- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- Tab For Single-Payer Proposal In California Could Run $400 Billion
- GOP’s Health Bill Could Undercut Some Coverage In Job-Based Insurance
- Covered California & The Health Law 1
- $2M Ad Blitz In Support Of GOP Health Plan Targets Vulnerable Calif. Republicans' Districts
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Tab For Single-Payer Proposal In California Could Run $400 Billion
A state Senate panel considering the measure said money for existing public programs could cover half the cost. But the rest might have to come from new taxes — a serious political obstacle. (Chad Terhune, )
GOP’s Health Bill Could Undercut Some Coverage In Job-Based Insurance
In states that take up the bill’s option to change the essential health benefits, the out-of-pocket spending limits and annual and lifetime caps on coverage in large group plans could fray. (Michelle Andrews, )
More News From Across The State
Price Tag For Universal Health Care In California Would Run $400B
A state Senate panel considering the measure says that money for existing public programs could cover half the cost of a single-payer system to cover all 39 million Californians. But the rest might have to come from new taxes — a serious political obstacle.
The Associated Press:
$400 Billion Price Tag For California Single-Payer Bill
A California bill that would eliminate health insurance companies and provide government-funded health coverage for everyone in the state would cost $400 billion and require significant tax increases, legislative analysts said Monday. Much of the cost would be offset by existing state, federal and private spending on health coverage, the analysis found, but total health care costs would increase by an estimated $50 billion to $100 billion a year. That's a massive sum in a state where the entire general fund budget is $125 billion. (5/22)
California Healthline:
Tab For Single-Payer Proposal In California Could Run $400B
A proposed single-payer health system in California would cost about $400 billion annually, with up to half of that money coming from a new payroll tax on workers and employers, according to a state analysis. The report by the state Senate Appropriations Committee, issued Monday, put a price tag for the first time on legislation that would make the state responsible for providing health coverage to all 39 million Californians. The state-run system would supplant existing employer health insurance in California, as well as coverage through public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. (Terhune, 5/23)
Sacramento Bee:
Universal Health Care Cost In California $400 Billion A Year
The price tag is in: It would cost $400 billion to remake California’s health insurance marketplace and create a publicly funded universal heath care system, according to a state financial analysis released Monday. California would have to find an additional $200 billion per year, including in new tax revenues, to create a so-called “single-payer” system, the analysis by the Senate Appropriations Committee found. (Hart, 5/22)
KQED:
Single-Payer Plan’s Price Tag In California: $400 Billion Per Year
It would cost the state of California an estimated $400 billion per year to cover all of its 39 million residents, according to a staff analysis by the state’s Senate Appropriation Committee. That’s more than twice the state’s total annual budget of $180 billion. But the main legislative advocate for single-payer, Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), explained the state could get access to half of that amount, $200 billion, by shifting over what it already spends on Medicare, Medi-Cal and other state-run health services. (Feibel, 5/22)
POLITICO Pro:
California Lawmakers Get First Look At Single-Payer Cost: $400 Billion
California’s universal health care bill could cost the state about $400 billion a year. Half of that could be covered by existing federal, state and local funding streams, but additional taxes would be required to make up the balance, according to a state committee fiscal analysis released Monday. While the bill’s financing has yet be worked out, the Senate appropriations committee’s report provides the first insight into what an audacious overhaul of the state’s health system could cost. It concluded that $200 billion would be needed in new taxes. (Colliver, 5/22)
The Mercury News:
Healthy California Act Annual Price Tag: $400 Billion
The annual price tag for California’s proposed universal, single-payer health care system would come to a staggering $400 billion and possibly trigger substantial tax increases, according to a state review released Monday. That eye-popping number means the cost of Senate Bill 562, known as The Healthy California Act, would be three times higher than the state’s proposed $124 billion general fund budget for next year. (Seipel, 5/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Single-Payer Health Care Would Cost More Than California Budget
Creating a single-payer health care system in California would cost $400 billion a year — including $200 billion in new tax revenue, according to an analysis of legislation released Monday by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The projected cost far surpasses the annual state budget of $180 billion, and skeptics of the bill say the price tag is “a nonstarter.” (Ho, 5/22)
KPCC:
Few Details For How To Pay For California's Universal Healthcare Plan
Senate Bill 562—The Healthy California Act went before the senate appropriations committee Monday. Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Long Beach) presented the bill to the committee he chairs, acknowledging the exact details of a plan to finance such a system weren’t completely clear. California already spends between $350 and $400 billion a year on healthcare costs. (Faust, 5/22)
Covered California & The Health Law
$2M Ad Blitz In Support Of GOP Health Plan Targets Vulnerable Calif. Republicans' Districts
The ads are directed to constituents of Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock, David Valadao of Hanford, Steve Knight of Palmdale, Ed Royce of Fullerton, Darrell Issa of Vista and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.
