CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Are you a compulsive overeater?
Overeaters Anonymous (OA) can provide much-needed support and a path to recovery for individuals who struggle with food addiction.
Built on a 12-step program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous, OA offers a program of recovery from compulsive eating using a three-fold approach that addresses individual physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Meetings are held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays in the small house next to the thrift store at the Clearlake Methodist Church on Pearl Street in Clearlake.
For more information on OA, please go to www.oa.org .
California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Monday issued the following statement, following the announcement that California joined with 45 states, the District of Columbia and the federal government in a $2.2 billion settlement with Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., over allegations of the companies’ unlawful marketing practices, including off-label promotion and kickbacks, to promote the sales of their atypical antipsychotic drugs, Risperdal and Invega.
California’s share of the national settlement is $89 million, which is the largest recovery ever for California from a national civil settlement regarding atypical antipsychotic drugs.
“Motivated by profit, these companies made false claims that jeopardized the health of California’s most vulnerable patients, including children and senior citizens – and left California taxpayers with the bill,” said Attorney General Harris. “Today’s record settlement reinforces the California Department of Justice’s commitment to rooting out this kind of greed wherever we find it.”
As part of this global resolution, the companies have agreed to resolve civil liabilities for their alleged unlawful conduct, which caused false and/or fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medi-Cal and improper Medi-Cal purchases.
The complaint highlights practices by Johnson & Johnson and Janssen, including marketing to patient populations (children, adolescents and the elderly) for whom the drugs were not FDA approved and making false and misleading statements about the efficacy of these drugs.
To compensate the Medicaid programs, the companies will pay $1.114 billion as the combined federal and states’ share of the civil settlement for both drugs.
After a statutory relator’s share is paid to the whistleblowers who brought the fraud to the attention of the government, the Department of Health Care Services will be reimbursed $44.5 million for losses incurred from the fraud; the remainder will go to support Medi-Cal fraud and enforcement efforts.
In addition, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. plead guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge of misbranding Risperdal in violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
As part of the criminal plea, Janssen has agreed to pay an additional $400 million in criminal fines and forfeitures.
The Attorney General’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse investigates and prosecutes claims of Medi-Cal civil and criminal fraud, as well as allegations of elder abuse, such as physical assaults or financial theft.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Flu shots will be offered at Lakeport Senior Activity Center on Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., courtesy of Rite-Aid.
These shots are free with Medicare, Part B. You must bring your Medicare Card.
Kaiser patients must go to Kaiser to receive the flu shot.
The cash price is $29.99.
Walk-ins are welcome or appointments can be made at 707-263-4218.
The location is the conference room, Lakeport Senior Activity Center, 527 Konocti Ave., Lakeport.
Partnership HealthPlan of California (PHC) is pleased to be able to absorb most of the state-proposed rate cuts for Medi-Cal service providers in its service area during the next year.
Cost-cutting legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011 mandated cuts in payments to providers who accept Medi-Cal patients.
AB 97 included several provisions relating to co-payments for patients and provider reimbursements for services.
Because PHC is a county organized health system (COHS) which receives payments from the state on a capitated “per member” basis, it can use its resources to help absorb some of the cuts through its managed care model.
“PHC’s network of medical providers has stuck with us through good economic times and bad,” said Jack Horn, CEO of Partnership HealthPlan of California. “The state’s fiscal crunch has always been a challenge to us, but we’re very happy that we can keep these cuts away from our doctors for the time being. Moving forward, we’re confident that our managed care initiatives will bring even more savings which we can use to help our providers, and add to benefits for our members.”
State regulators are aware of the need to keep access to care open for the state’s poor and underserved residents.
Last week, the Department of Health Care Services released a list of 44 medical specialties whose providers would be exempt from the rate reduction.
That exemption, combined with PHC’s absorption of the rest, is expected to go a long way in keeping and expanding the network of providers who accept Medi-Cal patients in Partnership HealthPlan of California’s service area.
On Oct. 23, the PHC Governing Board followed its Finance Committee recommendation to absorb the rate cuts.
Partnership HealthPlan of California is the county organized health system selected by the state of California to provide a Medi-Cal managed care delivery system to 14 northern California counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Trinity and Yolo.
PHC began operating in 1994. Additional information can be found at www.partnershiphp.org .