Latest California Healthline Stories
Dental Disease a ‘Severe’ Problem Among California Children
Fifty-five percent of California children ages 6-8 have untreated dental disease, and California ranks “near the bottom nationally” in terms of oral health, a situation state officials call “severe,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Clinton Announces New CHIP Enrollment Initiatives
President Clinton announced Saturday that the government will launch a “special” campaign through school lunch programs and child care centers to enroll more children in the CHIP program, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Who is to Blame for Disruption of Care after Contract Disputes?
As contract disputes between hospital chains and insurers have forced patients to find new providers, San Jose Mercury News editorial writer Barbara Egbert says that an increasing number of patients are left wondering who is to blame for the disruption in their care.
Tissue Bank Industry Needs Greater FDA Regulation
The FDA has not done enough to regulate the procedures and safety practices of human tissue banks, which themselves have often not adequately disclosed the distribution and use of tissues in an increasingly “profit-driven industry,” according to a new report issued by the HHS inspector general.
Los Angeles Times Examines Changes in Health Care Policies
In today’s health section, Los Angeles Times health columnist Bob Rosenblatt outlines changes to the state’s health care policies that took effect at the beginning of the year.
Bush Cabinet Nominees Seen as Tobacco-Friendly
Antitobacco activists are “alarmed” by President-elect Bush’s nominations of Republicans former Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri and Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson — men they consider “sympathetic to the tobacco industry,” Scripps Howard News Service/Detroit News reports.
Blue Cross, Sutter Contract Collapse Leaves Patients Searching for New Providers, Insurers
After the collapse of contract negotiations between Blue Cross of California and Sutter Health, patients “are scrambling to learn” if they will continue to be covered by the insurer if they visit a Sutter-affiliated hospital or doctors group, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
NYT, AP Jump Gun on Medicare Disclosure Rule Reversal
While the New York Times and the Associated Press reported Tuesday that HCFA officials would soon reverse a policy preventing Medicare recipients from obtaining information about doctors under investigation for medical errors, the Charleston Gazette reports that the agency will not revise the rules “anytime soon.”
Thomas Selected as Ways and Means Chair
House Republican leaders yesterday selected “independent-minded” Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) over the more tenured and “conservative” Rep. Phil Crane (R-Ill.) to chair the Ways and Means Committee, the Wall Street Journal reports.
White House Ceremony Honors New Cancer Treatment Law
President Clinton yesterday hosted a White House ceremony in honor of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Act of 2000, which will offer uninsured patients with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level treatment for the two cancers through Medicaid, the Los Angeles Times reports.