Latest California Healthline Stories
Smoking Rate Among U.S. Blacks, Whites About Equal in 2001, CDC Report Finds
The smoking rate among black men in the United States has decreased to about the same rate as that among white men for the first time, according to a CDC report released Thursday, AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
Two People Charged in $40 Million Medi-Cal Fraud Case
A federal grand jury in Sacramento on Thursday indicted two Los Angeles residents for defrauding and attempting to defraud Medi-Cal and Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment programs for more than $40 million, making it the largest fraud case ever filed by the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Southern California Union Grocery Clerks Vote To Approve Strike
Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers on Thursday voted to approve a strike, which could begin as early as Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Bills To Allow Syringe Sales Without Prescriptions, Ban Ephedra Await Action by Davis
Nearly 300 bills, including legislation dealing with the sale of hypodermic syringes and the sale of the dietary supplement ephedra, await action by Gov. Gray Davis (D) before a midnight Sunday deadline, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Democratic Presidential Candidates Discuss Health Care Issues at Debate in Phoenix
During a debate in Phoenix on Thursday, the nine Democratic presidential candidates “argu[ed], often acrimoniously” over issues including Medicare and prescription drug coverage for seniors, the Washington Post reports.
As expected, the California Chamber of Commerce this week submitted a petition to the state to place on the ballot a referendum to eliminate a recently-enacted health benefits law (SB 2), the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
More Workers’ Compensation Reform Needed, Garamendi Writes in Opinion Piece
The “meteoric increases” in workers’ compensation costs “have given rise to a genuine economic crisis,” and “more must be done” to reform the system, California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (D) writes in a Fresno Bee opinion piece.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) on Thursday urged negotiators attempting to reconcile the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1) to try to find ways to keep companies that offer retiree drug benefits from cutting those benefits if Congress passes a prescription drug benefit under Medicare, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
The Wall Street Journal on Friday examined how increasing numbers of undocumented immigrants from Mexico who live in Stockton year-round are affecting public services, including health care delivery.
A superior court judge on Tuesday ruled that the Pleasant Hill City Council does not have the right to reconsider its approval of an unlocked treatment center for adults with mental illnesses, the Contra Costa Times reports.