Latest California Healthline Stories
Chronicle Praises Santa Clara County Initiative to Cover Uninsured Children
While “untold millions of children are not getting government-subsidized health care because of their immigration status or because their parents are not aware such help is available,” a San Francisco Chronicle editorial applauds Santa Clara County for seeing the “need to fill in the gap left by the state and federal governments.”
Americans Back Democrats on Patients’ Rights Over Bush
Forty-nine percent of Americans “trust” Congressional Democrats on the issue of patients’ rights legislation, compared to 34% who trust President Bush, according to a new Gallup poll.
Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement with Sharp Hospital System
Potentially averting a strike, nurses at the San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare hospital system reached a tentative contract agreement with management last Friday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Advocates for Drug Treatment Critical of Davis’ Proposed Budget Cuts
Supporters of Proposition 36, the voter-approved initiative that requires nonviolent drug offenders to receive treatment instead of prison time, are criticizing Gov. Gray Davis’ (D) proposed budget because it includes funding cuts for treatment programs, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Group’s Ad Urges More Affordable Health Insurance Coverage
“Forty-three million Americans have no health care coverage. And you’re paying for it,” reads a full-page ad in today’s USA Today from the Healthcare Leadership Council as part of its Health Access America campaign.
HCFA Name Change Suggestions Include HADES, HAPPY
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and HCFA Administrator Thomas Scully are hoping that changing HCFA’s name “will symbolize more dramatic shifts” to make the $436 billion agency “more responsive to beneficiaries, physicians and providers,” the Washington Post reports.
Internet Dieting Sites Increase in Popularity, Little Known About Effectiveness
“Cyber dieting” is the “flavor of the month,” as Web sites that offer dieting information and products are experiencing increased traffic, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Interpreter Requirements Could Mean Less Access to Care for Non-English Speakers, Doctors Groups Say
One hundred physician and dentists’ groups have sent letters to the Bush administration calling for an “immediate moratorium” on enforcement of requirements that care providers supply interpreters for non-English speaking patients, PBS’ “Healthweek” reports.
‘Rebel’ Silicon Valley Women’s Health Group Signs Only One Managed Care Contract
The Silicon Valley Women’s Health Medical Group, an OB-GYN physician group that “rebelled against managed care” by seeking MCO contracts at higher reimbursement levels, has agreed to “just one managed care contract” since it formed in February, leaving some patients with other health plans to pay cash for services and others to delay annual checkups, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
Tobacco Advertising Continues to Impact Youth Smoking
Despite the absence of billboards and cartoon characters like Joe Camel, tobacco advertising is continuing to “attrac[t] young smokers,” AP/Newsday reports.