Los Angeles Times:
Conservative Group Runs Ads Thanking California GOP For Health Care Vote
A conservative advocacy group will run television ads thanking six California Republicans for voting for the GOP bill to roll back the Affordable Care Act. All 14 Republicans in California's congressional delegation voted for the bill, called the Affordable Health Care Act, when it passed the House without Democratic support last month. Democrats have pledged to make it a campaign issue. (Wire, 5/23)
Those addicted to drugs and alcohol have become hot commodities for unethical operators looking to cash in on the epidemic.
Orange County Register:
How Some Southern California Drug Rehab Centers Exploit Addiction
Chronic drug users like [Timmy] Solomon are commodities, exploited by a growing world of drug and alcohol rehab operators who put profit ahead of patient care. Everything from the opioid epidemic and Obamacare to prison realignment and legal loopholes has created conditions in which unethical operators can flourish, using addicts to bilk insurance companies and the public out of hundreds of millions of dollars. (Sforza, Saavedra, Schwebke, Basheda, Schauer, Gritchen and Wheeler, 5/21)
Orange County Register:
Some Southern California Rehabs Use Loopholes To Abuse The Health Insurance System. Here’s How.
Lax regulation and systemic loopholes have allowed unscrupulous operators to create a Wild, Wild West in the rehab industry. Here’s how some of it works. (Goertzen, 5/22)
One Dead, Nine Hospitalized In Botulism Outbreak Linked To Nacho Cheese From Gas Station
Health officials are warning consumers to be vigilant about food safety.
Los Angeles Times:
Gas Station's Nacho Cheese Sauce Is Now Linked To Patient's Death
A person has died after contracting botulism linked to a batch of nacho cheese sauce sold at a Sacramento County gas station, health officials said Monday. The California Department of Public Health did not identify the patient or provide details about the death. According to the department, 10 patients were hospitalized after eating tainted nacho cheese sauce from Valley Oak Food and Fuel gas station in Walnut Grove. (Rocha, 5/22)
East Bay Times:
Nacho Cheese Botulism Outbreak Leaves One Dead, Nine Sickened
“While there are still unanswered questions about this outbreak, these tragic illnesses are important reminders to be vigilant about food safety,” CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith wrote in a press release. (Davis, 5/22)
Patients' Natural Instinct Isn't To Seek A Second Opinion, But It Could Be Life-Saving
Seventy percent polled by Gallup in 2010 said they have confidence in their doctor and haven’t or wouldn’t seek a second opinion.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Second Opinion Not Your First Thought
Cindy Thomsen was 18 when her doctor told her she would die in three months. He said there was nothing he could do. Thomsen, 60, grew up in Lompoc and says the family’s regular OB-GYN at the time “didn’t have the best bedside manner.” When he discovered the tumor on one of her ovaries, he first didn’t explain to her parents it was malignant. Then, he decided to call her to deliver the bad news while she was working at a pizza place. “He told me over the phone, as I’m taking orders, that I’m going to die in three months,” recalls Thomsen, a Santee resident. As soon as she talked to her parents, they were done with him. “We’re going to get another opinion,” they said. (Williams, 5/22)
Nearly 3,000 School Children In Yolo County Hit With Stomach Bug
Officials blame a lack of good hand-washing hygiene.
