Latest California Healthline Stories
New Law Gives Midwives More Autonomy, but Limitations Remain
Under a new state law that took effect Jan. 1, licensed midwives in California now can accept Medi-Cal coverage, can order ultrasounds, prescription drugs and lab tests and are no longer required to practice under a physician. However, there still are some limitations in the types of patients midwives can treat. KQED’s “The California Report.”
Accenture Selected To Take Over Operation of HealthCare.gov
CMS has awarded Accenture a one-year contract to oversee HealthCare.gov and prepare for next year’s open enrollment period, allowing its contract with CGI Federal to lapse when it expires at the end of February. Reuters et al.
State Sen. Pushes for Insurance for Undocumented Immigrants
California Sen. Ricardo Lara plans to introduce legislation to expand access to health care coverage to undocumented immigrants in the state. Lara said the bill could include the creation of a new health insurance program that offers state-funded subsidies to undocumented immigrants or allows them to enroll in Medicaid. AP/UT-San Diego et al.
CMA Calls for State To Completely Eliminate 10% Medi-Cal Rate Cut
The California Medical Association says a provision in Gov. Brown’s fiscal year 2014-2015 budget proposal that would eliminate a 10% retroactive cut to Medi-Cal reimbursements is a “huge win” for health care providers. However, the group said future reductions to Medi-Cal payments also should be eliminated. Modern Healthcare, KQED’s “The California Report.”
Calif. Lawmakers Urge Covered California To Increase Efforts To Enroll Latinos in Health Coverage
On Friday, sixteen lawmakers sent a letter to Covered California Director Peter Lee urging the state’s health insurance exchange to ramp up efforts to enroll Latinos into health coverage. According to the lawmakers, less than 5% of those who have enrolled in health coverage through the exchange are primarily Spanish speakers. In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “[T]here is more that can and must be done to increase enrollment, including resolving the shortage of bilingual enrollment counselors in key areas of the state and continuing to catch and fix translation problems on the website.” KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
State Proposes Laying Off 68 Health Professionals by Ending Public Health Institute Contract
Under Gov. Brown’s fiscal year 2014-2015 budget proposal, the California Department of Public Health would lay off 68 health professionals at the Public Health Institute by not renewing a contract that ends on Sept. 30. A DPH spokesperson said the jobs likely would be backfilled with state positions. Sacramento Business Journal.
California Department of Health Unveils Database on Hazardous Cosmetics Chemicals
On Friday, the state Department of Public Health unveiled the California State Cosmetics Program Product Database, which aims to help consumers determine which cosmetic products contain harmful chemicals. A state law requires companies that sell cosmetic products in California and generate more than $1 million in annual cosmetic sales report potentially harmful ingredients used in their products. As of November 2013, the database contained information from nearly 475 companies on about 30,000 products. Contra Costa Times et al.
Calif. Recidivism Rate Stalls Despite Prison Realignment
Sixty percent of California’s parolees and lower-level offenders who were moved into county jails under Gov. Brown’s prison realignment plan were arrested for new crimes within 12 months of being released, according to a recent Sacramento Bee analysis of state data. The rate is almost identical to the recidivism rate over the year before the realignment law took effect in October 2011. Sacramento Bee.
CMS is preparing to overhaul the data systems states use to coordinate care for individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and develop guidelines to make the systems more effective. In a search notice issued last month, CMS said it will enlist several consulting companies to help develop guidance for states to address dually eligible beneficiaries’ data by consolidating databases, integrating multiple datasets and obtaining data used in care coordination. Modern Healthcare.
House Advances GOP-Backed ACA Data Security Bill
Today, House lawmakers voted to approve one of two bills that seek to impose new oversight and data breach notification requirements for the Affordable Care Act’s federal health insurance exchange website. The Obama administration expressed opposition to the measures but stopped short of threatening to veto the proposals. The Hill‘s “Floor Action” et al.