Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Lack of Funds, Legal Concerns Delay Implementation of San Diego Medical Marijuana ID Program

Lack of funding and legal concerns have delayed the implementation of a San Diego ordinance to develop a program that stipulates how much marijuana residents can possess for medical use and to issue identification cards to those individuals, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Washington Post Series Examines Safety of Prescription Drug Supply

The Washington Post on Sunday began a five-day special report called “Pharmaceutical Roulette” that focuses on prescription drug safety issues in the United States and features findings from a year-long Post investigation into the topic.

State To Investigate Plan To Eliminate Nursing Assistant Positions at Stanford Hospital

The Department of Health Services last week announced plans to investigate Stanford Hospital and Clinics based on complaints about nursing staff levels from the Service Employees International Union Local 715, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

Concerns Over Private Health Insurance Costs ‘Drowned Out’ by Other Issues, Los Angeles Times Reports

The Los Angeles Times on Thursday examined how concerns about the increased cost of private health insurance have “been nearly drowned out in Washington by a chorus of other health care coverage concerns,” such as the issue of the uninsured and a Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Medicare Conferees Near Agreement on Prescription Drug Benefit, Means-Testing Proposal

Negotiators attempting to reconcile the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1) are focusing their discussions on the proposed prescription drug benefit and are considering an option that would have the federal government pay 75% of beneficiaries’ drug costs up to $2,200 per year, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Escondido High School Teachers To Vote On Contract Proposal, Including Health Benefits

Escondido Secondary Teachers Association members on Monday will vote on a contract proposal from the Escondido Union High School District that would give them a one-time $1,000 bonus to help cover the cost of health benefits, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Senate Subcommittee Considers Bill To Ban Obesity-Related Lawsuits

Obesity-related lawsuits cost companies millions of dollars in legal fees and do not address the obesity issue in the United States, physicians and tort reform supporters said Thursday at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts hearing on a bill that would prohibit such lawsuits, the Washington Times reports.