California Performance Review Commission Recommends Against Most Health-Related Proposals
The California Performance Review Commission, a panel appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to examine a 2,500-page plan to overhaul the state government, on Wednesday recommended abandoning, rewriting or delaying major health care, education and regulatory reforms, the Orange County Register reports (Hinch, Orange County Register, 10/21). The commission, a bipartisan, 21-member panel, evaluated the 1,200 recommendations and wrote a 15-page outline of expansive goals for restructuring state government (Gledhill, San Francisco Chronicle, 10/21).
In its August report, the review group said the state could save $5 billion over five years if it consolidated several programs into a single Department of Health and Human Services and followed 108 other recommendations concerning the Health and Human Services Agency. The review estimated total savings for all reforms at $32 billion. However, that estimate was lowered to $15 billion this month (California Healthline, 10/18).
The commission recommended postponing plans to reorganize state health agencies until a proposed redesign of Medi-Cal is completed. Only two of "myriad" health reorganization proposals were viewed favorably: appointing a new state public health officer and improving the coordination of mental health and substance abuse programs, according to the Register.
The commission also recommended a more careful consideration of a proposal to eliminate 118 boards, stating that only boards that "fail to serve an important state purpose" should be eliminated, the Register reports. The commission said a "significant number" of proposed reforms -- such as efforts to streamline state business operations and to overhaul prison management -- should be implemented (Orange County Register, 10/21).
The commission on Wednesday held the last of eight public hearings on the report but had not formally forwarded its recommendations to Schwarzenegger (Sacramento Bee, 10/21).