Latest California Healthline Stories
14 Patients Left Behind After Calif. Assisted-Living Facility Closes
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department has discovered that a recently closed Castro Valley assisted living facility left 14 residents behind. Three employees stayed behind, without receiving pay, to oversee the residents but called emergency dispatchers when they felt unable to care for them. AP/Sacramento Bee, Contra Costa Times.
ACA Exchange Glitches To Be Resolved by Nov. 30, White House Says
The Obama administration announced that it has selected Quality Software Services Incorporated — one of the contractors that helped develop HealthCare.gov — to oversee repairs to the site, which are expected to be completed by the end of November. However, some insurers and consumer advocates expressed concern that the timeline would be too tight for people to enroll in coverage that begins Jan. 1. Wall Street Journal et al.
Calif. Individual Policyholders Could Face Higher Premiums Under ACA
As the Affordable Care Act takes effect, hundreds of thousands of California residents could face higher premiums as some health plans are eliminated under ACA rules. Many plan cancellations were required by Covered California to ensure that insurers do not keep the healthiest individuals out of the state insurance exchange. Los Angeles Times.
IRS: 330K Eligible for Subsidies in Health Insurance Exchanges
The IRS has announced that more than 330,000 consumers have been notified of their eligibility for subsidies to help them purchase coverage in both the federally run and state-operated exchanges since Oct. 1. The number represents how many consumers have made it past the application filing status but does not represent the number of consumers who have purchased coverage. Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog” et al.
Salinas Valley Mental Health Unit Understaffed, Overseer Finds
A court-appointed overseer says that Salinas Valley State Prison’s mental health unit is understaffed and handling twice the number of caseloads as last year. According to the overseer, the unit also has problems with security protocols and other issues. AP/Sacramento Bee.
Sierra Health Foundation has awarded 19 grants totaling $249,782 through this year’s Responsive Grants Program to support programs that improve health and well-being in the foundation’s 26-county Northern California funding region. This second round of grants brings the current 2013 funding commitments for the program to $501,130. Stockton Record.
Mental health professionals — not the police — should respond to emergency calls regarding individuals experiencing mental health crises, according to a new Copwatch report. In response to the February death of a mentally ill, transgender woman, Copwatch — a Berkeley watch group to the Police Review Commission — also suggested de-escalation training for all police officers and ending background checks on individuals reporting crimes. Contra Costa Times.
Analysis: Many Rural Areas Lack Insurer Competition
Although one of the main goals of the Affordable Care Act is to increase competition between insurers as a way to reduce health insurance costs for consumers, an analysis by the New York Times found that such competition and lower prices are lacking in many rural areas. Some experts believe the findings are the result of insurers being hesitant to enter markets in rural areas because medical costs are higher, there is tougher competition with more dominant insurers and powerful hospital systems tend to resist accepting lower rates. New York Times.
CMS Issues Final Rule Governing Regulation Policies for ACA’s State, Federal Insurance Exchanges
On Thursday, CMS issued a final rule for overseeing policies of the Affordable Care Act, including those regulating state and federal insurance exchanges. Among other things, the final rule establishes standards for the oversight of state health insurance exchanges through monitoring, reporting and oversight of financial activities. Modern Healthcare.
CMS: 700K Applications Completed Through State, Federal Exchanges
At least 700,000 people have completed the application process for health coverage through the state and federally run health insurance exchanges since open enrollment began on Oct. 1, according to the Obama administration. A CMS official declined to say how many of the applications were filed through state exchanges, which have been functioning better than the federal exchange website. Los Angeles Times‘ “Politics Now” et al.