Latest California Healthline Stories
Investigation Into Sale of Willed Body Parts From California Medical School Expands
Henry Reid, director of the willed body program at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine, charged Ernest Nelson $704,600 between 1998 and 2003 for the sale of 496 cadavers donated to the program for medical research, according to invoices printed on UCLA letterhead, the Los Angles Times reports.
AARP Sends Letter To Pharmaceutical Companies To Request Price Controls
AARP CEO Bill Novelli on Monday sent a letter to 16 major prescription drug companies, requesting that they increase prices for existing drugs no faster than the Consumer Price Index, which is basis for annual cost-of-living increases in Social Security benefits, the New York Times reports.
Garamendi, Vargas Meet With Union Leaders About Workers’ Compensation Reform
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (D) and Assembly member Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) on Monday met with a dozen union leaders in an attempt to reach a compromise on workers’ compensation reform, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Californians Against Government Run Healthcare, a coalition of business groups that seek to place a measure on the state ballot to repeal a law (SB 2) that would require many employers to provide health insurance for employees, has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine for failure to properly report more than $1 million in contributions, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Kaiser Permanente To Expand Spanish-Language Advertising Campaign
Oakland-based HMO Kaiser Permanente this month is scheduled to launch Spanish-language television advertisements for individual health insurance policies in Sacramento and Fresno following the success of similar commercials that aired in November in Los Angeles, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Senate Subcommittee Rejects Schwarzenegger’s Proposed Enrollment Caps on Health Care Programs
The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services on Monday voted to reject enrollment caps on a range of health care programs that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) proposed in his fiscal year 2004-2005 budget, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Many Physicians Take Actions To Increase Flat, Reduced Salaries, Study Finds
Many physicians in recent years have increased patient fees, treated more patients and offered more profitable services to raise “flat or falling” salaries, according to a study published in Health Affairs, the Boston Globe reports.
Increase in Obesity Rates Among Elderly Could Lead To Higher Health Care Costs, Study Finds
Treatment of medical conditions related to obesity in elderly individuals could account for one in every five health care dollars spent by 2020, according to study published on Tuesday in the March/April issue of Health Affairs, the Wall Street Journal reports.
High Doses of Statins Can Lead to Reduced Risk for Heart Disease, Study Finds
High doses of cholesterol-lowering statins can “sharply boost protection” against heart disease and increase heart attack patients’ survival rates while dramatically lowering levels of LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol, according to a study released Monday at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans, the Washington Post reports.
Defense Department Fails To Collect $44 Million From Third-Party Insurers
The Department of Defense has failed to collect a minimum of $44 million annually from private health insurance firms for health care services provided to “military-related” patients, according to a General Accounting Office report set to be released this week, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.