Latest California Healthline Stories
Medical Malpractice Premiums Do Not Harm Access to Care, GAO Says
Rising medical malpractice premiums do not appear to “significantly” limit access to health care by driving physicians in states with higher premiums out of practice, according to a report released on Friday by the General Accounting Office, the Washington Post reports.
Canadian Pharmacies Might File Anti-Competitive Lawsuit Against U.S. Prescription Drug Companies
The Canadian International Pharmacy Association, which represents 35 Canadian Internet and retail pharmacies, is considering filing an anti-competitive lawsuit against drug companies that are restricting shipments of their treatments to Canada, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Tenet Healthcare Reports $195 Million Loss in Second Quarter
Tenet Healthcare, the second-largest for-profit hospital chain in the nation, yesterday reported a second-quarter loss of $195 million, or 42 cents per share, compared with earnings of $242 million, or 48 cents per share, a year earlier, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Democrats Plan To ‘Rush’ Health Care Bills to Davis Before Recall Vote, Los Angeles Times Reports
Several Democratic lawmakers plan to “rush favorite bills” through the Legislature to allow Gov. Gray Davis (D) to sign them before the recall election scheduled for Oct. 7, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Bush Administration ‘Manipulated’ Scientific Process for Political Goals, House Panel Says
The Bush administration has “manipulated the scientific process and distorted or suppressed scientific findings” in order to support its political aims on issues ranging from sex education to the environment, according to a report released yesterday by the minority staff of the House Committee on Government Reform, the New York Times reports.
Rallies Held in Los Angeles, San Francisco To Oppose Passage of Racial Privacy Initiative
More than 100 educators, civil rights leaders, community advocates and lawmakers yesterday held a rally in Los Angeles in opposition to Proposition 54, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines Effect of Reimbursement Cut on Children’s Services Program
The Los Angeles Times today examines how a 5% cut in state funding for the California Children’s Services program, which provides medical treatment for seriously ill children, in the budget signed by Gov. Gray Davis (D) last week could result in longer waits to see CCS doctors.
HRT Increases Risk of Breast Cancer, Large British Study Finds
Women who take hormone replacement therapy are more at risk of developing breast cancer than women who do not, according to a study of more than one million British women to be published in the Lancet, the Washington Post reports.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Henry Walsh yesterday ruled that the medical staff at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura is a legal entity and that the lawsuit filed by the staff in April against the hospital can proceed, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Washington Times Examines Health Savings Accounts in Medicare Plans
The Washington Times today examines the debate over a provision in the House Medicare reform bill (HR 1) that would create health savings accounts.