Latest California Healthline Stories
Health Insurance Premiums, Out-of-Pocket Costs ‘Leap’ for Californians, Study Finds
Health insurance premiums rose 13% in California last year, and workers’ out-of-pocket expenses for the year also increased because of rising health care costs and the slowing economy, according to a survey released Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, the Sacramento Bee reports.
FDA Panel Approves Permanent Wrinkle Treatment
An FDA advisory panel on Friday approved Artefill, a wrinkle remover that is said to be permanent, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Oakland-Based Hospital Demonstrates Video Translation Service
Oakland-based Alameda County Medical Center officials last week demonstrated new videoconferencing technology to be used for translation services for patients who speak little or no English, the Oakland Tribune reports.
A Los Angeles County adult has been hospitalized for an eye infection contracted through “close contact” with a participant in the national smallpox vaccination program, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Higher Rates of Medical Errors Occur in Children with ‘Complex’ Conditions
Fewer than 3% of hospitalized children in the United States experience medical errors, but errors occur in 11% of children with “complex medical conditions,” such as organ transplants and cancer, according to a study published in Pediatrics, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Federal Trade Commission Launches Investigation Into Hospital Competition
The Federal Trade Commission on Friday held a hearing in Washington, D.C., as part of an investigation into competition among the nation’s hospitals, physicians, HMOs and pharmaceutical companies, the Boston Globe reports.
Washington Post Questions Bush Administration’s Medicaid Reform Plan
The Bush administration’s proposed Medicaid reforms “can be judged only according to whether they would bring more and better health coverage to the poorest members of society, and it is far from clear that these would,” a Washington Post editorial states.
First 5 Tulare County Commission To Allocate $3.2 Million for Child Health Care Programs
The First 5 Tulare County Children and Families Commission, which distributes revenue from Proposition 10, the 1998 state ballot measure that levied a 50-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes, has announced plans to allocate $3.2 million for medical, dental, vision and mental health care programs for children, the Fresno Bee reports.
Health Benefits in New Teamsters Contract May Serve as Model for Unions
The Teamsters union has agreed to a tentative five-year contract with some of the nation’s largest trucking companies that would allow members to retain comprehensive health benefits, an agreement that could serve as a model for other unions, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Many Children in State Foster Care System Receive Inadequate Medical Care, Report Finds
An estimated 25% of children in the state’s foster care system do not receive “timely” medical care, and 50% do not receive adequate mental health services, according to a report released Tuesday by the Little Hoover Commission, an independent state watchdog group, the Los Angeles Times reports.