Latest California Healthline Stories
Scully Predicts Limited Medicare Reform This Year
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Thomas Scully predicted that Congress would likely approve limited Medicare reform legislation this year but would not likely pass a “broad reform” bill that includes a prescription drug benefit, CongressDaily reports.
WebMD, Microsoft Terminate Wireless Technology and Software Agreement
WebMD reported Sunday that it has terminated an agreement with Microsoft, under which Microsoft would have provided the technology for WebMD’s new wireless handheld computer system for physicians, while WebMD’s physician practice management software would have run on the Windows operating system.
New Air Travel Security Rules Pose Problems for People with Diabetes
New federal regulations prohibiting passengers from bringing “cutting instruments” aboard airplanes has created a potentially life-threatening complication for some people with diabetes who require insulin injections, the Las Vegas Sun reports.
Empire Blue Cross CEO Says Operations ‘Reasonably Intact’
The chief executive of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, whose headquarters were in the World Trade Center at the time of the attack last week, said yesterday that the insurer’s “basic operations are … reasonably intact,” the Washington Post reports.
HHS Revamps Web Site to Highlight Available Services in Response to Terrorist Attacks
In response to last week’s terrorist attacks, HHS has reorganized its Web site to make information about resources and assistance “easier to find” for those affected by the tragedy.
More ‘Hard-Core Addicts’ Than Expected Sentenced to Treatment Through Proposition 36
Many of the drug offenders sentenced to treatment under Proposition 36 have “severe” addictions and “need more therapy than expected,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
Doctor Prescribes Antibiotics for Defense Against Bioterrorism
Amid new fears of potential attacks against the United States with biological or chemical weapons, an Ohio physician yesterday began offering patients a prescription for antibiotics that patients could take in the event of an anthrax attack, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
Medicare+Choice Plans Drop Markets, Benefits, Raise Rates
As reported yesterday in California Healthline, Medicare HMOs across the country are changing benefits packages, increasing their premiums or exiting the federal program altogether.
California HMO Coverage of Tobacco Dependence Treatments for Pregnant Smokers Limited, Study Says
Although smoking during pregnancy creates
long-substantiated health risks to the fetus, many California managed care companies did not offer smoking cessation services to pregnant smokers in 1997, according to a study published in this month’s American Journal of Public Health.
HHS Approves Florida Medicaid Formulary Plan
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson yesterday approved a Florida Medicaid plan that creates a formulary of “preferred” prescription drugs, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.