Latest California Healthline Stories
Bipartisan Budget Deal Proposal Would Extend Medicare Cuts
House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray have announced a two-year budget deal that would spread out the sequester’s across-the-board spending cuts, including those to Medicare, over a decade. Reaction to the budget deal has been mixed, and the House is expected to vote on the measure Friday. U-T San Diego et al.
Kaiser Permanente Notifies 49K Patients of Data Breach in Anaheim
About 49,000 patients have been told by Kaiser Permanente that some of their personal health data were compromised when a flash drive from Anaheim Medical Center containing such information was misplaced in September. The data included patients’ names, medical record numbers and medication histories. AP/U-T San Diego et al.
Judge Orders Improved Mental Health for Death Row Inmates
A federal judge has ordered California officials to provide more intensive mental health care services to inmates on death row after finding that current care of such prisoners is “inadequate.” Prisoner advocates called the ruling “a very significant victory.” AP/U-T San Diego, Los Angeles Times‘ “PolitiCal.”
Calif. Pharmacists Gear Up To Stop Medi-Cal Cuts
California pharmacists are hoping that legal or legislative action can stop a 10% cut to Medi-Cal reimbursement rates that will take effect Jan. 9, 2014. An effort is underway to have the Supreme Court weigh in on the legality of the cuts, while a separate lawsuit against the payment reduction was filed in the San Francisco Superior Court last week. Sacramento Business Journal.
Covered California Sees More Calls, Website Traffic
Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, has released data that find call volume more than doubled and website traffic increased significantly last week. In the first week of December, 143,923 calls were made to Covered California’s call centers and 640,404 unique individuals visited the exchange’s website. U-T San Diego.
UC-Riverside Announces Meningitis Case, Health Warning
On Monday, a UC-Riverside spokesperson confirmed that a student adviser has been diagnosed with meningococcal disease and hospitalized. The announcement came days after UC-Santa Barbara announced a fourth meningitis case among students. Health officials are telling UC students to keep high standards of hygiene and to be proactive about seeking medical care to curb the spread of the disease. Los Angeles Times.
More Than 50 Sickened by Fumes From L.A.-Area Plant
On Monday, more than 50 people were sickened when a Los Angeles-area plant that manufactures pipelines and cables released chemical fumes into the air. According to city officials, 45 individuals were treated at the site and at least nine others were treated at hospitals for dizziness, vomiting and breathing problems. About 200 people at the plant and nearby businesses were quarantined several hours until officials approved their release. AP/U-T San Diego.
House Republicans Seek ACA Consumer Data Privacy Assurances From IRS
In a letter sent last week to Internal Revenue Service acting Commissioner Daniel Werfel, two House Republicans sought Werfel’s assurance that his agency is taking steps to protect the personal data of consumers enrolling in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges. Reps. Diane Black and Patrick Meehan sent the letter after the Treasury Inspector General issued an audit report highlighting inadequacies in IRS’ fraud detection system. The Hill‘s “On the Money” et al.
ACA Website Shows Improvement; Spanish-Language Site Goes Live
Nearly one week after the Obama administration’s self-imposed deadline to improve the functionality of HealthCare.gov, consumers and navigators across the country say they have seen a significant improvement in the site. Meanwhile, the administration on Monday officially launched the Spanish-language version of the website, CuidadoDeSalud.gov. New York Times et al.
Insurers Are Renegotiating Contracts, Narrowing Networks Under ACA
Some health plans sold through Covered California will offer lower premiums in exchange for narrower provider networks. For instance, Blue Shield of California has said it will include just 50% of the physicians and 75% of the hospitals in 2014 that it did in this year’s individual plans. NPR’s “All Things Considered.”