Latest California Healthline Stories
Governors Should Heed Bioterrorism ‘Wake-Up Call’
Although a panel of bioterrorism experts briefed the National Governors Association during their winter meeting this week, Jules Witcover writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece that “judging from the sparse turnout” at the session, the governors “seemed more worried” about their “highway construction dollars” than the threat of bioterrorism.
CHCF Unveils New Web Site to Provide Resources On Medicare
The California HealthCare Foundation announced today that it has launched a new Web site, calmedicare.org, intended to help California seniors “understand … Medicare benefits and options for additional coverage.”
San Diego Union-Tribune Examines ‘Controversial’ Alternative Cancer Clinics
The San Diego Union-Tribune this week examines Tijuana’s “long-controversial” alternative cancer clinics in a two-part series.
Administration Plans Shift in HIV/AIDS Prevention Funds
The Bush administration’s task force on AIDS may recommend a shift in policy to “confront the behavioral aspects” of HIV, including supporting condom distribution in the prison system to prevent HIV-positive inmates from spreading the virus in their communities when they are released, Scott Evertz, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, said Monday, Reuters Health reports.
Seniors Face Hardship After Medicare HMOs Pass on Costs of Covering Medications
The San Diego Union-Tribune today examines the difficulties that many seniors in California — and nationwide — have faced since Medicare+Choice plans reduced or eliminated prescription drug coverage at the beginning of the year.
Alcohol Survey Finds Teen Gender Gap Disappearing
Teenage girls are as likely to drink as teenage boys, a report by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) found, USA Today reports.
Iowa Officials Revise Nursing Home Report Card Web Site to Include Citations and Fines
The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has “upgraded” its online nursing home report card to provide more information about citations and fines levied against the state’s nursing facilities, the Des Moines Register reports.
Bush Administration Names Food Safety Expert as FDA Deputy Commissioner
The Bush administration yesterday named Lester Crawford, a former veterinarian and the director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, as the FDA’s deputy commissioner, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Nearly one million Americans are HIV-positive, but about half of them are either not aware they are infected with HIV or are not seeking care for the disease, the New York Times reports.
Blue Shield of California Eases Restrictions on Physician Reimbursement
Blue Shield of California yesterday announced plans to relax restrictions on reimbursements for physicians, “making it easier for the 35,000 doctors in its network to get paid,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.