Latest California Healthline Stories
Bush Rebuts Democrats’ Medicare ‘Raid’ Charge
President Bush yesterday “defended” his 10-year, $1.35 trillion tax cut amid criticism from Democrats that the plan has “imperiled” the Medicare Part A and Social Security trust funds, the AP/Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
One-Fourth of California Medical Groups Fail to Meet State Standards for Financial Solvency
Almost a quarter of California’s physicians’ groups “fal[l] short” of the state’s financial solvency requirements, “threatening their continued existence,” Department of Managed Health Care Director Daniel Zingale said yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Nurses and Hospitals ‘Feud’ Over Bill Banning Mandatory Overtime for Nurses
California hospitals and nurses are “feuding” over a bill (SB 1027) that would ban mandatory overtime for nurses, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Grassroots Recruiting Effort Boosts Healthy Families Enrollment
California is experiencing an “enrollment upswing” in Healthy Families, due in large part to a “grassroots effort” in recruiting, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Los Angeles County Reports 85 New Syphilis Cases
Los Angeles County has recorded 85 news cases of syphilis so far this year, despite a proclamation by the county last June that it had “defeated a major outbreak,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
EEOC Drops Policy Ensuring Retirees Have Same Benefits
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted last week to no longer pursue age-discrimination cases against employers that offer different health plans to retirees who are eligible for Medicare from those who are not, the Washington Post reports.
Stanford University Medical Center, Cigna Agree to Contract
Stanford University Medical Center and Cigna have signed a new contract, ending a threat by the hospital to drop the insurer on Jan. 1 if no new contract was negotiated, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
State Hires Investigator to Track Illegal Online Prescriptions
Hoping to “hunt down” physicians who illegally write prescriptions for patients based only on online consultations, California has become the first state to hire a full-time investigator to address the problem, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
Public Citizen Asks FDA for Stronger Warning on Statin Drugs
Almost two weeks after Bayer AG pulled its cholesterol drug Baycol from the market because of safety concerns, the consumer group Public Citizen is asking the FDA to require “stronger warnings” on other drugs in the statin class, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Bill Would Order Study of State’s Rural Health Care Problems
As the Legislature begins to wrap up its session, the Assembly is considering a bill (AB 532) that would order the Legislative Analyst’s Office to conduct a study of the state’s rural health care problems, the Chico Enterprise-Record reports.