Latest California Healthline Stories
Health Care Proposals Introduced by Democratic Presidential Candidates Could ‘Boomerang’
Democratic presidential candidates have introduced “ambitious” health care proposals to help the uninsured, but some political analysts raise concerns that the “rush to stake a claim” to the issue could “boomerang and force the eventual nominee to defend an expensive and controversial promise against Republican attack” in the general election next year, USA Today reports.
Study Faults Los Angeles County-USC Hospital for Delays in Care, Not Deaths
Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center is responsible for staffing shortages, overcrowding, incomplete medical charts and delays in care, according to the final 43-page report from a Department of Health Services team of inspectors, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Study Results Presented at Annual Meeting of American Society of Clinical Oncology
Researchers at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago this weekend presented several studies that found “encouraging results in new ways of treating cancer,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Lawsuit Disputes Vote Against Oroville Mental Health Center
A lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court in Sacramento alleges that Butte County and the city of Oroville rejected a proposal to establish a mental health center in Oroville for “discriminatory reasons” and seeks to move forward with the project, the Chico Enterprise-Record reports.
About Half of Marin County Breast Cancer Cases Stem From Lifestyle or Demographics, Study Indicates
Approximately 50% of breast cancer cases in Marin County appear to be caused by lifestyle or demographic factors, according to an unpublished study presented Thursday at a meeting of the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Racial and Ethnic Data Collection Needed To Study Health Care Disparities, Panel Says
A California ballot initiative that would prohibit the state from gathering racial and ethnic data on certain government forms would have a negative impact on research about racial disparities in medical treatment, a group of social scientists said Wednesday in a Washington, D.C., forum, the AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Debate Over Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Bill To Begin This Week
President Bush and congressional Republican leaders this week are expected to begin an “intensive drive” to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
Bipartisan Team of Governors Reportedly Near Agreement on Medicaid Reform Proposal
A bipartisan team of 10 governors appears to have made progress toward an agreement on a Medicaid reform plan, the New York Times reports.
Fewer Cancer Patients Older Than Age 65 Enrolled in Clinical Trials, Studies Find
People ages 65 and older who have cancer are not enrolled in clinical trials for cancer treatment as often as younger people, according to data presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.
Time Publishes Articles on Increased Cost of Medical Malpractice Insurance
The June 9 issue of Time magazine includes a series of articles on the rising cost of malpractice insurance.