Latest California Healthline Stories
Health Care Issues May Top Congress’ Domestic Agenda This Year
Gannett News Service/Detroit News reports that “rapidly rising” health care costs and a “jump” in the number of uninsured may become “major” issues in Congress and the mid-term elections.
San Gabriel School District Opens Healthy Start Clinic
San Gabriel School District last Friday opened a “school-linked” health center that will serve about 5,000 students, the Pasadena Star-News reports.
Employees Should ‘Jump’ at ‘Consumer-Driven’ Health Plans, Bee Columnist Says
“Consumer-driven” health insurance plans, which “at least a dozen major California companies” will offer employees by next year, are a “step in the right direction” and “[p]ut the customer back in charge — and on the hook,” Sacramento Bee columnist Daniel Weintraub writes.
New Nutrition Benefit Under Medicare Could Reduce Costs
On Jan. 1, Medicare expanded coverage of medical
nutrition counseling — “consultation with dietitians about what to eat” — for nearly five million beneficiaries with diabetes or kidney disease, a move that some experts hope will have a “significant impact” on medical costs and “open the door” for “broader” coverage of preventive care, the Washington Post reports.
Orange County Facility for Mentally Ill Expected to Receive Temporary Funding to Stay Open
The not-for-profit Orange County Friendship Center, a “revolutionary” facility that provides “tailored treatment” programs for mentally ill patients, will likely remain open through June with the help of temporary funding from the county, the Orange County Register reports.
HIPAA Privacy Rule Gives ‘Too Much Access’ to Patient Information, ACP-ASIM Says
The HIPAA privacy rule gives marketers too much access to patients’ medical information, according to one of the nation’s largest medical societies.
San Diego County Health Agencies ‘Fall Short’ of Meeting Goals, Surveys Find
San Diego County health agencies do not adequately ensure that health programs meet goals or that health care workers are “competent,” according to statewide and federal surveys, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Group to Issue Guidelines to Promote Secure E-Mail Communication Between Doctors, Patients
A consortium of malpractice insurers and Medem, a for-profit venture created by 45 medical societies, announced last week that they will issue guidelines to help physicians manage the risks and liabilities of communicating with patients via e-mail, the Wall Street Journal reports.
PhRMA Opposes Changes in Prescription Drug User Fee Act
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America President Alan Holmer said last Friday that negotiations with the FDA over renewal of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992, which expires in September, “have not gone as smoothly as last time,” CongressDaily reports.
Bush to Propose 16% NIH Funding Increase for Fiscal Year 2003
President Bush’s proposed fiscal year 2003 budget will contain a record $3.7 billion increase in funding for the NIH, $1.5 billion of which would go toward bioterrorism research, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced on Friday.