Latest California Healthline Stories
Calif. Employers Adopt Wellness Plans To Combat Rising Health Costs
A survey by the Society for Human Resource Management finds that more than 60% of California companies are offering employee wellness programs. Of those companies, 76% said the programs improved workers’ overall physical health and 63% said the initiatives helped reduce health care costs. Sacramento Business Journal, SHRM release.
Health Care Spending Up by 9.9%, Reaches $43B in Q1 2014
Preliminary data recently released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis show that first-quarter health care spending rose by 9.9% to $43.3 billion. Analysts attributed the increase in spending to more newly insured U.S. residents and the subsequent uptick in the use of medical services. Modern Healthcare et al.
Study Recommends No Changes to Workers’ Comp Surgery Fees
A newly released RAND study conducted for the California Department of Industrial Relations recommends that California forgo making any changes to its surgical fee schedule under the state’s workers’ compensation law. The report was called for by a 2012 law. Sacramento Business Journal, RAND study.
California Teacher, School Employee Unions Oppose Bill To Require School Districts To Stock EpiPens
California teachers’ unions are strongly opposing a bill that would require school districts in the state to stock emergency epinephrine auto-injectors, or EpiPens, so that trained personnel are able to provide emergency care to individuals suffering from a severe allergic reaction. The California Teachers Association, California School Employees Association and California Federation of Teachers oppose the measure, arguing that such medication should only be dispensed by school nurses. KCBS.
S.F., Merced Work To Enroll Inmates in Health Coverage
A new San Francisco law allows staff members at the city’s Sheriff’s Office to help inmates enroll in health coverage under the Affordable Care Act before being released from jail. Meanwhile, a similar prerelease program in Merced County aims to reduce recidivism rates by helping inmates obtain insurance coverage for mental illnesses and other health problems. KQED’s “State of Health,” Merced Sun-Star.
California Fines Medicare Advantage Insurer $75K Over Available Cash Deficiencies
Last month, the California Department of Managed Health Care issued a $75,000 fine to Cerritos-based CareMore Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage insurer, for violating state-mandated cash minimums to which health plans are required to have easy access. DMHC said that during a routine review of financial data the agency found CareMore had deficits for five quarters between March 2009 and March 2012, ranging from more than $500,000 to about $2 million. Payers & Providers.
S.D. City Council Votes To Extend Ambulance Contract
On Monday, the San Diego City Council voted to extend until June 2015 a contract for ambulance services through the Rural/Metro Corporation. The contract will require an additional ambulance to run in the South Bay area, where ambulance response times have been slow. U-T San Diego.
House Advances Bill To Exempt Expatriates From ACA
The House on Tuesday voted 268-150 to pass a bill that would create an exemption in the Affordable Care Act for health plans sold to U.S. citizens who are working abroad. However, the White House Office of Management and Budget in an official statement issued Tuesday said the Obama administration “does not support” the bill “in its current form because it would reduce consumer protections and create even more loopholes in the tax code.” Modern Healthcare et al.
Calif. Begins Early Release of Some Prisoners To Ease Overcrowding
California is releasing some nonviolent inmates before their sentence is complete as part of an effort to reduce prison overcrowding. The move comes after a judge ordered that the state prison population be reduced after determining that an average of one inmate per week died as a result of medical malpractice or neglect. Los Angeles Times.
Leapfrog: California Hospitals Rank 9th in U.S. for Patient Safety
A new Leapfrog Group report ranks California hospitals as ninth in the country for patient safety. However, while 104 hospitals in the state received an “A” grade in the report, the report gave 18 hospitals in the state a “D” grade and five were given an “F” grade. Santa Cruz Sentinel et al.