Latest California Healthline Stories
Memo: Radiation Poisoning Possible for Treasure Island Residents
A recent California Department of Public Health memo finds that radioactive shards buried on San Francisco’s Treasure Island could cause radiation poisoning in individuals living in the area. As of 2011, 575 radioactive shards had been discovered on the island. Center for Investigative Reporting.
Official: Exchange Site Unlikely To Be Fixed by Nov. 30 Deadline
A White House official familiar with the progress on the repairs to the federal health insurance exchange website said it is unlikely that the site will be fully functional by the Obama administration’s Nov. 30 deadline. Health insurers and federal officials are examining other ways to help U.S. residents enroll in coverage, including extending the deadline for obtaining health insurance. Washington Post et al.
Kaiser’s Exchange Enrollment Retail Program To Last Through 2014
Kaiser Permanente’s ShopKP program — which uses retail stores to help residents sign up for Covered California plans — will run throughout 2014 even though open enrollment ends March 31, 2014. The program’s five Northern California locations were selected based on high numbers of uninsured residents. Sacramento Business Journal.
California Strives To Enroll Filipino Immigrants in Exchange Plans
Efforts to enroll documented Filipino immigrants — the largest group of Asian immigrants in California — in Covered California health plans have been hindered by a lack of resources. However, the exchange has launched an outreach campaign to reach state residents in their native languages, including the primary Filipino dialect Tagalog. Peninsula Press/KQED’s “State of Health.”
Riverside Medical Marijuana Supporters To Seek at Least 9K Signatures for Proposed Ballot Measure
This week, Riverside Safe Access expects to publish a proposed ballot measure that would allow 10 or fewer medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in the city, which has banned such facilities through zoning codes. The organization has 180 days to collect nearly 9,000 signatures of registered Riverside voters. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Not-for-Profit Mental Health Services Group Loses All Contra Costa County Contracts
On Tuesday, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to end as of Dec. 31 all four contracts with Mental Health Consumer Concerns, a not-for-profit mental health services provider. MHCC owes the county $363,000 and vowed to repay the funds through grants and donations. However, county supervisors said the not-for-profit’s fiscal health appeared beyond repair. Contra Costa Times.
S.F. Programmers Build ‘Bare-Bones’ Alternative to Federal Health Insurance Exchange Website
Three 20-year old programmers in the San Francisco region have developed a website that allows users to browse health policies offered through the federal health insurance exchange. The site — called Health Sherpa — was created as a “bare-bones” alternative to HealthCare.gov, which has encountered numerous technical difficulties since open enrollment began last month. The site states that it is for research purposes only and that users should verify listed premiums and subsides via insurers or HealthCare.gov. CNN, Government Technology.
CMS Official Unaware of Potential Security Risks With Federal Exchange Prior to Launch
CMS Deputy Chief Information Officer Henry Chao said he was unaware of test results indicating possible security risks with the federal health insurance exchange website before its launch, according to newly released excerpts of testimony during a recent House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform meeting. Chao said he had not seen a Sept. 3 memo discussing six potential security risks in the exchange, two of which were described as high risk. Chao suggested there was “a failure to communicate” within CMS. New York Times, The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
On Monday, Asthma & Allergy Prevention — a medical device startup in Sacramento –said that it has signed a letter of intent with heating-cooling contractor Beutler to develop a home purification system aimed at preventing lung infections in children with cystic fibrosis. The startup also has signed a letter of intent with HTA Science & Engineering — a Sacramento engineering design firm — to work on the system. Asthma & Allergy Prevention officials say that the company soon will ask FDA for a “humanitarian device exemption,” which would streamline the approval process for the system. Sacramento Bee.
Benefits Backlog Shrinks, Wait Time Lessens for California Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced the amount of time that veterans in California and other states must wait before receiving disability benefits. An official with the American Legion in Los Angeles says the average wait time for such benefits has decreased from 421 days in March to 198 days last month. Center for Investigative Reporting.