Latest California Healthline Stories
Richard Foster, chief actuary for CMS, on Friday confirmed that he was ordered by then-CMS Administrator Tom Scully to withhold from legislators “unfavorable cost estimates” for the Medicare legislation, which exceeded by more than $100 billion “what Congress seemed willing to accept,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Pharmaceutical Industry Trade Group Responds to AARP Letter on Prescription Drug Prices
In response to a letter from AARP CEO Bill Novelli to CEOs of the 16 largest drug makers, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America President Alan Holmer in a letter told Novelli that “he would be happy to work with him” but turned down “virtually every request” in Novelli’s letter, CongressDaily reports.
Value of State Contract To Process Medi-Cal Claims More Than Doubled Over Past Five Years
The value of a state contract with Texas-based Electronic Data Systems to process Medi-Cal bills in the past five years has more than doubled to $230 million annually, despite an increase of only 27% in the number of bills processed, according to an audit of the contract conducted by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the AP/Kansas City Star reports.
The Orange County Health Care Agency will have to spend an additional $475,000 to submit Medi-Cal bills to the state manually this year while software company Cerner completes installment of an $11 million computer system that was originally scheduled to be operational by July 2002, the Orange County Register reports.
The San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday looked at the effect that the labor contract signed in the 1970s between the West Contra Costa Unified School District and its employees — which promises fully funded health coverage to employees and their spouses for the rest of their lives in exchange for accepting lower salaries — is having on the county’s schools.
Democratic Presidential Candiate Sen. John Kerry Promotes Health Care Proposal in Pennsylvania
Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in Pennsylvania on Sunday promoted his health care plan, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
FDA Launches New Anti-Obesity Campaign
FDA on Friday released a report outlining the agency’s anti-obesity campaign, the Washington Post reports.
Two California newspapers on Sunday examined the impact of the alleged sale of cadavers from the willed body program at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine.
The Assembly Budget Committee on Thursday held a hearing to discuss proposals to reduce costs or improve efficiency in programs that provide services to state residents with developmental disabilities, the first in a series of hearings on proposals to avoid spending reductions proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in his fiscal year 2004-2005 budget, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The California Medical Association’s house of delegates on Sunday voted to reject a motion that would have withdrawn the organization’s support for a law (SB 2) that will require some employers to provide health insurance to employees or pay into a state fund to provide such coverage, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.