Latest California Healthline Stories
Federal Waiver Could Protect Los Angeles County Health System, Los Angeles Times Editorial States
The approval last month of Measure B, a Los Angeles County ballot measure that will raise property taxes to fund trauma care centers and emergency rooms, also may have “created the momentum to salvage the rest of the county’s troubled health care system,” a Los Angeles Times editorial states.
Tenet Hospitals in California Charge More for Workers’ Compensation Claims, CNA Study Finds
Tenet Healthcarethe largest hospital chain in California, charges about twice the amount as other hospitals in the state for workers’ compensation claims, according to a study released yesterday by the California Nurses Association, the Contra Costa Times reports.
White House Considers ‘Limited’ Medicare Prescription Drug Plan To Help End Stalemate in Congress
The Bush administration may propose a “more limited plan” than earlier efforts to help low-income seniors cover prescription drug costs in an effort to “break the stalemate” in Congress over a Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Washington Post reports.
Los Angeles Times Opinion Pieces Address Issue of the Uninsured
The Los Angeles Times today features opinion pieces by Ronald Brownstein, a Times columnist, and Jamie Court, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, on the problem of the uninsured.
Democratic Governors To Ask for Federal Assistance To Help Fund Medicaid Programs
Democratic governors today will visit Washington, D.C., to ask for additional federal funds and to address their differences with President Bush on a number of issues, such as health care, the New York Times reports.
Universal Coverage Receives Support from Insurance Executives Across the Nation
The New York Times on Saturday examined the increased number of insurance executives “pressing for new steps toward” universal health coverage.
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, California Nurses Association Reach Contract Agreement
Officials at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, one of the largest private hospitals in California, and representatives of the California Nurses Association, which represents 1,300 nurses at the facility, have agreed to a three-year contract after two one-day strikes this fall and “tense labor relations,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Higher Health Care Costs Force Workers To Pay More for Employer-Sponsored Coverage, Study Finds
Employers nationwide anticipate their health costs will rise 14.6% next year, on top of a 14.7% increase this year, a rate nearly seven times inflation and the sharpest rise since 1990, according to a new survey, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Davis Releases Plan for $10.2B in Reductions to Health and Other Programs To Cover Budget Shortfall
Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Friday proposed $10.2 billion in cuts in state spending, including cuts in health care programs, as part of an effort to cover an expected $21 billion budget deficit, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Problems in Regulation of Online Pharmacies
The Wall Street Journal today examines problems in the regulation of online pharmacies and efforts to shut down Internet pharmacies that fill prescriptions based on online consultations.