Latest California Healthline Stories
Los Angeles Unified School District Board Adopts Budget That Preserves Employees’ Health Benefits
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board on Thursday voted 5-2 to approve a 2003-2004 budget that includes $90 million in reserve and other funds to cover the rising costs of employees’ health benefits and eliminates furloughs for teachers that the board had already approved, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Under pressure from veterans and House Democrats, House Republican leaders and Bush administration officials are discussing compromise legislation that would allow about 550,000 retired veterans who receive disability benefits to receive full retirement benefits, the Washington Post reports.
Many Obstacles Remain for Passage of Final Medicare Bill
The Newark Star-Ledger on Sunday examined how reaching a final compromise between the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1) “will be difficult and may yet prove impossible.”
California Healthline Rounds Up Coverage of Hospital News
California Healthline today rounds up coverage of recent hospital news from around the state.
Judge Dismisses Obesity Lawsuit Against McDonald’s Alleging Responsibility for Obesity
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Sweet in New York yesterday dismissed a lawsuit against McDonald’s that alleged the fast food chain deceived customers with its advertisements and that its food caused diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol in its customers, the Wall Street Journal reports.
U.S. District Judge Approves Cigna Class-Action Suit Settlement With Physicians
As expected, U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno yesterday granted preliminary approval to a proposed $540 million agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by several hundred thousand physicians against Cigna for allegedly unfair reimbursement practices, the Miami Herald reports.
Sonoma County Officials To Examine Frequent Emergency Room Users
Emergency medical officials in Sonoma County will study people who use emergency rooms more than five times per year at Sutter and Memorial hospitals using a $100,000 grant from the California Endowment and the California HealthCare Foundation, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
CDC Releases Studies on Diabetes and Smoking
The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report this week published studies on diabetes and smoking.
Federal Government Might Bar Redding Hospital From Medicare Program
Officials for Tenet Healthcare, the nation’s second-largest for-profit hospital chain, said yesterday that the federal government is giving the company 35 days to show why its Redding Medical Center should not be barred from Medicare and other federal health programs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Democratic Presidential Candidates Spar on Health Care Issues in Debate
In a debate last night in Albuquerque, N.M., the Democratic candidates for president “split, sometimes bitterly,” over several issues, including health care, the Washington Post reports.