Latest California Healthline Stories
Mechanics’ Union Board Will Allow Vote on Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Contract Proposal
As expected, the board of the union representing striking mechanics employed by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority decided Monday to allow members to vote on the MTA’s latest contract proposal on Friday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
High Cost of Home Health Care May Force Counties To Reduce Funds for Other Services
County administrators statewide have raised concerns that they may have to reduce funds for a number of services to help offset home health care costs, which have increased in recent years because of larger caseloads and higher wages for home health care workers, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Supreme Court To Hear Cases on HMO Suits in State Court
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the appeals of two related cases — Aetna Health v. Davila and Cigna v. Calad et al. — to determine whether patients can file suit against HMOs for malpractice or other torts in state court, the Washington Post reports.
Many Seniors Do Not Receive Appropriate Care for Age-Related Conditions, Study Finds
U.S. seniors receive the appropriate care for age-related conditions, such as dementia and malnutrition, only 31% of the time, compared with 52% of the time for general medical conditions such as heart disease, according to a study published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, USA Today reports.
VA Secretary Discusses Future of Livermore Facility
Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi on Thursday said that he will not close the VA medical center in Livermore unless he is “absolutely convinced” that it is the correct decision, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Bush Administration Supports Medicare Cost-Containment Plan
The Bush administration has said it supports a Republican-backed House Medicare cost-containment proposal that would require congressional action on ways to reduce Medicare spending if the program’s costs increase more quickly than anticipated, the New York Times reports.
State Bureau Recommends Decreased Workers’ Compensation Premium Rates
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, a not-for-profit association that represents insurers and recommends premium rates, on Monday said that workers’ compensation premium rates should be decreased by 2.9% to 5.3%, the Los Angeles Times reports.
DHS To Audit Billing Practices of All 40 Tenet Facilities in the State
The Department of Health Services will audit billing practices at all 40 Tenet Healthcare-owned hospitals in the state after finding that Redding Medical Center overcharged state programs by nearly $12 million, the Los Angeles Times reports.
One-Fourth of Toddlers Not Fully Vaccinated, CDC Survey Finds
Nearly 1.4 million children between 19 months and 35 months old — about 25% of U.S. toddlers — have not received all or any of their recommended vaccines, CDC officials announced Monday, USA Today reports.
Alameda County HIV/AIDS Prevalence Rates Among African Americans Up From 1998
HIV prevalence rates among African Americans in Alameda County were “even more disproportionate” in 2002 than they were in 1998, when the county became the first municipality in the nation to declare a state of emergency on HIV/AIDS among African Americans, the Oakland Tribune reports.