Latest California Healthline Stories
Report Names Healthiest, Least Healthy California Counties
Yesterday, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute released a report naming Marin County and Placer County as the healthiest California counties in both health outcomes and health factors, while Del Norte, Lake, Yuba and Tulare counties ranked lowest. Fresno Bee et al.
New Medicaid Beneficiaries Healthier Than Pre-Expansion Enrollees
A new study finds that Medicaid beneficiaries who gained eligibility as a result of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion appear healthier than those who were already enrolled in the program. The study authors say they hope their findings will encourage other states to expand their Medicaid programs. Modern Healthcare.
Policy Brief Examines Dental Provider Shortage in California
A policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research finds that California is experiencing a shortage of dentists because of an aging dentist population and more dentists opting to practice out of state. In addition, researchers found that certain regions of the state have a disproportionate ratio of dentists to the general population. Los Angeles Examiner et al.
Exchange Increases Outreach to African-Americans Ahead of Deadline
Enrollment in health plans through Covered California has been low among African-American residents, but stakeholders are ramping up outreach efforts to the population ahead of the open enrollment deadline. About 3% of exchange enrollees have identified as African-American, even though the demographic makes up 7% of the state’s population. Los Angeles Times.
UC-San Diego Study: Autism Could Begin in Pregnancy
A small study led by a team of UC-San Diego researchers has identified abnormal patterns of cell growth in the parts of children’s brains that develop during pregnancy and control social interaction and language. Researchers say that the study, which was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, could be the first to identify a physical cause of autism. U-T San Diego, AP/Sacramento Bee.
Lee Announces Exchange Will Move to Payment-Based Reporting on Enrollment Numbers
During an interview, Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said the exchange plans to begin reporting enrollment numbers based on the number of policyholders who have paid binder fees to ensure their coverage. In addition, he credited the exchange’s relative success to the state’s decision to standardize benefit designs, effective outreach and a focus on the core functionalities of the enrollment process. However, he added, “We tried not to have too many bells and whistles, but when we did is when we stumbled.” Payers & Providers.
Blue Shield of Calif. Foundation Awards $11.9M in Q1
On Tuesday, officials with Blue Shield of California Foundation — the insurer’s philanthropic branch — announced that the organization has awarded nearly $12 million in grants in the first quarter of its fiscal year. The grants included nearly $200,000 awarded to the Integrated Healthcare Association in Oakland and $155,000 awarded to the Community Health Center Network in San Leandro. San Francisco Business Times‘ “Bay Area BizTalk.”
David Chiu, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, is drafting a law that would allow firefighters in the city access to workers’ compensation and early retirement benefits if they have work-related illnesses, such as cancer or heart disease. Tom O’Connor, head of the union that represents firefighters in San Francisco, said firefighters with work-related illnesses currently can only collect a full paycheck when they reach retirement age. San Francisco Chronicle.
Poll: Half of Uninsured Unaware of ACA Deadline
More than 50% of uninsured respondents to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll said they did not know that March 31 is the deadline for most U.S. residents to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges. The poll also found that nearly half of those respondents do not intend to sign up for coverage, while 40% said they would enroll by the end of the month. Kaiser Health News‘ “Capsules.”
Supreme Court Appears Divided in ACA Contraceptive Coverage Case
During oral arguments over whether businesses owned by individuals who oppose contraception on religious grounds should be exempt from the federal contraceptive coverage rules, Supreme Court justices’ comments indicate that the liberal and conservative justices will be split evenly on the ACA rules, according to legal experts. Reuters et al.