Latest California Healthline Stories
Rep. Barbara Lee Calls for $1B in Emergency Funding for Global HIV/AIDS Fund
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a “vocal advocate” for international HIV/AIDS funding, on Thursday began circulating a letter asking her congressional colleagues to call on President Bush to approve an additional $1 billion in emergency funding for the U.N. Global AIDS and Health Fund, Reuters Health reports.
Employees of University of California teaching hospitals receive low salaries and are quitting for higher-paying jobs, leaving the system “poorly prepared” to handle a potential disaster, leaders of the University Professional and Technical Employees union said Monday during press conferences around the state.
Davis Vetoes Several Health-Related Measures
Facing the Oct. 14 deadline to sign bills passed in the most recent legislative session, Gov. Gray Davis (D) has vetoed several measures, including many health care proposals.
Davis Signs More Health-Related Legislation into Law
Facing the Oct. 14 deadline to sign bills passed in the most recent legislative session, Gov. Gray Davis (D) has signed some health-related measures.
Davis Vetoes Increases in Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Facing the Oct. 14 deadline to sign bills passed in the most recent legislative session, Gov. Gray Davis (D) rejected legislation that would have increased benefits under state workers’ compensation laws, the New York Times reports.
Merck-Medco Sells $1 Billion in Online Pharmacy
Merck-Medco, the “Merck subsidiary that manages prescriptions,” has become the “first” online pharmacy to sell $1 billion worth of drugs, filling 10 million prescriptions over the last three years, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Scully Predicts ‘Infusion of Cash’ for Medicare+Choice
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Thomas Scully yesterday predicted a “better than even chance” that lawmakers would provide Medicare managed care plans with an additional “infusion of cash” before Congress leaves for the year, CongressDaily reports.
Davis Signs Measure Requiring Pharmacies to Get New Licenses for Compounding
Facing the Oct. 14 deadline to sign bills passed in the most recent legislative session, Gov. Gray Davis (D) signed a measure (SB 293) that will require pharmacies that compound “sterile drug products” to get a special state license to do so, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Subsidies for the Uninsured Concern GOP, ‘Energize’ Dems
Lawmakers are considering plans to help provide health insurance to employees who have lost their coverage in a “wave of mass layoffs” after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — but some have expressed concern that the proposals may “set a precedent” for an expanded federal role in the private health insurance market, the Boston Globe reports.
Frist, Satcher Discuss Public Health System Response to Bioterrorism on PBS
Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher spoke on PBS’ “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” Oct. 15 on the public health response to the recent anthrax reports.