Latest California Healthline Stories
Fearing Mad Cow, Red Cross Announces Wider Blood Ban
To prevent the possible spread of mad cow disease through the blood supply, the American Red Cross announced yesterday it will “no longer accept blood donations from people who have spent as little as three months in Britain or six months anywhere in Europe,” the AP/Nando Times reports.
Thompson Concerned About Unfilled Senior Posts at HHS
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson yesterday said that a delay in the confirmation of several HHS officials is “hampering progress on cancer, AIDS and Alzheimer’s disease,” the Boston Globe reports.
Health Care Arbitration Bill Would ‘Legalize Collusion,’ Bee Says
A bill (AB 1600) to establish a “voluntary” arbitration system in which health plans and doctors could work out payment disputes “is a direct assault on antitrust laws,” a Sacramento Bee editorial states.
FDA Considers Widening Blood Donor Ban
Due to concerns about the spread of mad-cow disease through blood supplies, the FDA is considering banning people who have spent time anywhere in Europe from donating blood, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Ventura County Receives $2.4M Grant to Identify, Treat Mentally Ill Offenders
The California Board of Corrections is providing Ventura County with a $2.4 million grant to “increase the treatment and supervision of mentally ill” offenders convicted of misdemeanor violations, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Sharon Davis Encourages Healthy Families Enrollment at Long Beach Children’s Health Fair
California first lady and Healthy Families spokesperson Sharon Davis this weekend attended the annual Long Beach Children’s Health Fair, part of an outreach event aimed at increasing enrollment in Healthy Families and Medi-Cal for Children.
AAHP Targets McCain-Kennedy Bill
The American Association of Health Plans, which supports neither the patients’ rights proposal by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), John Edwards (D-N.C.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) nor the one by Sens. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), James Jeffords (R-Vt.) and John Breaux (D-La.) has “clearly targeted the [former] for harsher criticism,” saying it would increase physicians’ vulnerability to lawsuits, CongressDaily reports.
Medicare Bill Would Loosen Home Health Restrictions
Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) have introduced a bill to redefine the conditions under which disabled Medicare beneficiaries receive home health benefits.
AFL-CIO Group Aims to ‘Stir Up’ Debate Over Rx Drug Costs
Hoping to “stir up debate” over prescription drug reform well before the 2002 congressional elections, an AFL-CIO group of retired union members will this week launch a new campaign on the issue, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Banks on Retooled Diabetes Drugs
Bristol-Myers Squibb, the world’s fifth-largest drug maker, “has hit one of the toughest periods in its 114-year history,” and is banking on two new diabetes drugs to get it back on track, the Wall Street Journal reports.