Latest California Healthline Stories
Democratic lawmakers and abortion-rights groups yesterday urged the Bush administration to cancel its plan to appoint Dr. David Hager to serve on the FDA’s Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs, Reuters Health reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines Low Staffing Levels in State Nursing Homes
The Los Angeles Times today examines low staffing levels in nursing homes in California, a problem that has contributed in large part to their “overall poor quality.”
Small Businesses Hit ‘Hard’ By Increasing Health Insurance Costs
Small businesses — those with fewer then 50 employees — have been hit “particularly hard” by increasing health insurance premiums, forcing many employers to shift a larger portion of health costs to their workers, according to an issue brief released Tuesday by the Center for Studying Health System Change.
Senators Introduce Bill To Prohibit Health Plans’ ‘Reunderwriting’ Practices
Sens. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) yesterday introduced a bill (S 3119) that would ban health plans from raising members’ premiums after they become ill or file claims, a practice known as “reunderwriting,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Votes To Close County-Operated Hospital
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-1 to close San Luis Obispo General Hospital, ending “decades of debate and controversy,” the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.
House Approves Compromise Reauthorization Bill for Community Health Centers
The House yesterday voted 392-5 to approve a compromise bill (S 1533) that would reauthorize the federal community health center program for another five years, CongressDaily/AM reports.
Tobacco Companies Have ‘Regained Influence’ Among California Lawmakers, Study Says
Receiving campaign contributions from tobacco companies and rejecting anti-tobacco legislation is “no longer the political taboo it once was” for state lawmakers, according to a report released yesterday by the campaign finance reform group California Common Cause, the AP/San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-1 in favor of a plan to allocate $5.5 million from this year’s $9.6 million national tobacco settlement payment for several health programs, the Ventura County Star reports.
Registered nurses at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank yesterday rallied in front of the hospital, claiming the facility’s administrators are trying to “prevent them from organizing by delaying the certification of union election results,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
HPR Lowers Estimate of Ability To Pay Creditors, Citing Increasing Medical Expenses
Health Plan of the Redwoods will be able to pay creditors “significantly less” than earlier estimates, according to the bankrupt HMO’s liquidation plan, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.