Latest California Healthline Stories
Kaiser Permanente Reports 90% Increase in 2002 First-Quarter Net Income
Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest not-for-profit HMO, yesterday reported a 90% increase in net income in the first quarter of 2002 as a result of “cost-cutting and higher premiums,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Daschle Says Mental Health Parity Legislation Will Reach Senate Floor By Memorial Day
In response to President Bush’s call for Congress to approve mental health parity legislation, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) yesterday said that such legislation will reach the Senate floor “in the coming months,” perhaps before Memorial Day, CongressDaily/AM reports.
Competing Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Bills to Be Announced Today
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) today is expected to announce the details of GOP-backed Medicare prescription drug legislation that would use private companies to provide coverage and would include President Bush’s proposal for government-issued prescription drug discount cards, the AP/Boston Globe reports.
Soda Tax Proposal Dropped; Bill Amended to Phase Out Soft Drink Sales at Schools
Amid opposition from some lawmakers and school officials, Sen. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento) yesterday dropped a proposal to place a state tax on soda and other sweetened drinks, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Nurses Union, University of California Hospitals Remain at Odds in Contract Negotiations
Negotiations between the California Nurses Association and the University of California’s five teaching hospitals remained stalled yesterday as their contract was set to expire at midnight, the Sacramento Bee reports.
More than 10% of prescription drugs approved by the FDA between 1975 and 1999 were either withdrawn from the market or required a label change to warn against dangerous adverse reactions, according to a study in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
The Labor Department Tuesday launched GovBenefits, a Web site that informs individuals about whether they may qualify for some federal benefit programs, including health insurance programs, the Washington Post reports.
Feinstein, Kennedy Offer Legislation Allowing Therapeutic Cloning
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) yesterday introduced legislation that would ban reproductive cloning but allow cloning for medical research purposes, and influential antiabortion lawmaker Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) announced his decision to support the measure, the Washington Post reports.
Hospitals Costs Associationed with Childhood Obesity Increased to $127M in 2001
Hospital costs connected to childhood obesity increased to $127 million in 2001 from $35 million in 1981, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics, USA Today reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines ‘Precision-Targeted’ Marketing of Prescription Drugs
In a front-page story today, the Wall Street Journal examines how large drug makers pay pharmacy chains to call or send letters to customers urging them to order refills or switch to a newer version of a brand-name drug — a practice that has drawn numerous lawsuits and the attention of regulators.