Latest California Healthline Stories
Proposed Tax Cut Could Bump Health Care Spending
Proposals to enact managed care reform, extend prescription drug coverage to seniors and give health coverage to the uninsured “must compete” for funds with President Bush’s $1.6 trillion tax cut plan, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Industry Lobbies To Block Clinton Medical Privacy Rules
With Clinton administration rules to protect patient privacy set to take effect on Feb. 26, the health care industry is continuing to lobby the Bush administration and members of Congress to change, delay or terminate the new regulations before they are implemented, the New York Times reports.
Medical Marijuana Proponents Look to Oust ‘Unsympathetic’ California D.A.s
Proponents of medicinal marijuana in Marin County are “irate” over what they call District Attorney Paula Kamena’s “unsympathetic approach” to patients who use the drug to alleviate pain, and they are looking to “oust” the first-term D.A. in a May recall vote, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis of Human Genome Map Yields Surprises
Humans have a “surprisingly small” number of genes — about twice the number as a worm or a fly — and hundreds of those genes remain from bacteria that “infected human predecessors millions of years ago and left their microbial DNA behind,” according to the first “detailed” analysis of the human genome.
Measure O Opponent Named Likely Head of Tobacco Fund Committee
David Moran, the former head of the Coalition Against Measure O, a group that successfully opposed a ballot initiative that would have diverted Ventura County’s share of the tobacco settlement to private hospitals, has been tapped to head an “influential” committee that will “guide the spending” of the county’s funds, the Los Angeles Times reports.
California a ‘Model’ for Antismoking Efforts
California has some of the “toughest” antitobacco laws in the country, making it a “role model for other governments,” according to an American Lung Association study released yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Medicaid Saw ‘Moderate’ Growth in 1998, Kaiser Family Foundation Study Finds
Medicaid experienced “moderate growth” during 1998, with enrollment declining by 0.5% and overall spending increasing by $8.7 billion, according to a report expected to be released today by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.
Industry Calls for Easing of Privacy Rules
Health care industry officials called yesterday for an easing of medical privacy regulations issued by the Clinton administration on Dec. 20, while privacy advocates said the rules should be made “even tougher,” during an oversight hearing conducted by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Cardiologists Drop Out of San Jose Medical Group, Citing Low Reimbursement Rates
Northern California Cardiology Medical Associates — one of Santa Clara County’s largest cardiology groups — has terminated its contract with San Jose Medical Group, claiming its physicians could not continue to work under the current reimbursement rates, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
Contra Costa County Budget Stretched Thin By Rising Health Costs
The Contra Costa County Department of Health Services “could face a $15 million projected shortage” in its next budget, the Contra Costa Times reports.