Latest California Healthline Stories
Former Chair of Health Care IT Company McKesson Indicted on Accounting Fraud Charges
A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted Charles McCall, former chair of San Francisco-based health care information technology company McKesson, for his role in accounting fraud to inflate profits and increase the company’s stock price, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Senate Approves Bill To Monitor Antibiotic Use in Animals
The Senate on Wednesday voted 24-13 to pass a bill (SB 506) that would require the state to monitor use of antibiotics in animals to help determine whether overuse of the medications has led to increased resistance to antibiotics in humans, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Cost of Covering the Uninsured a ‘Worthwhile Investment,’ Health Affairs Study States
The cost of health coverage for all uninsured U.S. residents “may be relatively small or at least a very worthwhile investment” and would add at least 3% to 6% per year to total U.S. health care expenditures, according to a study published yesterday on the Health Affairs Web site.
House Approves Bill Banning ‘Partial-Birth’ Abortions
The House yesterday “overwhelmingly” approved 282-139 a bill that would ban so-called “partial-birth” abortion except when necessary to save the life of the woman, a move that places the antiabortion movement “on the brink of a major victory,” the New York Times reports.
CDC Reports Rise in Emergency Room Visits, Decrease in Departments
Visits to hospital emergency rooms rose 20% in the past 10 years, while the number of emergency departments in the nation fell 15% in the same time period, according to a report released on Wednesday by the CDC, USA Today reports.
Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. John Edwards To Announce Health Care Proposal Today
Presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) today will unveil his health care plan, which will focus on prescription drug cost containment rather than expanding access, as the four other candidates’ plans do, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Judge Sentences Medical Marijuana Grower $1,300 Fine, One Day in Jail
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer yesterday sentenced medical marijuana grower and advocate Ed Rosenthal to one day in jail — the shortest possible term — and issued a $1,300 fine for marijuana cultivation in a decision that strikes a “dramatic blow” against the federal government’s case against medical marijuana, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Senate Finance Committee Proposal Would Adjust Financial Risk in Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
To attract more private insurers to participate in their version of Medicare reform, Senate Finance Committee members are proposing that the government absorb most of the risk if the actual cost of their planned prescription drug benefit is higher than estimated, the Wall Street Journal reports.
KQED’s ‘Radio News’ Profiles ‘Model’ Home Care Program for Frail Elderly
KQED’s “Radio News” yesterday profiled the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, a federal-state program that allows the frail elderly to reside in their homes rather than in nursing homes, which could be effected by health care funding cuts, including Gov. Gray Davis’ (D) proposed 15% cut in state funding for senior health.
Blue Shield of California To Add New Quality Measures to Tiered Hospital System
Officials at Blue Shield of California yesterday announced that the company will add new quality measures to a year-old tiered hospital system and said that the system is “starting to influence where patients go for care,” the Contra Costa Times reports.