Latest California Healthline Stories
President Bush’s fiscal year 2003 budget proposal to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare would cover only 30% of seniors, “fall[ing] short” of the president’s campaign pledge to help all Medicare beneficiaries purchase medication, Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said Saturday in the Democrats’ weekly radio address.
Lawsuit Charges CVS with Failing to Utilize Computer Software to Prevent Medication Errors
In a lawsuit filed last week, drugstore chain CVS is facing charges that it failed to “utilize, test and maintain” computer software capable of preventing a medication dispensing error that killed a Connecticut woman last year, the Hartford Courant reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines Debate Over ‘Abstinence-Only’ Sex Education
The Los Angeles Times yesterday examined the debate surrounding “abstinence-only” education, one of the few “federal social program[s] that President Bush wants to beef up.”
Increased Malpractice Insurance Rates Force Trauma Centers to Close, Hamper Access to Specialty Care
In a front-page story today, the Los Angeles Times examines the impact that increased medical malpractice insurance has had on patient care and trauma centers.
Many Large State Health Plans Posted Profits in 2001, But Experts Predict Long-Term Problems
Although many of the state’s largest HMOs reported profits for 2001, maintaining such prosperity may be difficult, the Sacramento Bee reports.
UC-Davis Offers Free Prostate Cancer Screening in Conjunction With State Treatment Program
The University of California-Davis has “committed some of its own money” to screen men for prostate cancer in connection with a state-funded program that provides treatment for low-income men diagnosed with the disease, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Associated Press Examines ‘Substandard’ Care Provided by Indian Health Service
The Associated Press yesterday examined the “substandard” and “usually less comprehensive” care that patients receive from the Indian Health Service, the federal agency responsible for providing health care to 60% of those Americans who identify themselves solely as American Indian.
Oakland-Based HMO Kaiser Permanente Posts 16% Increase in Profit in 2001
Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente today announced that profit rose 16% last year, as a result of increased premiums and “operational efficiencies,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Senators Hear Testimony on Mammogram ‘Controversy’
In a joint session of two Senate subcommittees yesterday, lawmakers heard testimony from experts on the debate over whether mammograms help to reduce breast cancer deaths and “pointedly threw their political support” behind the test, the
New York Times reports.
Universal Care to Launch Medicare HMO in Orange, Los Angeles and Kern Counties
Universal Care Inc., a small managed care organization, received federal approval yesterday to operate a Medicare HMO, the Orange County Register reports.