Latest California Healthline Stories
Frist to Introduce Bill to Allow Rx Drug Discount Plan
One day after a federal court temporarily blocked President Bush’s pharmacy discount card program, Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) last Friday announced plans to introduce legislation that would implement the plan, the Washington Post reports.
Lawmakers Push for Canadian Drug Reimportation
Congressional efforts to allow prescription drugs to be reimported from Canada have “attracted serious attention” in recent weeks as the shrinking federal surplus hampers efforts to add a drug benefit to Medicare, the New York Times reports.
Bakersfield Family Medical Center, Catholic Healthcare West End Legal Feud
Bakersfield Family Medical Center and Catholic Healthcare West agreed to a settlement last Tuesday, ending a “year-and-a-half legal battle” between Bakersfield’s “largest hospital chain and a major independent physician association,” the Bakersfield Californian reports.
White House Rejects Plan to Ease Inspection of Nursing Homes
White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer said Friday that an internal HHS proposal to ease the regulation of nursing homes had been “rejected out of hand” more than two weeks ago and that President Bush intends to “strengthen accountability” of the industry, the New York Times reports.
Bee Examines Collapse of Medicare+Choice in Rural California Counties
The Sacramento Bee yesterday examined the effect that the exodus of managed care organizations from Medicare+Choice has had on seniors in rural areas of California.
A San Francisco health official has “lashed out” against a congressional inquiry into the “sexual practices” of Seth Watkins, an HIV-positive city health department worker who “admitted” in a New York Times interview two weeks ago that he has practiced unprotected sex with “anonymous partners,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Creating Separate Agency to Run Los Angeles County’s Health Department Could Improve Services
Establishing a separate agency to run the financially troubled Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is “not going to solve its immediate fiscal crisis,” but it “could well improve health services overall,” a Los Angeles Times editorial says.
Gov. Davis Signs Several Health Bills into Law
As the California Legislature nears the end of the 2001 session, Gov. Gray Davis (D) has signed a number of health-related bills into law.
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Considers Service, Job Cuts
Facing at least a $40 million loss this year, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is considering some “drastic cost-cutting measures,” including the consolidation of services, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Sacramento Bee Editorial Addresses HMO Departure from Rural Areas
HMOs’ “retreat” from rural markets in California illustrates the “failure” of health plans to “manage care,” the failure of doctors to handle the “economic realities” of practicing in sparsely populated areas and the failure of employers to use their “clout” to encourage HMOs to remain in rural areas, a Sacramento Bee editorial states.