Latest California Healthline Stories
Frist Says in N.Y. Times Opinion Piece that Americans Should Make Own Choice on Smallpox Vaccination
Americans “[s]hould … be allowed to make an informed choice to receive the smallpox vaccine,” Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a physician and author of a book on bioterrorism, writes in a New York Times opinion piece today.
The Hawaii Medical Association and two member physicians yesterday filed a lawsuit against the state’s largest health insurer for “unfair and uncompetitive” claims reimbursement practices, including the use of software to profile physician claims, the Associated Press reports.
Press-Enterprise Examines Mexico-Based Drug Treatment, Rehabilitation Programs for U.S. Teenagers
The Riverside Press-Enterprise this week published several articles on Mexico-based residential drug treatment and rehabilitation programs that serve U.S. teenagers.
Northern California Delta Dental Workers Reach Tentative Contract Agreement
About 1,000 Northern California Delta Dental Plan clerical employees, who have been on strike for three weeks, yesterday reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Intel Chair Pledges $5 Million for New UCSF Embryonic Stem Cell Research Program
Intel Corp. Chair Andrew Grove has pledged $5 million to help launch a new embryonic stem cell research program at the University of California-San Francisco, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Gridlock on Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Angers Seniors, AARP Poll Finds
More than a quarter of older voters intend to vote against Senate incumbents this November if a Medicare prescription drug benefit plan fails to pass, according to an AARP poll, CongressDaily reports.
DOE Reverses Medical Compensation Policy for Cold-War Era Nuclear Workers
The Department of Energy yesterday issued a final regulation that will allow Cold War-era nuclear weapons workers exposed to toxic substances to receive medical compensation, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Los Angeles County Supervisors Order Office of AIDS Programs and Policy To Submit Audit in Two Weeks
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has ordered the county Office of AIDS Programs and Policy to release the results of an audit within two weeks after a series of delays, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
FTC To Intensify Scrutiny of Hospital Mergers, Medical Groups for Antitrust Violations
Federal Trade Commission Chair Timothy Muris said yesterday that the agency plans to increase its focus on past hospital mergers and medical groups to ensure that the arrangements “have actually benefited patients” and not simply resulted in higher profits, the New York Times reports.
Urban Areas Make ‘Considerable but Inconsistent’ Progress on Federal Health Goals
The United States’ largest cities made “considerable but inconsistent progress” toward reaching most of HHS’ Healthy People 2000 goals, with the exception of rates of low birthweight among infants, according to a report released this week by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and SUNY Downstate Medical Center, USA Today reports.