Latest California Healthline Stories
Republican Senators Unveil Affordable Care Act Alternative
A new GOP-backed alternative plan to the Affordable Care would maintain some popular ACA provisions — such as the ban on lifetime limits on insurance benefits and allowing children to remain on their parents’ policies until age 26 — but would eliminate the law’s individual mandate, employer mandate and minimum coverage requirements. Reuters et al.
Covered California Hires Two Consultants, New Marketing Director
Covered California has awarded a six-month, $120,000 contract to Ana Matosantos and a one-year, $411,000 contract to Jeffery Rideout for consulting services. The exchange also hired Garrison Rios as its communications and marketing director. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert,” Sacramento Bee.
Hundreds in Calif. Shifted to New Health Plans Without Consent
Hundreds of Californians who enrolled in a health plan through the state insurance exchange have received bills for separate health plans they were automatically enrolled in when former policies were canceled. A state Department of Insurance official said insurers could have broken the law by automatically transferring funds to pay for the duplicate policies. ProPublica.
ACA Has Little Effect on Business’ Planning, Hiring, Survey Finds
A National Association of Business Economics survey released yesterday finds that 85% of respondents said the Affordable Care Act will not affect their hiring plans and 75% said that the law will not affect their expectations or planning this year. Bloomberg Businessweek.
Displaying in physician offices poster-sized letters stating that the provider is committed to following prescription guidelines for antibiotics reduced inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by 20%, according to a study of Los Angeles clinics published in JAMA Internal Medicine. In a release, researchers said the study “is the first to apply the principles of commitment and consistency to prescribing behavior and finds a simple, low-cost intervention that shows great promise.” Scientific American‘s “Observations” et al.
Future of Doctors Medical Center Up in the Air
Doctors Medical Center — the only public hospital in West Contra Costa County — faces possible closure because of a projected $16 million budget deficit this year. A 2011 report commissioned by Contra Costa Emergency Medical Services warned that closing DMC would be “catastrophic” to the area. DMC officials said that a partnership with a more financially stable organization could help keep the facility open and noted that they are in talks with UC-San Francisco Medical Center. Contra Costa Times.
Some Parents Struggle To Find Coverage Options for Children Who Are Eligible for Medicaid, CHIP
HealthCare.gov prohibits consumers from enrolling children in federally subsidized family health plans if the children are eligible for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or similar state-run programs, leaving many parents frustrated and without options. Although CMS declined to comment on the problems that have emerged and how the system is supposed to work for families, the agency is said to be working toward a resolution. AP/ABC News.
Opinion: ACA ‘Penalizes’ Hispanic Community in Calif.
In an opinion piece, Daniel Garza, executive director of the LIBRE Initiative, writes that “the Affordable Care Act penalizes the Hispanic-American community in California in several serious ways,” including by increasing some individuals’ premiums and causing some insurers to shrink provider networks in order to cut costs. Garza adds that glitches with the ACA’s Spanish-language insurance exchange website make “a mockery of the Spanish language.” Contra Costa Times.
A study by the consulting firm Abaris Group finds that Riverside County should update its response time standards and find new ways to help 911 callers in order to improve its emergency ambulance services. The study comes ahead of a Feb. 11 meeting in which county supervisors will consider putting the county’s ambulance services out to bid for the first time in recent years.
CBO: House Ways & Means’ SGR Fix Would Cost $121B Over 10 Years
The Congressional Budget Office says that a proposal by the House Ways and Means Committee to repeal and replace Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula would cost $121.1 billion over a decade, making it the least expensive of three bills. MedPage Today et al.