Latest California Healthline Stories
States To Spend Half of National Tobacco Settlement on General Purposes
States will likely spend about half of the $7.9 billion that they will receive from the national tobacco settlement in the current fiscal year on general purposes — a higher amount than last fiscal year — and spend a decreased amount on anti-tobacco and health-related programs than they did last fiscal year, according to a National Conference of State Legislatures study released Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Group Considers Proposal To Expand Internet-Based Medical Records Program for Migrant Workers
Rural Community Assistance, a not-for-profit organization, this week is considering a plan to expand a program that provides Internet-based medical records to 2,000 migrant workers in Sonoma County, the Los Angeles Times reports.
California business leaders expect Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to be “more receptive” to their concerns about the cost of government-mandated programs, including a new employer-sponsored health care law and the state’s workers’ compensation program, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
House Votes Down Means Testing Motion for Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
The House on Tuesday voted 234-161 to reject a motion that would have asked negotiators charged with reconciling the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1) to include means testing in the proposed prescription drug benefit, the Washington Times reports.
California Medical Association Clarifies Intent of Meeting With Connerly
California Medical Association officials will meet with University of California Regent and Proposition 54 author Ward Connerly to explain why health care data should be protected, not to draft another initiative, CMA officials said Wednesday, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Justice Department Presents Its Case Against Drug Reimporter Rx Depot
The Department of Justice on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma presented its case for a nationwide injunction against Oklahoma-based Rx Depot and partner Rx of Canada, which help U.S. consumers purchase prescription drugs from Canada, the AP/St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
San Marcos To Station Ambulance in Subdivision To Reduce Response Times
The city of San Marcos plans to station an ambulance in the San Elijo Hills development to help reduce medical and fire response times to the area, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
CMS Report Cites Care Problems at Lanterman Developmental Center
A CMS inspection of the Lanterman Developmental Center, which has 600 residents with developmental disabilities, found “serious lapses in oversight” that placed residents in “immediate jeopardy” of harm, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Washington Post Examines VA Health System Overhaul
The Washington Post on Thursday examined efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out a “major overhaul of its sprawling health care system.”
National Research Council Calls for More Oversight of Biotechnology Research
Before beginning research projects, biotechnology scientists should submit their proposals to specially trained panels of scientists and national security experts to determine whether the study’s potential benefits would outweigh any threat of bioterrorists’ misusing the information, according to a National Research Council — a branch of the National Academy of Sciences — report released Wednesday, the Washington Post reports.