Latest California Healthline Stories
U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Arguments in Case on HMO Lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear 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, USA Today reports.
House Democrats Ask White House Officials About Role in Withholding Medicare Estimates
House Democrats on Friday sent two separate letters to Andrew Card, President Bush’s chief of staff, and Joshua Bolten, the administration’s budget director, asking them to explain whether they were aware of “predictions last year that the new Medicare prescription drug law would cost more than President Bush publicly said,” the Washington Post reports.
Concerns Raised About Former CMS Administrator Tom Scully’s Alleged Comments on MedCath
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has raised concerns with federal regulators that former CMS Administrator Tom Scully made comments about MedCath, a specialty hospital company, that “may have caused a sharp sell-off of the company’s stock,” the Washington Post reports.
Los Angeles Times Looks at Health Insurance ‘Scams’
The Los Angeles Times on Monday examined an increase in health insurance “scams that hook victims with glossy brochures and low rates.”
Unionized Nurses File Grievance Against Sutter Delta Concerning Registered Nurse Staffing Levels
Nurses represented by the California Nurses Association have filed a grievance against Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch alleging that the hospital is “shirking the spirit” of state nurse-to-patient ratio requirements by hiring cheaper, less-skilled licensed vocational nurses who must be supervised by registered nurses, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Government Warns Medicare Beneficiaries Against Prescription Drug Card Scams
CMS officials on Thursday warned that people in a number of states are targeting Medicare beneficiaries with “fraudulent … schemes” related to the new prescription drug discount card program, AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
San Fernando Valley Health Care System Faces Problems, Report Finds
The San Fernando Valley’s health care system “is on the edge of collapse” because of a shortage of bed space and a growing number of uninsured patients, according to a report compiled by the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley with CEOs of eight valley hospitals, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Schwarzenegger Names Department of Health Services Director, Public Health Officer
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Thursday announced the appointment of Sandra Shewry to serve as director of the Department of Health Services and designated Dr. Richard Jackson as state public health officer at DHS.
Future Medicare Costs Will Be Enormous, Trustees To Report
The “unfinanced promises” of the Medicare and Social Security programs could eventually total more than $50 trillion, according to an annual report to be released Tuesday by the trustees of the entitlement programs, the New York Times reports.
San Luis Obispo County Health Clinic May Contract With Community Health Centers
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-0 to contract with not-for-profit Community Health Centers to operate the county’s Family Care Centers for an estimated annual savings of as much as $2 million, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.