Latest California Healthline Stories
More Employers Consider New Health Plans Options that Shift Costs to Employees
New “consumer-driven” health insurance policies designed to shift costs to employees and get patients to “act more like shoppers” are gaining interest among employers and may be the first “big shift” from traditional managed care, USA Today reports.
Simi Valley Hospital Officials Continue Expansion Plan Discussions
Simi Valley Hospital officials are continuing to hold Neighborhood Council meetings to discuss plans for a $35 million expansion, the Ventura County Star reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Bush’s Likely Fiscal Year 2003 Health Priorities
Although President Bush plans to increase spending on homeland defense and economic recovery in fiscal year 2003, his budget will likely include “significant cuts” in some domestic programs, including health care — the “touchiest domestic issue” for the administration, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Philip Morris, the nation’s largest cigarette manufacturer, has released a statement criticizing state governments for failing to use funds from the 1998 tobacco settlement to reduce youth smoking, the AP/Nando Times reports.
‘Graphic’ Health Warnings Deter Smoking, Canadian Researchers Find
“Larger, more graphic” health warnings on cigarette packs sold in Canada have “heightened concern about the dangers of tobacco” among Canadian smokers, according to a study conducted by the Canadian Cancer Society.
Davis to Announce Fiscal Year 2003 Budget Proposal at Noon Today
Gov. Gray Davis (D) plans to unveil his fiscal year 2003 budget at noon today, and the Contra Costa Times reports that the proposal will likely “protect” funding for some state health care programs, despite the state’s estimated $12 billion deficit.
Los Angeles Times Says Compromise on Patients’ Rights Not Expected in 2002
Although the House and Senate both passed patients’ rights bills last year, the Los Angeles Times reports that the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have “pushed” the issue “so far afield that it might be hard to resurrect with any vigor” in 2002.
Cigna Contracts with Yahoo! to Create Personalized Benefits Web Sites for Members
Cigna Corp. yesterday announced that it has signed a multimillion-dollar, multi-year contract with the Internet portal Yahoo! to create personalized benefits Web sites for Cigna health plan members and retirement plan participants, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports.
Poway Nursing Home Fined $95,000 for Heatstroke Death
State health officials have fined Poway-based ManorCare Health Services $95,000 — the largest penalty of its kind to date — for the heatstroke death of a 70-year-old man who was left unattended in 97-degree heat, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Leadership Void at Federal Health Agencies Raises Concern Among Lawmakers, Scientific Community
The Bush administration’s struggle to fill leadership positions at the NIH, the FDA and other “critical health agencies” is raising concern among lawmakers, industry executives, academics and patient advocates that “key decisions” may be delayed or made without input from the scientific community, the Washington Post reports.