Latest California Healthline Stories
Democrats Continue ‘Attacks’ Linking Tax Cut to Medicare
In the ongoing debate over the declining budget surplus, the New York Times reports that Democrats plan to “intensify their attacks” on President Bush’s budget and tax policies this week — with the White House and the Congressional Budget Office set to release reports that the budget surplus, excluding Social Security, “has all but evaporated for the next few years.”
New DEA Head Says Proposition 36 Could Be a Model for Treatment
The newly sworn in Drug Enforcement Administration administrator, Asa Hutchinson, called California’s Proposition 36 one of “the new approaches that we ought to be open to” in drug enforcement, the Los Angeles Times reports.
NIH to Meet With Patent-Holders of Stem Cell Lines
NIH officials today are scheduled to discuss patent, licensing, and “material transfer” issues with the University of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and private companies that have developed and patented embryonic stem cell lines approved for publicly funded research, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Los Angeles Times Warns Against Medicare Cuts for Medical Devices
In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times warns that a decision to reduce Medicare payments for new medical devices “should be based on better information” than CMS officials have used, adding, “Curbing costs is good, but doing it with a bludgeon is not.”
Los Angeles Receives Low Grade for Children’s Quality of Life
Los Angeles ranks below most large American cities in quality of life for children, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Amid Nursing Shortage, Hospitals Face Mounting Costs for Registry Nurses
Faced with a growing nursing shortage, California hospitals have been “taken hostage” by registries that charge “big bucks” to provide temporary nurses to understaffed facilities, the East Bay Business Times reports.
‘Budget Crunch’ Forces States to Reduce Health Spending
After six years of economic “good times,” states are facing a “budget crunch” this year that has left officials “staring at red ink” and has forced reductions in health care programs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles Times Health Section Looks at Issues Surrounding End-of-Life Care
The Health section of today’s Los Angeles Times examines issues surrounding end-of-life care in separate articles, focusing on “Preparation,” “Pain,” “Culture” and “Quality of Life.”
Democrats Say GOP Will Use Medicare Trust Fund
“Seizing on” new budget figures that show that the federal government will need to spend Medicare payroll taxes in order to pay for defense, Democrats this week plan to “launch an assault” on President Bush’s budget and tax policies, the Washington Post reports.
Condom Warning Label Bill Withdrawn by Sponsor
A proposal that would have required condoms sold in California to include “tough new warning labels” has been withdrawn from consideration in the Legislature by its author, Sen. Jim Battin (R-La Quinta), the Los Angeles Times reports.