Latest California Healthline Stories
Resolution Would Ask Schools To Offer Daily Vegan Lunches
The Assembly Education Committee is scheduled to vote today on a non-binding resolution that would ask schools to provide at least one daily “plant-based” entrée, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
About 25% of Drug Errors Could Be Prevented Among Seniors, Study Finds
About 25% of adverse side effects related to prescription drugs in seniors could be prevented, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the AP/Wall Street Journal reports.
Workers’ Compensation Fund To Increase Premiums
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (D) Monday said that the not-for-profit State Compensation Insurance Fund will raise premiums to cover more potential liability, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Michigan Senator To Propose Tax Incentives for Small Businesses To Provide Health Insurance
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) yesterday said she plans to introduce legislation that would provide tax breaks for small businesses that offer their employees health insurance, the Detroit News reports.
Commentary Advocates Government-Funded Pharmaceutical Research
The federal government should abandon patent-supported prescription drug research, which is “no longer affordable” given “soaring drug prices,” in favor of increasing public funding for research, Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, writes in an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times.
Patients wait seven months on average to see a primary care physician at Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities, according to a survey to be released today by national veterans group the American Legion, the AP/Nando Times reports.
Television Programs To Feature Issue of the Uninsured
Numerous television shows are planning to highlight problems faced by the uninsured in upcoming episodes as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “Cover the Uninsured Week,” an “aggressive campaign” to draw attention to the uninsured, the Wall Street Journal reports.
San Francisco General Hospital Bars Smallpox Vaccine Over Patient Safety Concern
San Francisco General Hospital has announced that it will not allow health care workers who have “direct contact” with patients to receive the smallpox vaccine because of patient safety concerns, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
President Bush To Outline Medicare Reform Framework Today
In a speech before the American Medical Association today, President Bush is expected to outline his framework for Medicare reform, under which beneficiaries would be permitted to enroll in a new private system that reportedly would offer them “more generous” drug benefits and options than traditional, fee-for-service Medicare, the Wall Street Journal reports.
EPA Introduces New Guidelines To Assess Cancer Risk for Children Exposed to Certain Agents
The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday released a draft version of guidelines that would change the standards used to scientifically evaluate how potential cancer-causing agents affect children, the Washington Post reports.