Latest California Healthline Stories
Viewpoints: Trump’s Proposal To Help Curb High Drug Prices Is A Promising Start
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
The moves come amid heightened government scrutiny of the e-cigarette industry, with the FDA trying to curb an “epidemic” of vaping among young people. Altria only has a tiny slice of the market, but the decision could pressure other companies, like Juul, to follow suit.
President Donald Trump says will he take aim at “global freeloading” with his plan, which would run essentially as a pilot program within the Medicare Part B program. “Same company. Same box. Same pill. Made in the exact same location, and you would go to some countries and it would be 20 percent of the cost of what we pay,” he said. Pharma has already begun pushing back against the plan in what is likely to be a fierce battle between the companies and the administration.
Color Genomics will analyze and report data for dozens of genes that can cause serious conditions, such as cancers and syndromes, plus provide pharmacogenomic results that show how genes affect people’s response to medication.
The Trump administration’s plan “a contrived solution to justify a predetermined outcome,” California’s report reads. The criticism will join the more than 72,000 comments that the government has received on its controversial proposal.
Powerful California Nurses Union Eyes National Audience For ‘Medicare For All’ Campaign
Previously, the California Nurses Association, which represents 100,000 nurses across California, focused on the state’s efforts to shift to single payer health care. But the organization is rebranding its efforts to go national.
USC Verdugo Hills Hospital’s Exclusive Physician Contract Sparks Debate
In that type of “closed” ICU, if patients with serious chronic health conditions are admitted and request their regular doctor, that physician may visit but cannot write or change orders without approval of the intensivist on duty.
The clause would define the past industry practice of on-call meal and rest breaks as legal. Critics have blasted the measure. “It is not ok to bury a liability protection clause,” said Jason Brollini, the executive director for United EMS Workers Local 4911. “And to scare the citizens of California saying that ambulances are not going to respond because we want our meal periods is intellectually dishonest.”
New Single-Dose Flu Medication Approved By FDA After Last Year’s Vicious Season
The treatment is the first new influenza drug with a novel mechanism of action that the FDA has approved in nearly 20 years. If patients see their doctors within 48 hours of symptom onset one dose of Xofluza may significantly reduce the duration of flu symptoms.
The massive package to try to address the national opioid epidemic was a rare bipartisan accomplishment by Congress this year. But many advocates, while saying it’s a good first step, also predict that it’s not nearly enough to make a significant dent in the crisis.