Sacramento Bee:
Norovirus Stomach Illness Spreads In Yolo County Schools
That vomit- and diarrhea-inducing illness spreading through schools has reached more than 2,800 people in Yolo County as of Monday and could linger on campuses through the end of the academic year, health officials say... Kristin Weivoda, emergency medical services administrator for the county, said the spread of norovirus will be difficult to overcome before school is out because of the ease of transmission among children. (Kalb, 5/22)
In other news from across the state —
San Francisco Chronicle:
A Diet For A More Sustainable Bay Area: Eat More Veggies
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is to be commended for promoting climate-friendly diets and discouraging the consumption of meat as part of its plan to lighten our ecological footprint. Our animal-based food system is one of the greatest contributors to climate change, and it demands our attention. (Baur, 5/22)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus County Hopes To Launch Access Center For Homeless In Downtown Modesto
Stanislaus County is taking the lead in creating an access center to help homeless people who want to get off the streets. The initial center would be operated in a modular building at 825 12th St., next to the downtown Modesto jail. County staff members recommend a lease-purchase agreement for the building. (Carlson, 5/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Evictions From Residential Care Home Disrupt Lives
The owner and operator of the Fulton Rest Home, an independent living facility for men with disabilities in Berkeley, told residents last month they had 60 days to clear out... A private operator of a residential care facility can close the business and evict the tenants with only a 30-day notice, according to Disability Rights California, an advocacy group that runs a website listing tenant rights for people in care homes. (Taylor Jr., 5/22)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Santa Rosa’s Peace In Medicine Merging With SPARC
One of Sonoma County’s most recognized marijuana dispensaries is merging with a large San Francisco cannabis collective. Peace in Medicine is integrating with its longtime partner SPARC, the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center, a Mission Street dispensary that sells and provides about $10 million in cannabis products each year to its members. There are 12,000 active Peace in Medicine members, whose doctors’ recommendations are current and valid, and 20,000 active SPARC members. (Johnson, 5/22)
Trump's Proposed Budget Slices Safety Net For Poor, Disabled
President Donald Trump wants to slash Medicaid by more than $800 billion, and slim down the Children's Health Insurance Program, as well.
The Associated Press:
Trump Administration Sending Congress $4.1 Trillion Budget
President Donald Trump is sending Congress a $4.1 trillion spending plan that relies on faster economic growth and steep cuts in a range of support programs for low-income individuals to balance the government’s books over the next decade. (Taylor and Crutsinger, 5/23)
The Washington Post:
Trump’s Budget Proposal Slashes Spending By $3.6 Trillion Over 10 Years
President Trump on Tuesday will propose cutting federal spending by $3.6 trillion over 10 years, a historic budget contraction that would severely ratchet back spending across dozens of programs and could completely reshape government assistance to the poor. The White House’s $4.094 trillion budget request for fiscal 2018 calls for cuts that hit Medicaid, food assistance and other anti-poverty programs. It would cut funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides benefits to the poor, by roughly 20 percent next year. (Paletta and Costa, 5/22)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Budget Cuts Deeply Into Medicaid And Anti-Poverty Efforts
Over the next decade, it calls for slashing more than $800 billion from Medicaid, the federal health program for the poor, while slicing $192 billion from nutritional assistance and $272 billion over all from welfare programs. And domestic programs outside of military and homeland security whose budgets are determined annually by Congress would also take a hit, their funding falling by $57 billion, or 10.6 percent. The plan would cut by more than $72 billion the disability benefits upon which millions of Americans rely. It would eliminate loan programs that subsidize college education for the poor and those who take jobs in government or nonprofit organizations. (Davis, 5/22)
The Washington Post:
Trump To Poor Americans: Get To Work Or Lose Your Benefits
Making low-income Americans work to qualify for so-called welfare programs is a key theme of the budget. “If you are on food stamps and you are able bodied, we need you to go to work,” said budget director Mick Mulvaney during a White House briefing on Monday. He said the strengthened requirements in the budget focuses on putting the 6.8 million unemployed or underemployed Americans back to work. “There is a dignity to work,” he said, “and there’s a necessity to work to help the country succeed.” (Dewey and Jan, 5/22)
The New York Times:
Trump Budget Cuts Programs For Poor While Sparing Many Older People
Taken together, the cuts represent a significant reordering of the social safety net, away from poor families and toward older Americans, regardless of income. Medicare would be untouched, and the main function of Social Security — retirement income — would flow unimpeded. (Alcindor, 5/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Budget Shows Tiny Surplus In 10 Years, With Rosy Economic Forecast And Trillions In Domestic Cuts
The budget to be released Tuesday will show that the annual federal deficit, which was $585 billion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, will steadily decline until fiscal year 2027, when the nation will have a $16-billion surplus — the first since the start of the George W. Bush administration, though small in the context of what by then would be a nearly $6-trillion budget. (Bennett, 5/22)
