Latest California Healthline Stories
Senate Rejects Fourth Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit in Two Weeks
The Senate yesterday defeated a compromise Medicare prescription drug benefit proposal, the fourth rejection of a benefit plan in the past two weeks, making it “highly unlikely” Congress will enact a drug benefit this year, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
USDA Launches Free Fruit, Veggie School Program to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits
The Department of Agriculture has chosen four states — Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio — to participate in a one-year, $6 million federal program to provide free fruit and vegetables to public school students to encourage healthy eating habits.
Even Slightly Overweight People at ‘Significantly’ Higher Risk of Heart Failure
People who are as little as four to eight pounds overweight “significantly increase their risk of heart failure,” according to new study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.
University of California-Irvine Medical Center to End Treatment for Some Indigent Patients
The University of California-Irvine Medical Center announced yesterday that beginning today it will no longer provide indigent care services to poor people living far distances from its facilities, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Eden Medical Center Nurses Reach Tentative Contract Agreement with Sutter Health, Avoid Strike
Nurses at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley reached a tentative contract agreement with Sutter Health early Tuesday and averted an open-ended strike scheduled to begin tomorrow, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
CPhA Officials Criticize Davis’ Proposed Medi-Cal Pharmacy Reimbursement Reductions
Officials from the California Pharmacists Association yesterday said that many independent pharmacies would be forced to stop accepting Medi-Cal beneficiaries or close down altogether if Gov. Gray Davis’ (D) proposed fiscal year 2002-2003 budget, which includes a $110 million reduction to pharmacy reimbursements, is enacted, the Sacramento Bee reports.
‘California Connected’ To Examine Effectiveness of Proposition 36
“California Connected,” a weekly, hour-long newsmagazine produced by PBS stations in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco that covers state events and issues, tonight will include a segment that examines the effectiveness of Proposition 36, the voter-approved ballot measure that allows many first- and second-time drug offenders to receive treatment rather than prison sentences.
PacifiCare Announces 33% Increase in Second-Quarter Net Income
Santa Ana-based PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., yesterday announced a 33% increase in net income in the second quarter as a result of “improved pricing and cost controls,” Reuters/Los Angeles Times reports.
Bill Introduced in House To Allow Americans To Order Prescription Drugs from Canada Online
Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) last Thursday introduced a bill (HR 5217) that would allow individuals to order and import prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies over the Internet, Technology Daily reports.
Immunization Project Aims To Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities among Seniors
HHS yesterday announced a new immunization initiative aimed at reducing racial and ethnic disparities in influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates for seniors, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.