Latest California Healthline Stories
ACA Outreach Campaigns Encounter Public Misunderstanding
Groups working to promote the Affordable Care Act say they face widespread public confusion and misunderstanding about the law. Meanwhile, a White House official said that exchange enrollment will ebb and flow over the initial six-month open-enrollment period. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” Politico.
Survey Reveals Confusion in Calif. About ACA Insurance Coverage
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds that three out of four California residents who will qualify for federal subsidies to help them purchase health plans through the state insurance exchange incorrectly believe they are not eligible for assistance or do not know if they qualify for subsidies. Kaiser Health News, CQ HealthBeat.
State Says Judges Exceeded Authority in Blocking Parts of Prison Plan
Gov. Brown’s administration has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court saying that federal judges have overstepped their authority by blocking parts of a state plan for meeting a prison population cap. The judges’ ruling ordered the state to avoid sending inmates to out-of-state prisons and denied a three-year extension for meeting the cap. Los Angeles Times‘ “PolitiCal.”
HHS Awards California $5.2M To Create Health Care Pricing Database
HHS has awarded a $5.2 million grant to the California Department of Insurance to establish a database of health care pricing information. The grant is part of an $87 million initiative by the federal government to boost cost transparency in the U.S. health system. Payers & Providers.
Riverside County To Receive $1.6M in Rite Aid Settlement
On Tuesday, a San Joaquin County judge said that Riverside County will receive more than $1.6 million as its share of a $12.3 million settlement between California local governments and Rite Aid. The suit — led by Los Angeles, San Joaquin and Riverside counties — claimed that more than 600 California Rite Aid locations unlawfully disposed of toxic wastes and materials during a six-and-a-half-year period. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
L.A. Rehab Doctor OKs Treatment Without Seeing Patients
Howard Oliver, a medical director, approved treatment for more than 1,550 patients at publicly funded drug rehabilitation clinics currently under investigation for fraud. Oliver acknowledged he had not seen most of the rehab patients before he approved counseling, though it is not required by law. California officials recently suspended 16 of the 19 clinics Howard oversaw as part of an anti-fraud investigation. Center for Investigative Reporting.
Obama, Clinton Discuss Benefits of Affordable Care Act
On Tuesday, President Obama joined President Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative’s 2013 conference in New York City for a discussion on the Affordable Care Act and efforts to raise awareness about the law. They also outlined some of the law’s major benefits for consumers and the economy and criticized efforts by ACA opponents to misrepresent the law or hinder its implementation. New York Times et al.
Lawmakers Urge CMS To Delay Inpatient Admission Rule
More than 100 House members have sent a letter to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner asking her to delay for six months a rule on Medicare inpatient admissions set to take effect Oct. 1. The rule would implement a time-based presumption period for medically necessary inpatient care where an admission would be deemed appropriate for payment if a physician expects that treatment will require a two-night hospital stay. The letter said that the rule could subject Medicare beneficiaries to increased out-of-pocket costs for hospitalization and post-acute skilled-nursing care. Modern Healthcare.
L.A. County Votes To Send Inmates to Kern County Facility
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to send 512 county inmates to a facility in Kern County to help curb overcrowding in jails. Under the five-year agreement, the Taft Community Correctional Facility will house the inmates for a cost of up to $75 million. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
Federal Exchanges Face Medicaid Applications Glitch
CMS has acknowledged that the federally run health insurance exchanges will not be able to electronically transfer Medicaid applications to states when open enrollment begins Oct. 1. A CMS spokesperson said such applications will not be electronically relayed to the state-managed programs until Nov. 1. Wall Street Journal et al.