Latest California Healthline Stories
Ninety Percent of Americans Report Experiencing Stress Over Sept. 11 Attacks
Ninety percent of Americans experienced clinical stress and 44% had at least one sign of “substantial stress” during the weekend after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, according to a new survey, the Washington Post reports.
Senators to Introduce Bioterrorism Bill Today
Sens. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) today intend to introduce a $3.2 billion bioterrorism bill that would increase the nation’s stockpile of vaccines and medicines, boost CDC funding, increase food inspections and help state and local governments prepare for biological or chemical attacks, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
N.C. Company Stops Offering Online Prescriptions for Cipro
Morrisville, N.C.-based VirtualMedicalGroup.com has stopped filling all online orders for the anthrax treatment Cipro, after “catching flak” from North Carolina public health officials, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Medicaid HMO in Massachusetts Must Cover Liver Transplant for HIV-Positive Man
In possibly the “first ruling of its kind” in the nation, a Massachusetts Medicaid appeals board yesterday ruled that an insurer that covers Medicaid beneficiaries must pay for a liver transplant for a man with HIV and end-stage liver disease, the Boston Globe reports.
Black Church Group Launches HIV/AIDS Education Campaign in San Diego County
The Concerned African American Clergy and Laity tomorrow will officially launch a two-pronged HIV/AIDS education campaign aimed at San Diego County’s black community and focusing on testing and awareness, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Gov. Gray Davis (D) yesterday proposed $2.2 billion in budget reductions for a number of state programs, including hospital trauma centers and a plan to expand Healthy Families, the Contra Costa Times reports.
BusinessWeek Looks at New Medical Privacy Rules
The current issue of BusinessWeek takes a look at the new federal privacy regulations that will go into effect in April 2003 and reports that while the rules will “make it illegal for health providers and insurers to improperly release patients’ medical details without their consent,” they also have their limits.”
Tobacco Industry Wins W.V. Medical Monitoring Suit
A West Virginia jury yesterday rejected a “landmark” class-action suit brought in an attempt to force the tobacco industry to “underwrite medical tests for the state’s 250,000 smokers,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Senate GOP Blocks Democrats’ Economic Stimulus Plan
Senate Republicans yesterday prevented a vote on a $73 billion, Democratic-sponsored economic stimulus bill that included subsidies to help unemployed workers purchase health insurance, the Washington Post reports.
PacifiCare Stock Falls 17% After Report to SEC Reveals Gains, Charges
PacifiCare Health Systems’ stock fell 17% yesterday after a quarterly financial report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed gains and charges not announced in the insurer’s third-quarter earnings report, the Los Angeles Times reports.