Latest California Healthline Stories
Los Angeles Times Examines Los Angeles County Health Department Deficit, ER Overcrowding
Faced with a $800 million health department deficit by 2005, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week will consider a plan that would “reduce the number of places patients can receive general medical care but … preserve high-end hospital care and emergency rooms,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Online Auction Site eBay To Offer Health Insurance to Full-Time Sellers
San Jose-based online auction site eBay on Saturday announced that it plans to offer health benefits to full-time eBay merchants, the Wall Street Journal reports.
State, Los Angeles County Settle Allegations of Improper Medicaid Billing with Federal Government
The state and Los Angeles County have agreed to pay the federal government $73.3 million to settle allegations that they improperly billed the federal Medicaid program for services provided to some minors, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Democrats Fail to Amend Republican Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Plan
The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday rejected several Democratic attempts to push through their Medicare drug benefit plan and amend a Republican-backed Medicare reform package, National Journal News Service reports.
Kennedy Introduces Bill to Establish ‘Strict’ IT Standards for Health Care Organizations
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) this week introduced legislation that would require health care organizations to meet “strict” information technology standards to help reduce administrative costs and improve clinical outcomes, Reuters reports.
Bush Launches New Federal Initiative to Encourage Physical Fitness
President Bush yesterday at the White House launched a four-day “federal focus” on physical fitness and urged Americans to exercise, “eat healthy and abstain from alcohol and tobacco” use, the Washington Times reports.
Advisory Panel Recommends Limited Provision of Smallpox Vaccine to Health Workers
A committee of public health experts that advises the federal government on U.S. vaccination policy yesterday recommended that a small number of health care workers in each state should receive the smallpox vaccine to protect them in the event of a bioterrorist attack, the Washington Post reports.
Air Resources Board Issues First State Standards in Nation for Micropollutants
The California Air Resources Board yesterday voted 9-0 to approve the first state standards in the nation to restrict the “amounts of the tiniest air pollution particles,” a move that could prevent 6,500 deaths and 340,000 respiratory illnesses in the state each year, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
States Report ‘Wide Variation’ in 2001 Prescription Drug Spending, Study Finds
Although the average price of pharmaceuticals increased nationwide last year, there was a “wide variation” in state-by-state spending on prescription drugs, according to a study released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Supreme Court Upholds State Laws Allowing Independent Reviews of HMO Decisions
A divided Supreme Court yesterday upheld state laws giving patients the right to seek an independent review of denials of care issued by their managed care companies, the New York Times reports.