Latest California Healthline Stories
New York Times Examines Debate Over Reimportation of Prescription Drugs
The New York Times on Monday examined the debate between U.S. regulators and lawmakers over whether to allow the reimportation of lower-cost, U.S.-manufactured prescription drugs from Canada.
Stanislaus County Home Health Care Aides Reject County Contract Proposal
Stanislaus County home health care aides have rejected a county proposal to increase wages by 16 cents an hour after the workers asked the county Board of Supervisors to increase wages from $6.95 per hour to $8 per hour and provide health benefits, the Modesto Bee reports.
Senators Propose Federal Health Insurance Purchasing Pool for Small Businesses
Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) on Thursday introduced a bill to help reduce health insurance costs for small businesses, CongressDaily reports.
Community Colleges Receive Grant for Associate Degree Nursing Regional Collaborative
College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita has received a $400,000 challenge grant from the Weingart Foundation to help fund a three-year pilot program intended to increase the number of nurses in the state, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Ballot Measure for Paramedic Services Fee Increase in Yucaipa Passes
About 73% of Yucaipa voters on Tuesday voted in favor of Measure Y, which will more than double funding for paramedic services in the city beginning in July, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
HHS Secretary Thompson Says He Could Allow Prescription Drug Reimportation
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Thursday told members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies that he “could support allowing drugs to be reimported from Canada if Congress put strict conditions on the practice,” CongressDaily reports.
Department of Health Services officials on Wednesday told leaders at Los Angeles County-owned Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center that the agency plans to cite the facility for an incident in which the hospital mistakenly administered the cancer medication Gleevec to a patient without cancer over a period of four days last month, the Los Angeles Times reports.
House Bill Would Make Health Savings Account Premiums Fully Tax-Deductible
A group of House Republicans on Thursday introduced a bill that would allow individuals who participate in health savings accounts to fully deduct health insurance premiums from their taxes, CongressDaily reports.
CalPERS Invests $100 Million in New Jersey-Based WebMD
Officials for CalPERS on Thursday announced that the pension fund has invested about $100 million in New Jersey-based WebMD, which provides online health services and information, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Health Care Leaders Discuss Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Card Program
The prescription drug discount card program established under the new Medicare law could provide better benefits than previously thought to Medicare beneficiaries with the lowest incomes, but the program also “could sink under the weight of its complications,” health care industry leaders and advocates said Thursday at a conference in Washington, D.C., the Baltimore Sun reports