Healthcare

This Bill Is A Pill

June 16, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

As of today, your pharmacist is not allowed to share your prescription information for marketing purposes. That would change if Senate Bill 1096 is passed into law.<br/> <br/> As with most efforts by commercial interests to undermine state...

Send us your medical billing complaints!

June 10, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Consumer Watchdog needs to hear from patients who who are insured but have been forced to pay extra on their medical bills. Have you been billed by a doctor or hospital for more than your insurance company's payment and your copays? Even been sent to collection for these extra bills? <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/complaints/">Click here</a> to tell us your story. Or read on for more detalis. </p>

Drug Reminder Bill Raises Privacy Concerns

June 10, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Calderon, A Recipient Of Industry Donations, Says That 'Marketing Or Sales Pitches' Would Be Barred</strong><br/> <br/> Privacy concerns have been raised about a bill moving through the California Legislature that would let pharmacies...

Central Data To Help Spot Meds Abuse

June 5, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Addicts: Officials Could Put End To Doctor-Shopping.</strong><br/> <br/> An online prescription drug database that allows doctors and pharmacists to track a patient's medication history instantly and deter addicts from...

Shutting down Big Pharma U

June 3, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Call it Big Pharma U.  It's the commonplace practice of drug companies and medical device manufacturers to flood medical schools with millions of dollars in cash, gifts and free samples. Now there are encouraging signs the abuses...</p>

AG’s Office Announces Online Drug Database

June 3, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Los Angeles, CA -- Doctors and pharmacists are having trouble cutting off drug abusers because of the state's clunky process for checking a patient's previous prescriptions, says Attorney General Jerry Brown, who wants to make the information...

California Regulators Near Deal With PacifiCare Over Rescission, Dropped Patients

May 30, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

State regulators are close to a deal with PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. to restore coverage to patients whose policies were canceled unfairly - similar to deals reached with Kaiser Permanente and Health Net Inc. <p> The California...</p>

Senate Bill OKs Druggists’ Sharing Patient Files

May 30, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

A bill that would allow pharmacies in California to share patient prescription information with third-party businesses working for drugmakers was approved in the state Senate 21-16 Thursday.<br/> <br/> Under the legislation, pharmaceutical...

Bill Would Let Pharmacies Sell Medical Records

May 28, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Pharmacies in California would be allowed to sell confidential patient prescription information to third-party marketing firms working for drug companies under a bill expected to be voted on Thursday by the state Senate.<br/> <br/> The...

1,200 People to Have Canceled Healthcare Coverage Restored

May 16, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>The action comes after Kaiser Permanente and Health Net reach an agreement with a state agency.</strong> <p> Two of the state's largest health plans agreed Thursday to reinstate coverage to nearly 1,200 patients whose policies...</p>

DMHC to Announce Deal with Insurer that Rescinded Policies

May 14, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

State regulators are scheduled to announce Thursday "an agreement with a major California health plan to reinstate health coverage immediately to enrollees rescinded of coverage since 2004."<br/> <br/> But even before Thursday's...

Before ‘Big Oil U’ Was ‘Big Pharma U’

May 9, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Consumer Watchdog has protested strings-attached grants from Big Oil to universities, but the oil companies are just following the path of Big Pharma. Here, from the Century Foundation's Maggie Mahar and Niko Karvounis, is <a href="http://www.healthbeatblog.org/2008/05/bayh-dole-and-t.html">a concise history </a>of legislation that opened the classroom door to drug companies--and even let cosmetic giant Shiseido control research agendas at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital.   </p>