Latest California Healthline Stories
Analysis: Cost of Covered Calif. Health Plans Vary by Region
A new analysis finds that health insurance premiums on plans sold through the state exchange can vary by hundreds of dollars based on the region in which the plan is sold. Experts say that differences in the cost of medical care cause the varying prices. Los Angeles Daily News.
Obama To Target Latinos in ACA Enrollment Push
This week, President Obama will attend a town hall co-hosted by the “Get Covered” campaign and Spanish-language media outlets to urge Latino U.S. residents to enroll in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act. The event is part of the administration’s final push to bolster enrollment in the health insurance exchanges. Politico et al.
L.A. Officials Told Inspectors To Halt Nursing Home Investigations
According to interviews and a review of internal documents, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health directed inspectors to dismiss investigations of complaints at nursing homes if they were submitted anonymously or recent investigations found no problems. Kaiser Health News/Sacramento Bee.
ACA Contributed to Increase in Personal Income, Consumer Spending
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Commerce released a report that shows the Affordable Care Act contributed to a slight increase in personal income and consumer spending in January. Specifically, the report credits the law’s Medicaid expansion, tax credits and premium subsidies. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” Bureau of Economic Analysis release.
Report: San Francisco Ambulance Response Times Slow
The number of individuals in San Francisco who had to wait to be transported to a hospital because an ambulance was not readily available quadrupled between 2008 and 2013, when nearly 2,500 individuals’ transportation was delayed, according to a new report from the Board of Supervisors budget and legislative analyst. Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White acknowledged that San Francisco needs to invest in ambulance maintenance and paramedics but said that residents should not be concerned about their safety. San Francisco Chronicle, AP/Sacramento Bee.
Calif. Senator Takes Voluntary Leave of Absence Amid Health Insurance Fraud Investigation
State Sen. Ronald Calderon has taken a voluntary leave of absence after being charged with 24 counts of corruption in connection to a health insurance fraud case. Calderon has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The leave of absence ends Democrats’ supermajority in the state Senate. KQED’s “News Fix,” Inside Bay Area.
$100M in Pledges To Improve Health Announced at Annual Clinton Health Matters Conference
During the annual Clinton Health Matters Conference in La Quinta, President Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea Clinton announced $100 million in corporate donations aimed at improving health, including $11 million that will be used in the Coachella Valley. Clinton said, “We are trying to change the whole ecosystem of health in this country,” noting, “If you measure the U.S on health outcomes, we rank between 25th and 33rd in the world. We can do better. We have to change.” HealthyCal.
Health Officials Say Rare Disease Outbreaks Unrelated
California health officials say that rare outbreaks of tuberculosis, measles and a polio-like disease in several California areas are unrelated. Stanford University researchers recently reported that about 20 state residents have experienced polio-like paralysis in the last 18 months. However, a public health official said that nothing in the report indicates that such paralysis is increasing in the state. AP/San Francisco Chronicle, U-T San Diego.
HHS: More Than 8.9M Deemed Eligible for Medicaid, CHIP
HHS recently announced that more than 8.9 million U.S. residents have been determined eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program between Oct. 1, 2013, and the end of January, with 2.6 million of those decisions coming in January. The figure includes the individuals who renewed their Medicaid coverage. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Sen. Boxer Urges CDC To Investigate Polio-Like Illness Affecting Children in California
Yesterday, Sen. Barbara Boxer sent a letter to CDC Director Thomas Frieden requesting a formal investigation into the cause of a polio-like paralysis that has affected about 20 children in California over the past 18 months. In the letter, Boxer asked that CDC examine whether the illness can be traced to a virus or environmental factors, and she also raised questions about any other known reports of the paralysis in the U.S. AP/Sacramento Bee.