Latest California Healthline Stories
Schwarzenegger, Republican Legislators Not Pushing Midyear Funding Reductions
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Republican legislators “have abandoned quick action” on Schwarzenegger’s proposed midyear funding reductions for fiscal year 2003-2004, including funding cuts to health programs, the Orange County Register reports.
U.S. Steel Reduces Future Retiree Health Benefit Obligations Under New Medicare Law
Officials for Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel have announced that the company has reduced future obligations for retiree health benefits by $450 million for 2003 as a result of the new Medicare law (HR 1), the Wall Street Journal reports.
Department of Health Services Issues Report on Hospital, Clinic Actions Following Patient Death
ValleyCare Medical Center in Pleasanton and a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Hayward did not follow state guidelines that require medical facilities to report “unusual incidents” after treating an 18-year-old Livermore woman who last year died after taking mifepristone to induce a medical abortion, according to a Department of Health Services report released Tuesday, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
House Subcommittee Chair Asks HHS To Help Investigate Potential Conflicts of Interest at NIH
Rep. Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.), chair of the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, wrote a letter Wednesday to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, “asking for his assistance in forcing disclosure” of the dollar amounts in consulting fees that NIH scientists have received from drug companies, the Los Angeles Times reports.
FBI Reportedly Launches Investigation Into Bribery Allegations Related To New Medicare Law
FBI agents reportedly are investigating allegations that Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.) was offered “significant financial support” for his son’s House campaign in exchange for a vote in favor of the Medicare legislation (HR 1), Roll Call reports.
FDA Announces Final Prescription Drug Bar Code Rule
As part of an effort to reduce medical errors, drug makers and blood suppliers will have to include bar codes on most of their products within two years, under a rule announced Wednesday by FDA, the Washington Post reports.
Nursing Homes Criticize Attorney General’s Report on Quality of Care in State
Officials for some nursing homes that were cited in a recent state report for patient care violations say that “infractions were exaggerated for the sake of headlines” and argue that the “inspections were nothing more than political grandstanding” by Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D), the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Groups Release Surveys on Workers’ Compensation Reform
A coalition of industry groups and a group for lawyers who represent injured workers each released a survey on Wednesday about public support for workers’ compensation reform, the Los Angeles Times reports.
FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan Named To Lead Study on Prescription Drug Reimportation
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Wednesday named FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan to lead a committee that will conduct a study on the reimportation of lower-cost, U.S.-manufactured prescription drugs from Canada, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan Asks Congress To Reduce Future Medicare Spending
During a House Budget Committee hearing Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan warned that the federal government “has promised more retirement benefits than it can pay for” and to “avoid damaging the economy in the future,” it must consider reducing spending on entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security, the Washington Post reports.