Latest California Healthline Stories
Santa Clara County Children’s Insurance Program Receives Nearly $2.5 Million in Grants
Santa Clara County’s Children’s Health Initiative — the first-in-the-nation effort to provide universal care for children — has received three grants totaling nearly $2.5 million, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Medicare+Choice Beneficiaries to Face More Cost-Sharing Requirements, Fewer Benefits in 2002
Medicare+Choice beneficiaries will face increased out-of-pocket costs under their health plans in 2002, and sicker beneficiaries will “bear the brunt of big changes” as more Medicare HMOs restrict prescription drug coverage and increase cost-sharing requirements, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc.
To boost the number of Latinos enrolled in Healthy Families, Catholic Healthcare West is launching an ad campaign that will feature a popular Spanish-speaking disc jockey, the Los Angeles Times reports.
FDA officials yesterday said the agency plans to suspend for two years a rule that requires drug companies to conduct clinical trials on children, the Washington Post reports.
Bush to ‘Reiterate’ Support for Proposals to Expand MSAs, Establish Association Health Plans
President Bush today is expected to call for proposals that would help small businesses cover the cost of health insurance for employees, the Wall Street Journal reports.
A report released last week recommending that the federal government spend more money on alternative therapies has come “under attack,” the Washington Post reports.
Proposed Legislation Would Require Board of Medicine To Post More Malpractice Information Online
A bill (SB 2059) introduced in the Legislature would require the Board of Medicine to post more information about malpractice lawsuits against physicians online, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
State-Employed Nurses Say New Staffing Ratio Rules, Low Pay Will Add to Shortage
Nurses employed by the California government say that new state-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios will “decimate” the state nursing staff, as higher-paying private hospitals are expected to “raid” the state staff to comply with the regulations, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The Department of Managed Health Care, established in 1999 as part of a state patients’ rights bill, has helped California HMO members avoid the problems that Denzel Washington’s character faces in the film “John Q.,” DMHC Director Daniel Zingale writes in a Sacramento Bee opinion piece.
Wall Street Journal Chronicles Debate Between Governors, Brand-Name Drug Makers over Patent Laws
The Wall Street Journal today chronicles the debate over brand-name prescription drug patent extensions, which many governors blame for “adding big bucks to their Medicaid costs.”