Latest California Healthline Stories
Bush Meets with Republican Senate Leaders To Begin Planning for Medicare Reform
President Bush yesterday met with Republican Senate leaders to “lay the groundwork” for a Medicare prescription drug benefit and other reforms to the program, CongressDaily reports.
Registered Nurses at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Approve Contract Agreement
Registered nurses at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, one of the largest private hospitals in California, on Tuesday voted 782-44 to approve a three-year contract after they held two one-day strikes this fall, the Los Angeles Times reports.
KQED’s ‘Health Dialogues’ Program To Examine Alcoholism
KQED’s “Health Dialogues,” a live, monthly call-in program sponsored by the California Endowment to examine health care issues in the state, tonight will examine alcoholism, “one of the least talked about but most common addictions” among California residents.
Stanford University To Establish $120 Million Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute
Stanford University yesterday announced that it will establish a $120 million research institute to examine the “overlapping biology” of cancer and stem cells, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Increased Number of Sonoma County Seniors Could Raise Revenue for Hospitals in Next Several Decades
Patients use Sonoma County hospitals more often than the state average, a trend that could increase revenue for county facilities in the next few decades and prevent closures as the population ages, according to a report issued Monday by the research company Economy.com, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
State Officials Request 40,000 Doses of Smallpox Vaccine
Officials from the Department of Health Services yesterday requested 40,000 doses of the smallpox vaccine from the federal government as part of a state smallpox vaccination plan, the Ventura County Star reports.
Internet Filters Often Block Sexual Health Information, Study Finds
Internet filters developed to block access to pornography on school and library-based computers often block access to sites that include information on sexual health, according to a study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the New York Times reports.
Medical Societies Oppose Cigna’s Settlement of Physician Class-Action Lawsuit in Illinois
Medical societies from several states and counties yesterday voiced opposition to a proposed settlement health insurer Cigna reached in Illinois federal court last month, saying that the settlement may eventually “let the entire managed care industry off the hook for critical reforms,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
Members of Congress next year will likely consider legislation to allow documented immigrants to have immediate access to public health insurance programs after a similar bill failed to pass in the 107th Congress, CongressDaily reports.
State Lawmakers Criticize Davis Plan To Eliminate $2B in Funds for Health Care Programs
California lawmakers met yesterday in a special session to begin discussions on a plan to eliminate $10.2 billion — which includes $2 billion for health care programs — from this year’s and next year’s state budgets to help cover an estimated $21 billion deficit, the Los Angeles Times reports.