Latest California Healthline Stories
WellPoint Counters Bid for Cerulean
WellPoint Health Networks Inc. upped its bid for Cerulean Cos., Georgia’s largest health insurer and parent of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Georgia, to $680 million on Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Many Web Users Look for Medical Advice Online
More Americans use the Internet for health care information than for online shopping or financial advice, according to a new survey released this weekend, Reuters/Wall Street Journal reports.
Clinton’s Record Pace for Regulations Elicits Criticism
The Clinton administration’s effort to issue several new regulations — including several health care-related rules — before a new president takes office on Jan. 20 is drawing criticism from Republican quarters, the Los Angeles Times reports.
AARP Official Weighs In on Patients’ Rights
The New York Times yesterday spotlighted John Rother, director of legislative and public policy for AARP, in its “Five Questions” series.
DEA Approves Medical Marijuana Study in San Mateo County
The Drug Enforcement Administration last week approved a 12-week research program allowing San Mateo County to give government-produced marijuana to 60 AIDS patients, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports.
Madera Hospital to Open Expanded ER and ICU in Early December
Early next month, the nonprofit Madera Community Hospital will open a new emergency room five times larger than the previous one, increasing the number of beds from 10 to 17, the Fresno Bee reports.
Analysis Looks at Economic Factors for the Uninsured
Despite a “modest decline in the proportion of the population in poverty,” a small increase in the number of low-income uninsured Californians has prevented the state’s uninsured rate from markedly declining despite an economic boom, according to a preliminary analysis performed by two University of California-San Diego professors.
Study Finds Farm Workers Have ‘Unmet’ Health Care Needs
The California Institute for Rural Studies released yesterday a new study on the health care status and needs of the state’s estimated 1.4 million farm workers, the Fresno Bee reports.
Alliance for Health Reform Discusses State and Local Efforts to Help Uninsured
Some of the most “creative” efforts to cover the uninsured have been developing at the state and local level, Ed Howard, executive vice president of the Alliance for Health Reform, suggested at a Nov. 21 conference sponsored by the group.
Panel Recommends Stricter Telemedicine Guidelines
To ensure that “the virtual doctor adheres to the same ethical standards as the doctor who is treating a patient face to face,” the West Virginia Board of Medicine’s legislative committee is drafting recommendations for regulation of electronic interactions between patients and their doctors and pharmacists — including consultations, diagnoses, and medication prescriptions, the Charleston Gazette reports.