Latest California Healthline Stories
22% of Seniors Skip or Don’t Purchase Prescription Medications Due to Cost, Survey Finds
About 22% of seniors said that they skipped doses of prescription drugs or did not buy the medications they needed in 2001 because the cost was too high, according to an eight-state survey.
Senate Rejects Amendment To Cap Damage Awards in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
The Senate voted 57-42 yesterday to reject an amendment to a generic drug bill (S 812) that would have capped damage awards in medical malpractice lawsuits against doctors and insurers, CongressDaily/AM reports.
Today’s Senate Vote on Compromise Medicare Rx Drug Benefit Proposal Seen as ‘Last Chance’
Senate Democrats last night delayed a vote on a compromise Medicare prescription drug benefit proposal until today in a “last-ditch effort to round up” the 60 votes needed under Senate rules to pass the measure, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The office of Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) has launched an investigation into allegations that officials at Lancaster-based Antelope Valley Hospital violated state law by “using state tax dollars for anti-union purposes,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Many nursing and human resources professionals fail to take advantage of information technology systems that could help address the nation’s nursing shortage, according to a new survey sponsored by Minnesota-based Lawson Software, a developer of application integration software.
California officials and lawmakers have asked HHS to approve the state’s request for a two-year extension of a Medi-Cal contractor program waiver and to avoid revisions to the request that could cost the state’s safety net hospitals about $300 million in federal funds over the next two years, the Pasadena Star-News reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Controversial Claims-Checking Software
The Wall Street Journal today examines the controversy over the growing prevalence of claim-checking software that insurers contend cuts fraud and physicians say cheats them out of proper compensation.
California Healthline Rounds Up Reactions to Compromise Medicare Rx Drug Benefit
Withe the Senate today expected to vote on compromise legislation for a Medicare prescription drug benefit, several editorials and opinion pieces address the issue.
Many Individuals Do Not Qualify for Coverage in State’s Individual Health Insurance Market
Health insurers in the state have raised premiums for residents who purchase individual policies and have become more selective about whom they cover, “making it harder for new applicants to qualify for coverage,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Senators Introduce Bill To Provide $256M for Exercise, Nutrition Programs
To curb the nation’s growing obesity epidemic, a bipartisan group of senators yesterday introduced a bill that would provide additional funding for physical activity and nutrition programs, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.