Latest California Healthline Stories
California’s Uninsured Dropped 9% in 2000, But Further Coverage Gains in Doubt
The number of Californians without health insurance declined 9% to 6.2 million in 2000, primarily due to an increase in employer-sponsored coverage, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Smoking Should Factor in Movie Ratings, Anti-Tobacco Advocates Say
Health advocates are calling on the Motion Picture Association of America to consider smoking a factor in rating a film’s content, the Contra Costa Times reports.
AMA to Campaign for Tort Reform to Help Reduce Cost of Medical Malpractice Insurance Premiums
The American Medical Association announced on Monday that it will begin “stepping up efforts” for tort reform in an attempt to stem the rise in medical malpractice premiums, the AP/Lexington Herald-Leader reports.
Online Hospital Report Cards Often ‘Misleading and Unfair,’ New Study Finds
Web sites that offer report cards on hospitals based on mortality rates and other patient outcomes “can be misleading and unfair,” according to a new study published in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Senate Democrats Question Bush Administration’s 10-Year, $89 Billion Tax Credit Proposal
Senate Democrats raised doubts at a committee hearing yesterday that President Bush’s tax credit proposal would allow the nation’s uninsured to purchase “affordable” health coverage, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Lawmakers Propose ‘Sin Taxes’ to Fund Health Care Programs, Trauma Centers
Sen. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento) has proposed legislation (SB 1520) that would add a surcharge to soft drinks, one of three recently proposed “sin” taxes aimed at “curb[ing] potentially deleterious forms of consumption,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
Drugstores nationwide may stop filling prescriptions for Medicaid beneficiaries and may reduce hours or close stores if states implement planned cuts in Medicaid reimbursement rates for pharmacies, the AP/New York Times reports.
Twelve AIDS activists representing various organizations and backed by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in Los Angeles yesterday announced the filing of a class-action lawsuit asking the federal courts to prohibit California prisons from using unsterilized instruments to cut inmates’ hair, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Interim Heads at Federal Health Agencies Lack Authority, Long-Term Focus, NPR Reports
NPR’s “Morning Edition” reported today on the leadership vacancies at the FDA, NIH and CDC.
Students at San Diego State University will vote Wednesday and Thursday on referendums to increase student fees to cover the cost of a new student health clinic and expanded medical services at the university, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.