Latest California Healthline Stories
Increase in Obesity Affects Children’s Health Index Score
Childhood obesity, which increased from 6.1% of children between 12 and 19 years old in 1974 to 15.6% in 2002, has had such a negative impact on health that it has driven the children’s health index down by 15% since 1975, according to a report released Wednesday, Scripps Howard/Arizona Daily Star reports.
Study Examines California Emergency Care System
California hospitals operated fewer emergency departments in 2001 than they did in 1990, but more ED beds were available in 2001, according to a study published on the Web site of the journal Health Affairs, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Officials for Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center on Friday informed Los Angeles County Department of Health Services officials that over the past five years, the center had administered improper medication to about 300 individuals with syphilis, the Los Angeles Times reports.
CMS Chief Actuary Says White House Had His Cost Estimates for Medicare Bill in June 2003
During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing Wednesday, CMS chief actuary Richard Foster said that as early as June, he shared with Doug Badger, President Bush’s health policy adviser, and James Capretta, associate director of the Office of Management and Budget, his analysis that the Medicare legislation would exceed its target spending goal, the New York Times reports.
Proposal To Transfer Natividad Medical Center’s Clinics to Monterey County Unveiled
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday heard a proposal to turn over Natividad Medical Center’s primary care clinics to the county Health Department that would save $1 million per year, the Monterey County Herald reports.
Tenet Settles Two Justice Department Inquiries for $31 Million
Tenet Healthcare has agreed to pay $30.7 million to settle two federal inquiries into improper financial arrangements with doctors and “Medicare patient discharges and transfers,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Workers’ Compensation Reform Negotiations Ongoing
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (D) on Tuesday gave a 47-minute presentation to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and state legislators on a new plan to regulate workers’ compensation insurance rates, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Senate Health and Human Services Committee Approves Health-Related Legislation
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday pass considered several health-related bills.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) “has no plans” to get involved in the controversy over the state’s nurse-to-patient ratio requirements this year, and “no timetable exists for determining whether the law should be rescinded, adjusted or left alone,” according to Health and Human Services Agency spokesperson Nicole Kasabian Evans, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Supreme Court Hears Opening Arguments in Case on HMO Lawsuits
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard opening oral arguments in a case related to a 1997 Texas law that allows patients to file suit against HMOs in state court when they experience injuries as a result of administrative decisions related to treatment, USA Today reports.