Latest California Healthline Stories
State VA Secretary Interested in Reopening Skilled Nursing Center at Barstow Veterans Home
California Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Thomas Johnson on Friday at a meeting of the California Veterans Board said that he plans to reopen the 112-bed skilled nursing facility at the Barstow Veterans Home, which was closed in October, the Desert Dispatch reports.
Justice Department Says Anthem/WellPoint Merger Will Not Affect Competition
The Department of Justice said Tuesday that the proposed purchase of WellPoint Health Networks by Anthem would not have a negative impact on competition or consumers, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports.
Debate over a referendum to repeal a law (SB 2) that will require many employers to provide health insurance for employees or pay into a state fund that would provide such coverage to employees is typical of “the tone of the campaigns” for the more than 50 initiatives that are vying to appear on the November ballot, columnist Dan Walters writes in the Sacramento Bee.
Medi-Cal Certification Backlog Reduces Number of Physicians Available To Treat Beneficiaries
Forty percent more physicians would be available to treat Medi-Cal beneficiaries if the state eliminated a backlog of 10,500 applications from physicians seeking to participate in the program, the Orange County Register reports.
Following a San Francisco judge’s ruling, the U.S. Justice Department is withdrawing its request for the medical records of women who have undergone abortions at clinics associated with Planned Parenthood affiliates in Los Angeles, San Diego and four other areas, DOJ officials announced Friday, the New York Times reports.
UCLA Medical School Temporarily Suspends Willed Body Program
The University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine on Tuesday announced plans to temporarily suspend the UCLA willed body program “at least until completion of an investigation into accusations of trafficking in body parts,” the New York Times reports.
Senate Committee Approves McClellan as CMS Administrator; Floor Vote Blocked
The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted 18-2 to approve the nomination of FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan to serve as the new CMS administrator, but Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) blocked a floor vote on the nomination because opposition by McClellan to the reimportation of lower-cost, U.S.-manufactured prescription drugs from other nations, the Washington Post reports.
Kerry Wins Four Democratic Primaries, Criticizes Medicare Law
Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) on Tuesday “easily” won Democratic primaries in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and he criticized the new Medicare law in a campaign speech in Illinois, the AP/USA Today reports.
Prescription Drug Costs for Seniors Enrolled in Medi-Cal Likely To Increase Under Medicare Law
About 937,000 California seniors and people with disabilities currently enrolled in Medi-Cal likely will face increased prescription drug costs and more limited coverage when they are transferred to Medicare for prescription drug coverage in 2006, the Sacramento Bee reports.
FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan, whom President Bush has nominated to serve as the new CMS administrator, on Monday at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee “defended his opposition” to the reimportation of lower-cost, U.S.-made prescription drugs from other nations, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.