Latest California Healthline Stories
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Tuesday that the Los Angeles County coroner should have obtained permission from parents in California and Pennsylvania before he harvested and sold the corneas of their deceased sons, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Hollings to Introduce Legislation to Protect Internet User Information, Including Medical Records
Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) plans to introduce an online privacy bill as early as today that would protect “sensitive” personal information, including individuals’ medical records, the Los Angeles Times reports.
USDA Reconsiders Decision To Exit Foreign Doctors Program
The USDA yesterday notified lawmakers that it will reverse at least temporarily its decision to end participation in a federal program that allows foreign-born doctors to practice in underserved areas of the United States, the AP/Nando Times reports.
Latino Children Six Times as Likely to Contract Hepatitis A as Whites, UCLA Study Finds
Latino children in California are nearly six times more likely to contract hepatitis A than non-Hispanic white children, according to a new University of California-Los Angeles study, the Ventura Country Star reports.
Ventura County Officials Commission Study of Behavioral Health Department, Evaluation of Director
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors yesterday commissioned a study to determine whether the board should shift control of the county Behavioral Health Department to County Executive Officer Johnny Johnston, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Assembly Health Committee Blocks Anti-Bioterrorism Bill, Establishes Commission to Study Issue
The Assembly Health Committee yesterday “gutted” a bill (AB 1763) that would have allowed “forcible quarantining” of state residents and seizure of hospitals or pharmacies by the state in the event of a bioterrorist attack, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Los Angeles Times Looks At Debate Over Trade Bill
The Los Angeles Times today examines the “congressional impasse” over providing health coverage and other benefits to American workers displaced by international trade.
CalPERS Expected to Raise Premiums 25%, Drop Two HMOs
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the second-largest purchaser of health care behind the federal government, is expected today to approve a “historic” 25% increase in health insurance premiums for next year, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
AARP Will Launch $10M Ad Campaign Against DTC Ads
AARP plans to launch a $10 million advertising campaign intended to counteract the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising, the Wall Street Journal reports. AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, hopes to “prod more people” into inquiring about generic equivalent prescriptions and learn more about the potential side effects of the drugs they are taking.
Senate Democrats Criticize Proposed Changes to Medical Privacy Rules
Democrats at a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing yesterday “harshly criticized” the Bush administration’s proposal to alter certain medical privacy provisions put in place by the Clinton administration in December 2000, the New York Times reports.