Latest California Healthline Stories
State Bar to Offer Mental Health, Drug Abuse Treatment Program to Attorneys
The State Bar of California will begin offering a program in January that provides treatment for attorneys with alcohol and drug abuse problems and mental illnesses, under legislation signed by Gov. Gray Davis (D) yesterday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
CVS Joins Competitors to Sell Drug Trend Information
To “further capitalize” on its existing resources, CVS has aligned with nine competitors to form a “data company” that will sell information on pharmaceutical trends, the Providence Journal reports.
House OKs Human Cloning Ban, Rejects Research Amendment
The House yesterday approved a bill sponsored by Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) that would outlaw all forms of human cloning in the United States, a decision that may have consequences for the future of embryonic stem cell research, the Washington Post reports.
House Members Write Thompson About NIH Condom Study
Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), along with several other House members, have written a letter to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson “expressing their frustration” over the recent NIH report that found there is insufficient data to prove that condoms are 100% effective against certain STDs.
Clinton to Offer Scaled-Back Plan for Pediatric Exclusivity Bill
As the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today begins work on the reauthorization of the 1997 FDA Modernization Act’s pediatric exclusivity provision, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) will offer an amendment that would “scale back some of the provisions that are especially lucrative for the industry,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
‘Unclear Wording’ in Proposition 36 Not ‘Important Enough’ to Challenge Law, Register Says
Anaheim city attorneys have appealed seven Proposition 36 cases, citing “unclear wording” in the law, but an Orange County Register editorial states that “splitting hairs” over language “doesn’t seem important enough to potentially undermine” the law.
Amid Talk of Patients’ Rights Deal, House Vote Expected
House leaders plan to bring a patients’ rights bill to the floor for a vote Thursday, while President Bush and his congressional opponents “spar” over “how close they are to a compromise” on the issue, the Washington Post reports.
In the July 26 story regarding Blue Cross dropping HMO members in Napa County, California Healthline incorrectly stated, “According to Blue Cross, San Ramon-based Hill Physicians Medical Group is expected to close next year and leave the plan without a network of physicians.” Instead the story should have stated that Hill Physicians Medical Group is only ceasing operations in Tehama and Shasta counties.
Proposed Sacramento Health Clinic Would Provide Primary Care to Uninsured Residents
The Mexican American Alcoholism Program plans to build a community clinic that would provide medical, dental and mental health care in south Sacramento, an area with a high number of uninsured residents, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Bill Would Expand 1996 Mental Health Parity Measure
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is expected to vote today on a “new, expanded version” of the 1996 mental health parity law, set to expire this fall, that will expand the measure to include doctors’ visits and hospital stays, the AP/New York Times reports.