Latest California Healthline Stories
Abortion Politics Might Be Holding Up Federal Health Agency Nominations, New York Times Says
The New York Times on Saturday examined the leadership vacancies at federal health agencies, reporting that abortion politics may be holding up the nomination process.
States Stop Expanding CHIP Enrollment
An increasing number of states are cutting back on their CHIP programs, as growing budget deficits combined with higher-than-expected enrollment have made expansions of the once politically popular program for low-income children less attractive, the Los Angeles Times reports.
San Francisco’s Ryan White Funds Cut By $2.2 Million, Straining Already Tight Budget
San Francisco’s Department of Public Health will receive $33.5 million in federal Ryan White CARE Act funds for the yearly financial cycle that begins March 1 — $2.2 million, or 6.2%, less than it received last year — placing the city’s already strained HIV/AIDS services budget under greater pressure, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Hawaii To Join California in Expanded Newborn Screening Pilot Program
Hawaii, which already mandates newborn screening for seven metabolic disorders, will begin a pilot program next month with California to test newborns for 30 additional “errors of metabolism,” the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports.
California Medical Association Votes to Support Raising Minimum Smoking Age to 21
The California Medical Association voted yesterday to support raising the state’s minimum smoking age from 18 to 21, the AP/Fresno Bee reports.
Little on Horizon To Counter Rising Health Costs, Industry Experts Say
Although health care inflation is rising and employee health insurance premiums are “skyrocketing,” there appears to be “nothing on the horizon that promises to get costs back under control,” such as the idea of managed care in the early 1990s, the Sacramento Bee reports.
CalPERS Approves Plan To Study Two New Health Care Models To Reduce Costs
CalPERS last week approved a plan to study two new health care models to try to combat rising costs, a move that may prompt other large health systems to conduct similar studies, the Contra Costa Times reports.
New Statewide Hospital Comparison Finds Different Mortality Rates for Heart Attacks
California hospitals overall are improving the care of people who experience heart attacks, according to a survey released by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, but the “improvement is not across the board,” the AP/Sacramento Bee reports.
Governors Urge Congress, Bush to Reform Medicaid
The nation’s governors yesterday “demanded” that Congress and President Bush “take immediate action to slow the explosive growth” of Medicaid and “sounded a note of desperation as they sought ways to control health spending,” the New York Times reports.
The California HealthCare Foundation has released a series of guides designed to assist health plans and providers in understanding the new Federal Health Privacy Rule mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.