Latest California Healthline Stories
Critics Take ‘Long Look’ at Single Payer Systems
Responding to the joint proposal from the American Hospital Association, the Health Insurance Association of America and Families USA to expand health insurance, the Heritage Foundation yesterday convened a panel to “take a long look” at single payer health systems and the problems with access and costs that are associated with them.
Senate Panel Examines Solutions to Nursing Shortage
Nurses and health officials yesterday urged senators to help alleviate the nation’s “potentially devastating” nursing shortage, CongressDaily/A.M. reports.
Contra Costa County Health Department Faces Power Bill Hike, Potential Budget Shortfall
Hit “hard” by California’s energy crisis, Contra Costa County has had difficulty funding programs for sick people, seniors and low-income residents while also “keeping the lights on” in hospitals and health care facilities, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Long Beach Community Medical Center Could Reopen in May
Long Beach Community Medical Center could reopen as early as May 1, according to the facility’s new operator, Community Hospital of Long Beach, but that date is contingent upon fundraising, obtaining permits and completing repairs, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
Assisted Living Facilities Largely Unregulated
An increasing number of seniors wishing to escape the “stigma” of nursing home care are turning to assisted living facilities — adult homes that give residents degrees of independence but that are also costly and largely unregulated, the New York Times reports.
AHIA Offers Consumers Online Information on Public, Private Insurance
The Association of Health Insurance Advisors recently added an online consumer outreach program designed to educate consumers about the need for public and private health insurance and how to obtain coverage.
‘Un-Clinton’ Approach to Health Care Could Help President Bush
Some “small steps” that President Bush is taking on health care initiatives “could net important victories,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Thompson Visits CDC, Vows No Politics in Research
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson visited the CDC’s Atlanta facilities yesterday, attempting to “allay” fears that future research would be subject to partisanship, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Los Angeles Times Calls for Lawmakers to Earmark Funding for Uninsured
Congress and President Bush should set aside funding to help reduce the number of the nation’s uninsured before embracing a tax cut package, a Los Angeles Times editorial states.
Human Genome Rivalry Stirs Among Public, Private Teams
Although Celera Genomics Corp., the privately funded group that mapped the human genome, and the publicly funded Human Genome Project, presented their first detailed analyses at a joint news conference yesterday, the two rival groups “remain highly critical of the other’s approach,” the New York Times reports.