Latest California Healthline Stories
Lawmakers To Discuss Medicare Law With Constituents During Recess
As Congress began its recess on Friday, leaders of both parties instructed members to focus on Medicare and the economy in meetings with constituents, Roll Call reports.
Project BioShield Among Bush Initiatives To Stall in Congress
The Washington Post on Monday examined Project BioShield and other initiatives launched by President Bush that are “languishing in Congress even though his party controls both chambers.”
Workers’ Compensation Deal Near, Sticking Points Remain
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and legislative leaders on Friday reached an agreement on the “outline of a plant to overhaul” the state workers’ compensation system, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging HIPAA Privacy Rules
Philadelphia U.S. District Judge Mary McLaughlin on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed against HHS by doctors and consumer advocates seeking an injunction against privacy regulations enacted last April under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Lawsuit Accuses Pharmacy Benefit Manager Caremark Rx of Reselling Returned Drugs
Two pharmacists who work for pharmacy benefit manger Caremark Rx have filed a lawsuit in 2nd Circuit Court in Leon County, Fla., accusing the company of illegally reselling prescription medicines returned by patients, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Medi-Cal Could Save Millions by Revising Price Caps, Requiring More Generic Drugs, Analysts Say
California could reduce by $700 million per year its spending on prescription drugs for Medi-Cal beneficiaries by requiring beneficiaries to use generic drugs and revising its price-cap list for drug reimbursements, the Orange County Register reports.
Sequoia Hospital, Palo Alto Medical Foundation Plan Separate Redwood City Facilities
Catholic Healthcare West’s Sequoia Hospital and Sutter Health’s Palo Alto Medical Foundation both are planning to build hospitals in Redwood City or neighboring San Carlos, but the area has an “already crowded market” that might not be able to support both new facilities, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Stalled Medical Errors Legislation Examined
CongressDaily on Monday looked at how legislation that would address medical errors has stalled in Congress.
Most Homeless People in San Francisco Infected With HIV Also Have Hepatitis C, Study Says
About 74% of homeless or “marginally housed” people in San Francisco who have HIV also are infected with hepatitis C, according to study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
White House Science Adviser Responds to Allegations of Data Distortion
The White House’s chief science adviser — Dr. John Marburger, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy — on Friday responded to accusations by an advocacy group and 60 “prominent” scientists that the Bush administration has misrepresented “scientific information to suit its politics,” the New York Times reports.