Latest California Healthline Stories
Official Tells Hill Panel Medicare May Revise Controversial Drug Payment Proposal
The Senate Finance Committee grilled Dr. Patrick H. Conway, a deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, over an administration plan to change how Medicare pays for drugs administered in doctors’ offices.
Democrats Block Zika Bill; Tension Mounts As Lawmakers Trade Barbs Ahead Of Recess
The Republicans are accusing Democrats of being “sore losers,” while the Democrats are saying that including poison pills in the legislation is a “cynical ploy.” Meanwhile, the vote against the funding leaves very little time for the two sides to work out their differences before summer recess.
With $5.36B Budget, San Diego Puts More Emphasis On Mental Health
The county’s budget includes a nearly $60 million bump to behavioral health services and adds 240 new positions to the Health and Human Services Agency.
History Of Distrust Stymies Non-European Genetic Research
Clinical trials almost exclusively feature individuals of European ancestry, and Keolu Fox, a Ph.D. student, wants to change that. He has started a project called IndiGenomics, with the goal of collecting DNA information on indigenous people by educating and inviting them to partner with scientists on studies rather than be subjects of gene research.
Oakland Considers False Advertising Ban Targeting Anti-Abortion Clinics
Officials are particularly concerned with the pregnancy centers buying search ads for terms like “abortion” or “pregnancy test” so links for their clinics will appear on users’ screens when they enter searches for those terms. Their websites often say they offer “abortion information” or “counseling for women seeking abortion.”
LA-Based Xencor Nets $150M Deal To Work On Experimental Cancer Drugs
The biotech firm will partner with Swiss giant Novartis on drugs targeting acute myeloid leukemia and B-cell malignancies.
Blue Shield Hit With New Charge Of Inadequate Rebates For Excessive Administrative Costs
The health insurer rejects allegations from state officials that it did not pay policy holders back enough after a series of administrative errors in 2014.
Marijuana Initiative Officially On Ballot In California
The initiative would allow adults ages 21 and older to possess, transport and use up to an ounce of cannabis for recreational purposes and would allow individuals to grow as many as six plants.
Assembly Health Committee OKs Drug Pricing Transparency Legislation
The measure would require drugmakers to alert the state when introducing high-cost drugs and to provide notice and justification before increasing the price of a drug.
Prescribing Take-Home Antidote Along With Opioids Reduces ER Visits, Study Finds
Patients who legally use opioids to manage chronic pain may not realize they’re in danger of an overdose. “We’re prescribing naloxone for risky drugs, not risky patients,” said lead researcher Dr. Phillip Coffin of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.