Latest California Healthline Stories
Groups Launch Campaign to Educate Consumers about Managed Care Guide
Representatives from state agencies, consumer advocates and patients yesterday held a news conference aimed at raising consumers’ awareness of the availability of a new, comprehensive 79-page guide that explains the state’s complex managed care laws, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Hospitals, Doctors Lobby for Part of Ventura County’s Tobacco Settlement
Hospitals, doctors and health care advocates on Monday lobbied for a share of Ventura County’s tobacco settlement money, asking officials to allocate the money quickly, the Ventura County Star reports.
FDA Authority to Restrict Cloning Debatable
Reacting to reports that several groups were poised to attempt human cloning, the FDA in March issued letters warning researchers that the practice is subject to agency oversight, but legal experts say the FDA’s assertions may not hold up in court, the Washington Post reports.
HCFA ‘s Computer Systems ‘Vulnerable’ to Hackers
“[S]ignificant security weaknesses” within HCFA’s computer system are potentially putting medical records and “billions of dollars” at risk, the AP/Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Court Rejects Health Plans, Countries’ Tobacco Claims
A federal appeals court yesterday handed the U.S. tobacco industry a “legal victory,” dismissing claims of three foreign governments that sought compensation from tobacco companies for treating sick smokers and a separate charge by administrators of union health plans that the companies engaged in racketeering, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors Backs Mayor’s Plan to Cover Uninsured
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Monday gave “preliminary approval” to Mayor Willie Brown’s (D) “groundbreaking” proposal that would require city contractors and leaseholders to provide health coverage to employees, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Petaluma Valley Nurses Reject St. Joseph’s Contract Offer
Nurses at Petaluma Valley Hospital in Sonoma County last Friday rejected a “final contract offer” from hospital parent St. Joseph Health System, citing concerns over nurse-to-patient ratios and salary levels, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports.
Three-quarters of California’s legislative districts have higher uninsured rates among people under age 64 than the national average of 17%, according to a new report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
New Rules for Children in Medicaid Psychiatric Care
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Monday announced that HCFA has issued an interim final rule that creates new guidelines for the use of restraints and seclusion for children under the age of 21 at psychiatric residential treatment facilities that administer Medicaid’s inpatient psychiatric benefit.
CHCF/RAND Study Finds Online Health Information ‘Accurate’ but ‘Incomplete’
While online health information is “generally accurate,” it is usually “incomplete” and written in “difficult language that is hard for many readers to understand,” according to an “important” new study in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, the Wall Street Journal reports.