Latest California Healthline Stories
CMS Clarifies Policy on Medicare Coverage of Injectable Drugs
CMS yesterday clarified its position on Medicare coverage of injectable drugs, stating that such medications should be covered if beneficiaries self-administer them less than 50% of the time, the Wall Street Journal reports.
University of California Nurses Announce Plans for One-Day Strike on May 29
University of California health system nurses yesterday announced that they will hold a one-day strike on May 29 to protest “stalled negotiations” over a new contract, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Health Benefits Coalition, a group of insurance companies and business executives, yesterday asked Congress not to pass patients’ rights or mental health parity legislation, or “any other bill that would increase health insurance premiums,” CongressDaily/AM reports.
The Congressional Budget Office said yesterday that a House Republican proposal “clarifying” the Bush administration’s legal authority to “fix a glitch” in the Medicare physician reimbursement formula would cost $43 billion over 10 years, CongressDaily/AM reports.
Advocates, Providers Criticize Health Care Reductions in Davis’ Proposed Budget Plan
Health care advocates and providers said yesterday that health care cuts proposed by Gov. Gray Davis (D) in his revised fiscal year 2002-03 budget plan would “devastate the state’s ailing health care system,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
Greater Supply of Neonatolgists Does Not Reduce Infant Deaths, Study Finds
Regions with a large number of physicians and hospital units specializing in caring for sick newborns generally do not have lower rates of infant mortality, according to a new study that suggests that the United States has a “wasteful oversupply” of neonatal intensive care units and neonatologists.
Anti-tobacco and health care advocacy groups in Butte County Tuesday submitted signatures to place a measure on the November ballot that would allocate 75% of the county’s share of the national tobacco settlement for tobacco cessation programs and tobacco-related health care costs, MediaNews Group/Chico Enterprise-Record reports.
Medical Board Must Do More to Protect, Inform Public, San Jose Mercury News Says
Although the Medical Board of California voted last weekend to disclose malpractice settlements on the board’s Web site, the board must do more to protect and inform the public, according to a San Jose Mercury News editorial.
CalPERS Selects Caremark as Pharmacy Benefit Manager; CEO Resigns
The California Public Employees Retirement System on Wednesday chose Caremark Rx Inc. to administer prescription drug benefits for its self-insured health plans in 2003, the Sacramento Bee reports.
‘Carve-Out’ Plan Providing Equal Mental Health Coverage Reduces Costs, Study Finds
A case study appearing in the new issue of Health Affairs concludes that one large employer’s decision to use a separate managed care organization to provide equal coverage for mental health and substance abuse services led to lower costs.