Latest California Healthline Stories
Obama Administration To Release Medicare Physician Payment Data
Yesterday, the Obama administration announced that on April 9 it will release data on payments made to more than 880,000 Medicare providers. The American Medical Association has opposed the public disclosure of such payment data. New York Times et al.
Small, Not-for-Profit Insurers Struggle on Covered California
Small, not-for-profit insurers accounted for less than 5% of total enrollment through Covered California as of the end of February. While Covered California includes seven regional insurers that partner with not-for-profits and public programs, four large insurers dominated the market. AP/Sacramento Bee.
Survey: Large Companies Expect To Pay More Under ACA’s Excise Tax
A survey by the American Health Policy Institute finds that large companies believe that the Affordable Care Act’s 40% excise tax on high-cost health care plans will be their most significant cost over the next decade. Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog.”
Boxer Backs Proposed Medical Malpractice Ballot Initiative
On Monday, Sen. Barbara Boxer endorsed a proposed ballot initiative that would alter state law to increase the limits on medical malpractice compensation to about $1.1 million. Boxer decided to back the measure, which is opposed by doctors, after learning “how unfair California law is in terms of compensating these patients and their families,” according to her office. Reuters.
Families USA Outlines Ways To Streamline 2015 Exchange Open Enrollment Period
In a report released Tuesday, Families USA outlined 10 ways the Obama administration could streamline the 2015 open enrollment process, which runs from Nov. 15, 2014, through Feb. 15, 2015, and is three months shorter than the recently concluded enrollment period. Among its strategies, Families USA urges the administration to consider extending the enrollment period to align it with the annual tax filing season. Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog,” Modern Healthcare.
Maryland Board Votes To Hire Deloitte To Overhaul Troubled Health Insurance Exchange
On Tuesday, Maryland’s health insurance exchange board voted to hire Deloitte Consulting to overhaul most of the troubled exchange and replace it with successful technology used by Connecticut’s exchange. The update could cost between $40 million and $50 million, in addition to some software and hardware costs, while the state’s partnership with Connecticut would allow it to reuse current software licenses and $8 million of hardware. Washington Post et al.
457 L.A. Medical Marijuana Dispensaries File Renewal To Report Taxes to City
More than 450 Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries have filed an annual renewal to report their taxable gross receipts this year, according to Office of Finance General Manager Antoinette Christovale. However, voter-approved Proposition D allows fewer than 140 medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times‘ “L.A. Now.”
Low Minority Participation in NIH-Funded Clinical Trials, New UC-Davis Study Finds
Only 150 of the 10,000 clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1997 focused on a specific ethnic or minority group, according to a new UC-Davis study published in the journal Cancer. NIH in 1993 added a requirement that research it funds include women and minorities, but clinical trials still have low representation of minorities. Sacramento Bee.
Obama: Exchange Enrollment Tops 7M, ACA ‘Here To Stay’
Yesterday, President Obama announced that at least 7.1 million people had signed up for coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s federal and state health insurance exchanges. Obama described the first open enrollment period as successful, telling critics that the ACA is “here to stay.” Los Angeles Times et al.
CIRM Offers Update on State’s Stem Cell Research Progress
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has awarded more than 600 grants totaling about $1.9 billion for stem cell research. Two stem cell research projects already are underway, while another nine have started to enroll patients in clinical trials or will begin doing so by the end of the year. Sacramento Business Journal.