Latest California Healthline Stories
Senate Passes Trade Bill with Displaced-Worker Benefits, Bill Goes to President Bush
The Senate yesterday voted 64-34 to approve a trade bill that includes provisions to help American workers displaced by international trade purchase health insurance, the Washington Post reports.
California Medical Association Drops Objections to State Medical Board Reform Bill
The California Medical Association and Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont) have reached a compromise on a bill that would require the Medical Board of California to disclose more information about doctors who have settled malpractice claims, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Nevada Legislature Passes Malpractice Insurance Cap, but Concerns Persist
The Nevada Legislature on Thursday morning passed a bill that would cap damages in medical malpractice lawsuits, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
National Association of Chain Drug Stores To Help Drug Companies Market Discount Rx Card for Seniors
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores yesterday said it will help seven pharmaceutical companies market a discount prescription drug card for seniors that was established earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Beverly Enterprises Nursing Home Chain Pleads No Contest to Charges of Neglect
Beverly Enterprises Inc., the nation’s largest nursing home chain, yesterday pleaded no contest to charges of felony elder abuse that led to two patients’ deaths at a facility in Santa Barbara, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Property Tax Wrong Way To Finance Los Angeles County’s Emergency Care System, Editorial Says
A proposed ballot initiative that would raise property taxes in Los Angeles County to pay for county trauma centers is “well intended” but “poorly planned,” a Long Beach Press-Telegram editorial states.
Senate, White House Negotiations on Patients’ Rights Legislation Stall
Negotiations between the Senate and the White House on patients’ rights legislation stalled yesterday, “significantly reducing the chances” that a bill will become law this year, the New York Times reports.
Health Plan of the Redwoods Announces Plans to Liquidate by Oct. 31
Health Plan of the Redwoods yesterday announced plans to liquidate and shut down by Oct. 31, which would leave 78,000 members of the Sonoma County health plan with only three months to find a new health insurer, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports.
San Francisco Health Plan Subsidizes Pharmacist Consultation Fee for Emergency Contraception
In an effort to increase access to emergency contraception for low-income women, the San Francisco Health Plan has become the first community health plan in California to subsidize the $20 pharmacist consultation fee required for non-prescription EC purchases, the San Francisco Examiner reports.
Almost 5 Million Children Eligible for Medicaid or CHIP Are Unenrolled, Study Finds
Nearly five million children who are eligible for government-funded health programs, including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, are not enrolled, according to new figures being released today by the Urban Institute.