Latest California Healthline Stories
About 12% of California Residents Have Asthma, New Study Finds
About 12% of California residents have asthma, which has become a “significant” health problem in the state, according to a new study, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
State Health Officials Announce New HIV-Reporting System Based on Codes, Not Names
California health officials announced last Friday that after June 30, doctors and laboratories will have to report new cases of HIV to the state based on numerical codes that correspond to HIV-positive individuals — unlike 33 other states that “track patients by name confidentially,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
HHS Secretary Thompson Uses Office as ‘Bully Pulpit’ to Push Disease Prevention
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson is using his office as a “bully pulpit” to promote the “lifesaving benefits” of proper nutrition and exercise, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Wall Street Journal Looks at Short-Term Health Insurance Plans
The Wall Street Journal today examines short-term health insurance plans, which offer minimal benefits for a low cost to healthy people who have a temporary need for coverage, such as workers who have been laid off or are between jobs.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors today plans to vote on a two-year pilot program that would use funds from the county’s share of the national tobacco settlement to subsidize part of the cost of private health insurance for low-income small business employees, the Sacramento Bee reports.
House GOP Medicare Reform Package Includes Provision To Eliminate Planned Home Health Payment Cut
A scheduled 15% cut in Medicare payments for home health services would be eliminated but beneficiaries who receive such services would be required to pay a copayment for the first time under a draft of the House Republican Medicare reform package, the AP/South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.
Entertainment Mogul Geffen to Donate $200 Million in Unrestricted Funds to UCLA Medical School
Entertainment industry executive David Geffen will donate $200 million to the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine, the largest single gift to a U.S. medical school in history, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Most Orange County Latino Youths Sexually Active by Age 19, Planned Parenthood Survey Finds
Most Latino youths in Orange County are sexually active by age 19, according to a survey released last Thursday by Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, the Orange County Register reports.
Los Angeles Mayor Proposes ‘Phase Out’ of Doctors at Three City Jails to Reduce Costs
Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn (D) has announced a cost-cutting budget proposal that would reduce the number of physicians at three city jails and would rely on nurses to provide care — a plan that some opponents say could endanger the health of inmates and “end up costing the city more than it saves,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Health Trust Study Finds 31% of Santa Clara County Children Have Untreated Tooth Decay
One-third of Santa Clara County children younger than age nine have untreated tooth decay, and minority and low-income children are disproportionately affected, according to a survey released today by the Health Trust, a not-for-profit patient advocacy group, the San Jose Mercury News reports.