Latest California Healthline Stories
Senate Floor Action on $41 Billion Medicare ‘Giveback’ Bill May Not Come This Week
The Senate has no immediate plans to address the Finance Committee’s $41 billion Medicare package, CongressDaily/AM reports.
State Returns $740 Million in Unused Federal CHIP Funds
State officials yesterday returned $740 million in unused federal funds allocated for Healthy Families after the state failed to spend the funds within the allowable time frame, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines State’s External Review Process
The Los Angeles Times yesterday examined external review boards, which California and 40 other states have established to investigate denials of care by health plans and “give people a fighting chance in disputes.”
San Jose/Good Samaritan Medical Group Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
San Jose/Good Samaritan Medical Group, the largest network of doctors in the South Bay, yesterday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after “years” of financial troubles, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
New York Times Examines Practice of ‘Culturally Sensitive Care’
The New York Times today examines the trend toward “culturally sensitive care,” a practice in which health care providers “emphasize the role that culture plays in shaping people’s attitudes toward medicine.”
FDA Policy Change for Letters Warning of Violations Raises Concerns
A recent policy change at the FDA has “substantially cut back” the number of warning letters the agency sends to companies in violation of federal rules, prompting concern among some lawmakers that the agency is “backing away from its obligation to protect the public with aggressive enforcement,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Davis Signs, Vetoes a Number of Health-Related Bills
Gov. Gray Davis (D) in the past week has signed a number of health-related bills into law.
Davis Signs Legislation To Reduce Student Backpack Weight
Gov. Gray Davis (D) this week signed a bill (AB 2532) to help reduce the weight of student backpacks, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Emergency Health Costs for Undocumented Immigrants Warrant Federal Response
The “burden” of providing uncompensated emergency medical care to undocumented immigrants in the 24 counties adjacent to the Mexican border is a “federal problem, and it requires a federal solution,” according to an Arizona Daily Star editorial.
HHS Issues Standards for Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing Practices
Federal officials yesterday issued new guidelines seeking to curtail the “aggressive marketing” tactics regularly used by the pharmaceutical industry to encourage providers to prescribe or recommend certain medications, the New York Times reports.