Latest California Healthline Stories
Privately Purchased Health Coverage Affordable, Comprehensive, eHealthInsurance Study Finds
Health coverage purchased directly by individuals and families is “generally less expensive and more comprehensive” than previously thought, according to a new eHealthInsurance study.
UCSD, Children’s Hospital to Merge, Affects Two-Thirds of San Diego County’s Sick Children
After they “tried and failed” for 15 years, University of California-San Diego and Children’s Hospital of San Diego officials planned to sign an agreement yesterday “merging” their pediatric programs, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Senate Dems Beat GOP Amendment Challenge to Patients’ Rights Bill
The Senate voted 52-45 yesterday to block a Republican amendment that “threatened to derail” a patients’ rights bill favored by Democrats, the Los Angeles Times reports.
San Diego County Approves Measure Allowing Home Health Care Workers to Bargain Collectively
Home health care workers in San Diego County’s In-Home Supportive Services program will be able to bargain collectively for higher pay and better benefits, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Task Force Recommends Steps to Improve Farmworkers’ Health
California should increase access to its public health programs, develop a “cross-border health insurance program” and devise a county-run “clearinghouse” to fund farmworker programs, a statewide task force on improving farmworker health has recommended, the Fresno Bee reports.
Senator Seeks Primary Care Network Investigation
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) has asked Senate legal staff to investigate whether the $1,500 annual access fee charged by the Boca Raton, Fla.-based doctors group MDVIP violates Medicare rules, the AP/Florida Times-Union reports.
With a contract between the Redwood Regional Oncology Center and the St. Joseph Health Foundation set to expire, about 800 cancer patients who receive treatment at the Santa Rosa-based center may have to pay for the cost of treatment “up front” after July 1, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
House GOP Leaders Draft Compromise Patients’ Rights Bill
House Republican leaders, “fearing defections” on the patients’ rights issue, have drafted a bill that would allow patients to sue health plans in state court in limited cases, New York Times reports.
Heart Disease Death Rates Linked to Race, Location
Black men over the age of 35 and all men in the rural South are more likely to die of heart disease, according to a new “atlas” of the disease released yesterday, USA Today reports.
Consumers Union Launches Project to Assess Web Site Credibility
Consumers Union has launched the Web Credibility Project to focus on aspects of Internet information credibility, such as how health and other Web sites disclose the relationships they have with companies and products they cover or sell, the Wall Street Journal reports.