Latest California Healthline Stories
Many Uninsured Latinos Find Health Insurance ‘Too Expensive’ or ‘Not Necessary,’ Study Says
About one-third of California’s employed Latinos ages 18 to 65 are uninsured, and many lack coverage because they cannot afford it or do not want it, according to a new study from the University of Southern California.
Fewer Teens Begin Smoking, SAMHSA Study Finds
The number of teenagers who take up smoking has dropped by one-third over the past two years, according to a survey conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports.
Thompson Admits U.S. Unprepared for Bioterror Attack
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson yesterday “conceded” that the United States “is not fully prepared” to respond to a biological or chemical attack, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
CARAL Launches TV Ad Campaign Promoting Emergency Contraception
At its annual dinner this week, the California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League unveiled two new public service television announcements, produced in both English and Spanish, designed to educate women in the state about emergency contraception.
Lead Poisoning in Children Linked to Iron Deficiency, Environmental Lead Exposure
Children with an iron deficiency may be at an “increased risk” for lead poisoning compared to children with “normal” iron levels, according to a study in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Environmental Health Perspectives, the Scripps Howard News Services/Nando Times reports.
TAP Pharmaceuticals Settles Federal Fraud Case for $875M
As expected, TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., a joint venture of Abbott Laboratories and Takeda Chemical Industries, yesterday settled a Medicare and Medicaid fraud case for $875 million, the largest criminal fine ever levied by the government for health care fraud, USA Today reports.
House Subcommittee Passes Labor-HHS Bill
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education yesterday approved the $123.1 billion FY 2002 Labor-HHS appropriations bill by voice vote, including “big increases” for fighting bioterrorism, the Baltimore Sun reports.
PacifiCare Division to Acquire Assets of Handheld Computer Maker ParkStone
RxConnect Acquisition Corp., a division of PacifiCare Health Systems, agreed to acquire the assets of Ft. Lauderdale-based ParkStone Medical Information Systems, which makes handheld devices for electronic prescribing, for about $1.15 million in cash and stock at a bankruptcy court hearing on Monday, the Miami Herald reports.
Davis Vetoes, Cuts Funding From Some Health Related-Measures
Citing the state’s “worsening economic situation,” Gov. Gray Davis (D) yesterday cut funding from some health care-related measures and vetoed others entirely, the Fresno Bee reports.
Thompson ‘Praises’ GSK Rx Drug Discount Program
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson yesterday “praised” GlaxoSmithKline’s plan to create a prescription drug discount card for low-income Medicare beneficiaries but said that the Bush administration will continue efforts to create its own discount program, the AP/Bergen Record reports.