Latest California Healthline Stories
Difference Between CBO, CMS Medicare Legislation Cost Estimates Examined
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examines how different cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and CMS on a provision to introduce private competition into Medicare could affect negotiations on a final Medicare bill.
Many Imported Prescription Drugs Unapproved, FDA Spot Tests Show
In a spot check of imported prescription drugs conducted this summer, FDA and customs officials found that 88% of the drugs were not approved for U.S. use, agency officials said Monday, the New York Times reports.
Health Net To Serve as Commercial Medi-Cal Health Plan in Stanislaus County
The Department of Health Services Thursday announced that Health Net has won a five-year contract to provide Medi-Cal services in Stanislaus County starting early next year, the Modesto Bee reports.
Davis Signs Health-Related Bills
Gov. Gray Davis (D) recently signed into law eight bills relating to health care.
Davis, Gubernatorial Recall Candidates Answer Health Care Policy Questions
The Los Angeles Times on Sunday published responses from Gov. Gray Davis (D) and gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D), Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) to questions about various policy issues, including health care.
House, Senate Negotiators To Consider ‘Means Testing’ Provision in Final Medicare Bill
Members of the conference committee charged with reconciling the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1) this week plan to consider a provision that would require higher-income beneficiaries to pay higher premiums for physician and other out-of-hospital services as part of a larger effort to “slow growth in the government’s costs for Medicare,” the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
California Appeals Court Reduces Punitive Damage Award in Smoker Lawsuit to $10.5 Million
Citing recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding high punitive damage awards, a California appellate court on Thursday reduced a $26.5 million damage award to a former California smoker to $10.5 million, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health expects to report 750 new syphilis infections by the end of this year, up 50% from the 494 new cases reported for 2002, officials said Thursday, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Presidential candidate and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) on Sunday “found himself on the defensive” about his former position on Medicare after rival candidate Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) criticized Dean’s record, the New York Times reports.
Employer Health Care Costs To Increase by an Estimated 12% Next Year, Survey Finds
Employers next year will pay an estimated 12% more for employee health care benefits, marking the fifth consecutive year of double-digit increases and a doubling of employer health care costs since 1999, according to a survey to be released today by Towers Perrin, the Wall Street Journal reports.