Latest California Healthline Stories
California Hospitals Undergo Construction to Meet Seismic Standards, Update Facilities
California newspapers this week examine hospitals’ recent and planned construction projects to meet updated government seismic safety standards and keep pace with new technology and “changes in health care practices.”
A legislative budget committee on Wednesday unanimously voted to rescind approval of a $1 million appropriation for a private, not-for-profit home for the developmentally disabled amid questions about the facility’s relationship to a campaign contributor of Gov. Gray Davis (D), the Sacramento Bee reports.
HSC Study Examines Access-to-Care Disparities between Insured and Uninsured
The disparity in access to health care between “working-age” uninsured ethnic and racial minorities and uninsured whites in the United States “generally [is] almost double” that between insured minorities and whites, according to a study released yesterday by the Center for Studying Health System Change.
Smoking Conclusively Linked to a Number of Cancers for the First Time in WHO Study
A World Health Organization committee of cancer experts yesterday announced that they have found evidence “directly connecting” smoking to stomach, liver, cervical and kidney cancers and myeloid leukemia, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Two Recent Studies Assess States’ CHIP Programs
In states that do not require periodic re-enrollment verification, a “significantly lower” percentage of children lose their CHIP coverage than in states that do have such policies, according to a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Assembly Health Committee Rejects Bill to Allow HMO Patients to Bypass Mandatory Arbitration
The Assembly Health Committee Tuesday rejected a Senate-passed bill (SB 458) that would have allowed patients to bypass mandatory arbitration and file lawsuits against HMOs in cases where patients “suffer significant damage” as a result of a denial of care, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports.
San Francisco AIDS Foundation to Lay Off Employees, Reduce Salaries
Facing a $2.5 million budget deficit, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation Tuesday announced plans to lay off 28 employees and impose a 10% pay reduction for managers as part of a “belt-tightening” effort, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
House Energy and Commerce Panel Amends GOP Medicare Prescription Drug Plan
The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday began its markup of a Republican-backed Medicare reform package, which in part would provide Medicare beneficiaries a prescription drug benefit, the Washington Post reports.
Assembly Health Committee Approves Bill to Allow Needle Sales Without a Doctor’s Prescription
The Assembly Health Committee Tuesday voted 13-2 to pass a bill (SB 1785) that would allow adults to purchase as many as 30 hypodermic needles at licensed pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Show Examines Films that Teach Cultural Sensitivity in Care to Medical Students
PRI’s “The World” on June 19 reports on short documentary films designed to teach medical students cultural sensitivity.