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Presidential hopefuls are mum on Medicare and Social Security woes
Los Angeles Times - 03-26-2008 - With the presidential campaign going full tilt, a new government report on a big national problem is usually followed by volleys of rhetoric from the candidates. But on Tuesday, when the annual report on the precarious state of Medicare and Social Security came out, the reaction was not exactly deafening.
Newsom ready to sue over cuts in Medi-Cal
San Francisco Chronicle - 03-26-2008 - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is considering a run for governor in 2010, injected himself into California's heated budget battle Tuesday by threatening to sue the state over cuts to its medical insurance program for the poor.
SF Mayor Newsom threatens lawsuit over cuts to Medi-Cal program
(AP) Sacramento Bee - 03-26-2008 - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom criticized $600 million in cuts to the Medi-Cal program Tuesday, saying it will devastate California's ability to provide health care to the poor and elderly.
Health insurers to meet with state agency on rescission probe
Los Angeles Times - 03-26-2008 - California's largest health insurers, facing possible fines and other penalties for the way they sometimes cancel policies after patients pile up medical bills, meet today with regulators to discuss ongoing state enforcement efforts.
Most aren't fans of health care system
San Francisco Chronicle - 03-26-2008 - A survey of more than 26,400 Americans conducted by the AFL-CIO found that people are fed up with the U.S. health care system, whether they have health insurance or not.
Medical groups' anti-obesity drive urges exercise, healthy eating
Sacramento Bee - 03-26-2008 - Two and a half years after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted his obesity prevention summit, California's main physician and managed care groups Tuesday unveiled their recommendations: Eat sensibly and exercise.
California board delays drug-tracking system
San Francisco Chronicle - 03-26-2008 - The California Board of Pharmacy has delayed the implementation of a law requiring electronic tracking of all prescription drugs to reduce the chance of counterfeits entering the supply chain. This is the second major delay for the law, which was passed in 2004. The law would make California the only state in the country to have approved such a stringent drug-tracking requirement.
Remembering Dr. Orr
Daily Press - 03-25-2008 - On Feb. 24, the California Medical Association honored Orr with the Frederick K.M. Plessner Memorial Award. The CMA's most prestigious award, it honors that physician who, of all the doctors in California's 58 counties, best exemplifies the practice and ethics of a rural practitioner.
Schwarzenegger administration to join legal battle against health insurer
Capitol Weekly - 03-26-2008 - The Schwarzenegger administration will once again intervene -- this time with the state Supreme Court -- on behalf of a man who sued Blue Shield for illegally dropping his health insurance after he was permanently injured in a car accident.
Primary Health Care Needs Fixing Before Universal Care Can Work
Wall Street Journal - 03-26-2008 - Who will take care of the estimated 47 million uninsured Americans if they get health coverage promised by politicians? Few people seem concerned about whether the supply of primary care doctors is up to the task. But they should be.
AIDS Scientist Calls for Basic Tack
Wall Street Journal - 03-26-2008 - The top AIDS scientist at the National Institutes of Health called for a shift back to basic vaccine research to address unanswered questions in the wake of the failure of a major AIDS vaccine trial last year. Addressing an AIDS Vaccine Summit in Bethesda, Md., Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases rejected calls to suspend vaccine funding in favor of other testing, treatment and prevention strategies.
