Latest California Healthline Stories
Federal Gov’t Shutdown Begins; ACA Implementation To Continue
Parts of the federal government have begun to shut down after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on legislative language that would defund the Affordable Care Act as part of a short-term continuing resolution. The government shutdown will affect various federal health care programs, such as some FDA safety activities and CDC’s infectious disease monitoring. However, implementation of the ACA is not expected to be affected. New York Times et al.
Report Finds 8 Million California Residents Lived in Poverty in 2011
A report that factors in health care and other costs finds that there were about 8 million California residents living in poverty in 2011. The figure is significantly higher than federal estimates of nearly 6 million state residents living in poverty that year. Riverside Press-Enterprise, Los Angeles Times.
Covered California, Other State Exchanges Begin Enrollment
Health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act — including Covered California — opened for enrollment today. Individuals who visit Covered California’s website can compare plans, find out if they qualify for subsidies, purchase plans or search for specific health providers. U-T San Diego et al. U-T San Diego et al.
Brown Signs Concussion Rules for Athletes at Private, Charter Schools
Student athletes at private and charter schools now are required to follow the same concussion rules as public schools under a bill signed by Gov. Brown yesterday. The measure requires that such students be removed from an activity if they are suspected of having a concussion or head injury. Los Angeles Times.
L.A. City Files Lawsuit To Block Ballot Measure To Create Separate City Public Health Department
On Monday, the city of Los Angeles filed a lawsuit to block a June 2014 ballot measure that would create a separate Los Angeles city public health department. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has been pushing the measure, arguing that the county health department is poorly run. However, both the city and county oppose the initiative, saying it would violate state public health laws. County spokesperson Dave Sommers said the county would file its own lawsuit Tuesday. Los Angeles Times‘ “L.A. Now.”
Editorial: ACA Is ‘Going Better Than Expected’ in California
A Contra Costa Times editorial argues that the Affordable Care Act is “already working” in California and “so far, it’s going better than expected.” It notes that because of the ACA, more than one million previously uninsured residents have coverage and 400,000 young adults up to age 26 can remain on their parents’ insurance. It adds that insurers can no longer deny coverage to applicants with pre-existing conditions and that premium costs for the state’s insurance exchange “are significantly lower than anticipated.” Contra Costa Times.
Study Finds Patients Want Online Access to Doctor Notes Despite Privacy Concerns
A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research finds that patients’ concerns about privacy did not deter them from accessing online physician notes. At the end of the one-year study, 99% of participants said they wanted continued online access to their physicians’ notes. FierceHealthIT, Journal of Medical Internet Research.
CMS Approves Arkansas’ ‘Private Option’ Medicaid Plan
On Friday, CMS informed Arkansas that it had approved the state’s plan to use funds intended for the Medicaid expansion to help residents purchase private health insurance through the state’s health insurance exchange. The funding will help subsidize private insurance coverage for roughly 250,000 state residents with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Washington Post et al.
UCSF Study Finds Sharp Decline in Levels of Harmful Chemicals in California Women’s Blood
A new UC-San Francisco study found a 65% decline in the average levels of flame retardant chemicals in the bloodstreams of pregnant women in California between 2008 and 2011. The study is the first to find such a drop since 2008, when a similar study found that state residents had twice the amount of toxic flame retardants in their blood as the national average. Sacramento Bee.
Polls Find Widespread Confusion About ACA, Insurance Exchanges
A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds that most uninsured U.S. residents still are inadequately informed about the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges, which are set to open for enrollment tomorrow. Meanwhile, a separate poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News finds that 60% of respondents say the law is confusing. Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog” et al.