Latest California Healthline Stories
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors yesterday voted 3-2 to reverse its “long-time refusal” to provide health benefits for the domestic partners of county employees, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Insurers Compete To Enroll Seniors in Supplemental Medicare Plans in Sonoma County After HPR Closure
Health plans in California are mounting “major efforts” this week to attract the 11,000 seniors enrolled in Health Plan of the Redwoods’ Medicare HMO who will lose coverage when the health insurer ceases operations, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
The Bush administration yesterday endorsed a bill (HR 4889) designed to reduce medical errors by encouraging health professionals to voluntarily report any mistakes, the Hartford Courant reports.
California Mental Health Parity Law Produces ‘Mixed Bag’ of Results in First Two Years
The Sacramento Business Journal last week examined the state’s mental health parity law, which some say could become a model for the nation but has produced a “mixed bag” of results in the first two years.
Scully Tell Lawmakers Medicare Rx Drug Benefit, Not Givebacks, Should be ‘Top Priority’
CMS Administrator Tom Scully yesterday reinforced the Bush administration’s stance that drug coverage for seniors is the “top health priority” and told Congress “not to go too far” in legislation to increase Medicare reimbursements to providers, CongressDaily reports.
HIPAA Could Limit Information Athletic Teams Release about Players
Professional, collegiate and high school athletic teams may have to limit their release of medical information about players to comply with new medical privacy rules taking effect in 2003, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Chula Vista Mobile Health Clinic Helps Improve Student Attendance, Test Scores
Attendance and test scores for elementary school students in Chula Vista have improved since school officials partnered with area hospitals to establish a mobile health clinic, the New York Times reports.
San Jose Mercury News Recommends Approval of Several Health-Related Bills
A San Jose Mercury News editorial yesterday recommended that Gov. Gray Davis (D) sign several health-related bills passed by the Legislature this year to help meet the “crying needs” of the state’s health care safety net.
Justice Department Increasing ‘Scrutiny’ of Health Plans, Mergers for Antitrust Violations
Officials from the Justice Department’s antitrust division at a conference Monday said they plan to increase “scrutiny” of health insurance companies following a “spate of mergers” in the last decade that may have reduced the number of competitors in the market.
Telemedicine System Reduces Costs, Improves Access to Care for Rural California Patients
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat yesterday profiled a 10-month-old telemedicine system that allows physicians at the University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento to treat patients at Round Valley Indian Health Center.