Latest California Healthline Stories
President Bush Calls for Caps on Damages in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
In his weekly radio address, President Bush on Saturday “renewed his campaign” for Congress to limit awards in medical malpractice cases, the AP/Bergen Record reports.
Davis Signs Bill To Expand Domestic Partner Health Benefits
Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Friday signed into law a bill (AB 205) that “significantly expands” the rights of same-sex, registered domestic partners in health, legal, financial and employment benefits, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Health Plan Members Do Not Receive Proper Care in Many Cases, Study Finds
Although quality of care in managed care plans is improving, more than 57,000 people in the United States die needlessly each year because they do not receive appropriate care, according to a study released last week by the not-for-profit National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Federal Patients’ Rights Law Would Work, Davis Writes in Washington Post Letter
The federal government should not let the idea for a national patients’ rights bill “fad[e],” California Gov. Gray Davis (D) writes in a letter to the editor of the Washington Post.
Republican Leaders Consider Deadline To Move Negotiations on Final Medicare Bill
Negotiators charged with reconciling the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1) are “so plagued by policy differences and personality clashes” that some GOP leaders are considering setting a deadline for a final bill to speed up the bargaining process, the AP/Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports.
Sacramento Bee Examines Legal Issues Around Employer-Sponsored Coverage Bill
The Sacramento Bee Friday examined the legal issues surrounding a bill (SB 2) passed earlier this month by the Legislature that would require businesses with 50 or more employees to offer health insurance or pay into a state fund that would provide such coverage.
HHS Officials Question Effect of Planned Revisions to U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
Several HHS officials, including CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding and FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan, have begun to question proposed revisions to the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, USA Today reports.
Fewer Than 50% of Private-Sector Employees Have Health Coverage, Report Finds
Fewer than one-half of U.S. private-sector workers receive employer-sponsored health insurance, down from about two-thirds ten years ago, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Boston Globe reports.
Red Cross Removes Three-Day Regional Blood Supply in Southern California
About 3,500 pints of blood have been removed from circulation in Orange County after a refrigerator malfunctioned and over-cooled the blood, American Red Cross officials announced on Friday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Eliminates 289 Health, Probation Jobs
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to eliminate 289 jobs from the county’s health and probation departments to compensate for a loss of more than $50 million in state funding, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.