Latest California Healthline Stories
Medicare Begins Coverage of New Cancer Screenings
HHS announced last Friday that beginning this month, Medicare will cover screening tests for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Senate Approves Kennedy-McCain-Edwards Patients’ Rights Bill
The Senate last Friday night approved by a 59-36 vote the patients’ rights bill sponsored by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John Edwards (D-N.C.), the New York Times reports.
Supreme Court Lets $750K Tobacco Verdict Stand
Without comment, the Supreme Court on Friday declined to review a Florida Supreme Court decision that upheld a $750,000 judgment against Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., marking the first time the high court upheld a jury verdict in a damage suit brought by a smoker against a cigarette company, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Is the Patients’ Rights Debate A ‘Diversion’ From Larger Problems?
While many lawmakers and health analysts view last week’s Senate passage of patients’ rights legislation as a significant step for helping Americans in health plans, many say that the prolonged debate surrounding this issue has served as a distraction from the more important and “complicated” problems of adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare and reducing the ranks of the uninsured, the New York Times reports.
Cancer Center Loans Laptops to Low-Income African-American Women with Breast Cancer
The Karmanos Cancer Institute of Detroit in June launched a “pioneering” program that loans laptop computers with Internet access to low-income, African-American breast cancer patients in the Detroit area, the Detroit News reports.
Villaraigosa Tapped for Seat on California Medical Assistance Commission
Following an unsuccessful bid in Los Angeles’ mayoral race last month, former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D) has been appointed to a seat on the California Medical Assistance Commission, the Los Angeles Times reports.
‘Prominent Conservatives’ Ask White House to Allow Federal Funding of Stem Cell Research
“Prominent conservative” Republican lawmakers are placing “increasing pressure” on President Bush to allow federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, despite qualms by some administration officials that supporting funding of such research will “alienat[e] the crucial Catholic vote,” the Washington Post reports.
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear HMO Review Board Case
The Supreme Court last Friday agreed to hear in its next term a patients’ rights case involving a legal issue that is addressed in the Senate-approved bill sponsored by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John Edwards (D-N.C.), the New York Times reports.
San Mateo County Budget Calls for Cuts at County’s General Hospital, Clinics
Addressing a projected $12.3 million deficit in San Mateo County’s health care system, supervisors last Thursday approved a $1.09 billion budget for fiscal year 2001-02 that will result in cuts at the county’s general hospital and clinics, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
AMA Dismisses CEO Who Sued Group for $5M
Two weeks after American Medical Association CEO and Executive Vice President E. Ratcliffe Anderson sued the organization for $5 million, the AMA has terminated Anderson’s contract, the Kansas City Star reports.