregiving services to an adult, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, USA Today reports.
California Coalition Launches Spanish-Language Health Information Web Site
Sacramento-based Citizens for the Right to Know, a coalition of consumers and disease organizations, has launched a Spanish-language Web site to provide information for Latinos about health plans, the health care system and patients’ rights, the Stockton Record reports.