Latest California Healthline Stories
Spending on Prescription Drugs in United States, Canada Increased 11% in 2003
Prescription drug spending in the United States and Canada in 2003 increased 11% from a year earlier to $230 billion and accounted for about half of total worldwide drug sales, according to data released on Monday by IMS Health, the Washington Post reports.
Democrats Seek Investigations Into Actuary’s Medicare Cost Estimates
Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the White House Monday, asking the Bush administration not to retaliate against Richard Foster, CMS’ chief actuary, who recently said he was told by former CMS Administrator Tom Scully not to reveal to lawmakers his estimates for the Medicare legislation, the Washington Post reports.
Dr. Mitch Katz, chief of San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, on Tuesday is expected to release to the city’s Health Commission a budget proposal that calls for job cuts at the department and replaces free prescription drugs with copayments for low-income residents, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
As expected, the Fair Political Practices Commission on Monday fined Californians Against Government Run Healthcare $25,000 for failing to properly report more than $1 million in contributions from California businesses to sponsor a referendum to repeal a law (SB 2) that will require some employers to provide health insurance to employees or pay into a state fund that would provide such coverage, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Tenet Healthcare Announces Fourth-Quarter Loss
California-based Tenet Healthcare on Monday announced a fourth-quarter net loss of $954 million, or $2.05 per share, down from a net loss of $31 million, or six cents per share, a year earlier, the Wall Street Journal reports.
AARP Launches Campaign To Support Legalization of Reimportation of Prescription Drugs
AARP on Monday in Texas launched a campaign in support of the reimportation of lower-cost, U.S.-manufactured prescription drugs from Canada, the AP/Arizona Daily Star reports.
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Firing Five Top King/Drew Officials
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is in the process of firing five senior officials at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in response to “mounting troubles” at the facility, according to people familiar with the dismissals, the Los Angeles Times reports.
UCLA Officials Warned in Advance About Cadaver Sale Concerns
California Department of Health Services inspectors in February 2003 warned about a “possible misuse of donated cadavers” from the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine willed body program, but university officials waited for more than one year before they investigated the allegations, according to documents released on Monday by the department, the Los Angeles Times reports.
CalPERS Health Committee To Consider Regional Pricing Plan
The CalPERS health committee on Tuesday will meet to examine a regional pricing plan for health insurance coverage and other issues, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
General Accounting Office Investigates Television News Segments on Medicare Law Produced by HHS
The General Accounting Office is investigating the legality of HHS-produced videos intended for broadcast on local television news programs in which actors were paid to pose as journalists “praising the benefits of the new Medicare law,” the New York Times reports.