Latest California Healthline Stories
CBS Resumes Running Bush Administration Medicare Advertisement
CBS will resume airing the Bush administration’s advertisement about the new Medicare law (HR 1), officials announced Wednesday, adding that changes to the ad made “at the insistence of ABC were sufficient to satisfy CBS’ concerns as well,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Group of Scientists Criticize Bush Administration for Distorting Science
A group of 60 “leading” scientists in a statement released on Wednesday criticized the Bush administration for “frequently suppressing or distorting” scientific analyses from federal agencies when the data disagree with administration policies, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Pfizer Limits Prescription Drug Supplies to Canadian Pharmacies
Officials for New York-Based Pfizer have informed several Canadian mail-order pharmacies that the company will no longer supply them with Pfizer products as part of an effort to end sales of the medications to U.S. residents, the Washington Post reports.
CalPERS Considers Plan To Eliminate Coverage at 45 Hospitals
CalPERS on Wednesday “jolted the health care industry” by announcing a plan to save about $72 million in premiums by eliminating coverage for its beneficiaries at 45 of California’s most expensive hospitals, with about $53 million of the projected savings resulting from ending coverage at 15 Sacramento-area hospitals owned by Sutter Health, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Bush To Nominate FDA Commissioner McClellan as CMS Administrator This Week
President Bush as early as Thursday plans to nominate FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan to serve as the new CMS administrator, according to congressional sources, the Washington Post reports.
FDA Unveils Plan To Combat Counterfeit Drugs
FDA on Wednesday released a report with proposals for the drug industry to combat counterfeit prescription drugs by voluntarily implementing new measures to help track and protect medications in the U.S. drug supply, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Legislative Analyst’s Report Discourages Healthy Families Enrollment Cap
In a review released Wednesday of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) fiscal year 2004-2005 budget proposal, Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill recommended against enacting a proposed cap on enrollment in Healthy Families and questioned the benefit of some other proposals, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Democratic Lawmakers Ask Governor To Reconsider Proposed Budget Reductions for HIV/AIDS Programs
Twenty-two Democratic members of Congress from California on Tuesday sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) a letter to request that he reconsider proposed budget reductions for the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program and other HIV/AIDS programs, the Chico Enterprise-Record reports.
About 91% of California women ages 15 to 44 do not know that emergency contraception is available in the state without a prescription, according to a report released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Measure To Fund Alameda County Medical Center, Other Health Programs Faces Challenges
A measure that would raise the sales tax in Alameda County by half a cent to provide about $90 million annually for Alameda County Medical Center and other health care facilities “still must overcome some harsh electoral realities to win with voters,” the Contra Costa Times reports.