Latest California Healthline Stories
President Bush Expected To Focus on Health Care Proposals in State of the Union Address
President Bush on Tuesday is expected to speak about rising health care costs and expanding health coverage to the uninsured in his State of the Union address, which is thought to focus largely on domestic issues, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Garden Grove Hospital Workers Vote To Join Service Employees International Union
Workers at Tenet Healthcare-operated Garden Grove Hospital in Orange County on Friday voted to join the Service Employees International Union, the Orange County Register reports.
Low-Income, Ethnic Minority Residents Have Lower Cancer Screening Rates, Study Finds
People who lack access to health insurance, ethnic minorities, non-native English speakers and low-income people have a lower rate of receiving cancer screenings than other state residents, a report released Wednesday by the University of California-Los Angeles found, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Assembly Health Committee To Hold Hearing on Prescription Drug Reimportation
The Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday is expected to hold a hearing on establishing a program to reimport lower-cost, U.S.-made prescription drugs from Canada to help reduce the state budget deficit and “protect favorite social programs from the chopping block,” the Contra Costa Times reports.
San Francisco Chronicle Columnists Address Universal, Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage Plans
Two recent columns in the San Francisco Chronicle address the possibility of California enacting plans to provide universal health coverage.
Some Generic Medications Less Expensive in United States Than in Canada, FDA Study Finds
The prices of some generic prescription drugs purchased in the United States are “significantly” less than those of both brand-name and generic versions in Canada, according to an FDA study, the AP/Washington Times reports.
Senate, Assembly Committees Vote Against Health-Related Bills
Senate and Assembly committees last week voted to defeat two health-related bills.
Los Angeles County and state health officials are investigating the “abrupt” closure of Santa Teresita Hospital’s acute care facility and emergency room, officials announced on Wednesday, the Pasadena Star-News reports.
Pharmacy Benefit Managers’ Price Disparities Driving Up Drug Costs, Study Says
The disparity between the amounts that pharmacy benefit managers charge clients and reimburse pharmacies is “contributing to the rapid rise in health care costs,” according to a pilot study in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines Hospital Closures
The Los Angeles Times on Friday examined the increasing trend of hospital closures in California.