Latest California Healthline Stories
Employers Anticipate 14% Cost Increase in Health Insurance in 2004
Large employers anticipate a 14% increase in health insurance costs next year, and they are exploring ways to pass along some of those costs to employees, according to a Hewitt Associates survey of 650 major U.S. companies released Tuesday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
State Compensation Insurance Fund To Reduce Workers’ Compensation Premium Rates by 2.9%
State Compensation Insurance Fund, which provides workers’ compensation insurance to more than half of California employers, will reduce its premium rates by 2.9% in 2004, “far short” of the 14.9% reduction that state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (D) recommended earlier this year, sources familiar with the issue said on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Huntington Beach employees have asked city officials to reject a planned increase in the amount that they will have to pay for health insurance next year, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Doctors Medical Center CEO Sues Blue Cross of California for Defamation
Tim Joslin, CEO of Modesto-based Doctors Medical Center, on Monday filed suit in Stanislaus County Superior Court against Blue Cross of California, accusing the insurer of libel and defamation, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
CMS Administrator Tom Scully Likely To Announce Resignation
CMS Administrator Tom Scully on Wednesday will likely announce his decision to leave to agency to work in the private sector, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Defense Department Developing Electronic Communication Network To Connect Bay Area Health Officials
The Department of Defense is developing an electronic communication network that initially will connect health officials in 10 Bay Area counties though the Western Disaster Center as part of an effort to better coordinate emergency responses and improve information sharing, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
Sacramento County Supervisors Vote To Establish No-Protest Zone Around Reproductive Health Clinics
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 3-2 to create a 20-foot no-protest buffer zone around reproductive health clinics and doctors’ offices where abortions are performed in the county, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Study Questions Prostate Cancer Screening PSA Tests for Older Men
About one-third of men ages 75 and older receive laboratory blood tests for prostate cancer each year, although the tests provide no benefit for men in that age group, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Attorney General’s Office Launches Elder Abuse Campaign
The Attorney General’s Office has initiated an elder abuse awareness program in English and Spanish featuring a toll-free hotline to report suspected abuse cases, the Fresno Bee reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Proliferation of Genetic Testing
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined the “growing battery” of genetic tests, many of which require only the drawing of blood, available to patients in doctors’ offices to determine susceptibility to disease.