Latest California Healthline Stories
CMS Launches Home Health Care Quality Ratings Web Site
CMS today began posting online quality ratings of home health care agencies in eight states, with information from all other states to be added by fall, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports.
Lawmakers Propose Numerous Workers’ Compensation, Health Coverage Bills
State lawmakers have introduced numerous bills aimed at decreasing the cost of workers’ compensation and reducing double-digit health insurance premium increases, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
In a news conference yesterday, more than two dozen senators and 176 representatives advocated legislation (S 172 and HR 937) that would address so-called geographic differences in Medicare provider payments, CongressDaily reports.
Cook County, Ill., Judge Issues Temporary Injunction in Philip Morris Case
A Cook County, Ill., circuit court judge yesterday issued a 10-day temporary injunction blocking Illinois from collecting $3 billion in punitive damages from $10.1 billion in damages that tobacco firm Philip Morris USA was ordered to pay in a recent court decision, the New York Times reports.
Health Insurers’ Online Services Lag, Study Finds
A study by analyst firm Forrester Research found that health insurers are not using the Internet to its full potential and are “mired in the rudimentary stages” of creating online services for customers, the Boston Globe reports.
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Bill Could Save States $6.8 Billion Per Year, Study Finds
Legislation that would make Medicare responsible for most of the cost of prescription drugs for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid could save states billions of dollars per year and help many state Medicaid programs avoid reductions in benefits, according to a study released yesterday by the Commonwealth Fund, the Sacramento Bee reports.
HHS Fines La Mesa Company $1 Million for Illegal Marketing Practices
HHS yesterday fined La Mesa-based U.S. Seminar more than $1 million — the largest fine ever levied by the department — for sending more than 362,000 letters to health care providers in 2001 and 2002 claiming false ties to the federal Medicare program, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Four Laboratory Employees in Compton Arrested for Medi-Cal Fraud
Health authorities and police yesterday arrested four medical laboratory employees on accusations of child endangerment for allegedly paying teenagers in Compton and Los Angeles to give blood as part of a plan to illegally collect Medi-Cal payments, AP/Sacramento Bee reports.
Former Federal Officials Raise Concerns About Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
Implementing a Medicare prescription drug benefit would be difficult, regardless of how many beneficiaries would be eligible for it, Dan Crippen, former Congressional Budget Office director, and Bruce Vladeck, former administrator of CMS, then known as HCFA, told members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health yesterday, CongressDaily reports.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Nears Agreement on Vaccine Liability Bill
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee yesterday neared agreement on a bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) that would make several revisions in the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the Los Angeles Times reports.