Latest California Healthline Stories
San Mateo County Gives 90-Day Notice of Termination of Contract With Health Plan of San Mateo
San Mateo County supervisors on Tuesday issued a mandatory 90-day notice to the Health Plan of San Mateo, saying the county might terminate its contract with the HMO on July 1 if more money is not found to shore up finances at county-run San Mateo Medical Center, the San Mateo County Times reports.
FDA Approves Generic Version of OxyContin
FDA on Tuesday approved the first generic versions of OxyContin, which are expected to “significantly lower” the cost of the medication from “hundreds of dollars a month,” the AP/Boston Globe reports.
Kaiser Permanente To Issue $750 Million in Municipal Bonds
Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest not-for-profit HMO, on Wednesday will offer $750 million in municipal bonds, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.
Department of Health Services Reports Increase in Tuberculosis Cases
The number of cases of tuberculosis statewide last year increased by 2% from 2002 to 3,230, according to Department of Health Services statistics released Wednesday on World TB Day, the Contra Costa Times reports.
California Medical Association Chooses President, President-Elect
The California Medical Association last week at its annual meeting elected Dr. Robert Hertzka of San Diego as president and Dr. Michael Sexton as president-elect, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
Study Finds Latino Teens in Fresno More Likely To Be Overweight
Latino teenagers in Fresno are almost twice as likely to be overweight as other teenagers, according to a study of Fresno Unified School District students, the Sacramento Bee reports.
36 Million U.S. Residents Have Problems With Access to Care, Report Finds
An estimated 36 million U.S. residents, many of whom have health insurance or qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, have problems with access to physicians or other providers, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Association of Community Health Centers, Reuters/Yahoo! News reports.
Psychotherapy Helps Reduce Symptoms of Hypochondria, Study Says
Psychotherapy can help patients overcome hypochondria, a condition that involves “persistent, unfounded fears about having a serous disease,” according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
Medicare Hospital Trust Fund To Be Insolvent by 2019, Trustees’ Report Finds
Medicare’s financial condition has “deteriorated sharply” in the past year, and its hospital trust fund will be insolvent by 2019, seven years earlier than was predicted one year ago, according to the Medicare trustees’ annual report for 2004, the Washington Post reports.
Prescription Drug Cost Hikes Could Diminish Medicare Card’s Savings, Groups Say
Prices for medications used by seniors have risen by 20% to 25% since mid-2001, when President Bush first proposed a Medicare prescription drug discount card, and the increase could erode expected savings on retail prices when the discount card program takes effect in a few months, according to researchers for Families USA, the Wall Street Journal reports.