The Washington Post:
Trump Budget Seeks Huge Cuts To Disease Prevention And Medical Research Departments
President Trump's 2018 budget request to Congress seeks massive cuts in spending on health programs, including medical research, disease prevention programs and health insurance for children of the working poor. The National Cancer Institute would be hit with a $1 billion cut compared to its 2017 budget. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute would see a $575 million cut, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases would see a reduction of $838 million. The administration would cut the overall National Institutes of Health budget from $31.8 billion to $26 billion. (Achenbach and Sun, 5/23)
The Wall Street Journal:
Donald Trump’s Plan To Shift FDA Funding To Industry Draws Criticism
President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposed for the Food and Drug Administration puts the administration on a collision course with some in its own party in Congress over possible cuts in funding for the agency, according to FDA and congressional officials. The Trump plan calls for reductions in taxpayer funding of reviews of drugs and other medical products, as well as monitoring of food safety and medical-product safety, said staffers at the FDA and on Capitol Hill. Under the Trump plan, the cuts would be offset by an increase in user fees paid by the drug and medical-device industries to the agency for new-product reviews. (Burton, 5/22)
Trump Asks For More Time In Insurer Subsidy Case, Keeping Destabilized Marketplace In Limbo
House Republicans, who filed the suit against the Obama administration, say the subsidies paid to insurers for reducing deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for low-income consumers are unconstitutional because Congress did not specifically authorize the payments.
The New York Times:
Trump Seeks Delay Of Ruling On Health Law Subsidies, Prolonging Uncertainty
The Trump administration asked a federal appeals court on Monday to delay ruling on a lawsuit that could determine whether the government will continue paying subsidies under the Affordable Care Act to health insurance companies for the benefit of low-income people — effectively prolonging uncertainty that is already rattling the health law. The request could further destabilize insurance markets as insurers are developing rates and deciding whether to participate in 2018. (Pear, 5/22)
The Washington Post:
Trump, House GOP Ask Appeals Court To Again Delay Decision On Health-Care Law Provision
The two-paragraph filing said that both parties “continue to discuss measures that would obviate the need” for the court to rule — a reference to Republicans’ efforts to abolish most of the ACA and install more conservative health-care policies. ... The cost-sharing subsidies are one of two major types of assistance the law provides to most people who buy private health plans through the marketplaces. The cost-sharing subsidies, focused on lower-income ACA customers, reach nearly 6 in 10 such people. The other assistance helps cover insurance premiums for more than 8 in 10. (Goldstein, 5/22)
The Hill:
Trump Administration To Continue Funding Insurer Subsidies
The Trump administration could still decide to drop the appeal at any time. According to a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, the subsidies have been paid for May, but there have been no promises made about whether the payments will continue. (Wexiel, 5/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
White House Seeks Delay In Suit Over Health Law Subsidies
Insurers say they must know within weeks whether the federal payments will continue next year, since they face a June 21 deadline for deciding whether to participate in the exchanges in 2018. “It’s critical that we have certainty for 2018,” said Justine Handelman, senior vice president at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. “Plans are deep in their decision-making for 2018, and if there’s not certainty, you could see a significant impact on premiums, up to 20%, to account for the fact that those cost-sharing payments aren’t there.” (Armour and Radnofsky, 5/22)
The Associated Press:
Insurers Seek Stability As Trump Delays Health Care Decision
Uncertainty over the future of health care for millions grew deeper Monday as insurers released a blueprint for stabilizing wobbly markets and the Trump administration left in limbo billions of dollars in federal payments. ... Hours before the filing, a major insurer group released a framework for market stability that relies in part on a continuation of such subsidies. The BlueCross BlueShield Association represents plans that are the backbone of insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, and would also be the mainstay with a Republican approach. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/22)
Head Of CMS Accused Of Offering Insurers Quid Pro Quo For Support Of GOP Health Bill
According to a Los Angeles Times investigation, during a meeting with industry officials, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Seema Verma linked payment of the insurers' subsidies to providers' support of the American Health Care Act.
Los Angeles Times:
Democrats Demand Answers On Trump Threats To Sabotage Obamacare Insurance Markets
With concerns rising over the future of financial aid for low-income Americans who rely on Obamacare, senior congressional Democrats have asked the Trump administration for information on talks in which health insurance officials say a senior administration official linked the aid to the industry’s support for House Republican legislation to roll back the healthcare law. (Levey, 5/22)