Latest California Healthline Stories
Campaigns To Enroll Young Adults in ACA’s Exchanges Ramp Up
Enroll America has announced that it will use back-to-school college fairs and backpack giveaways to encourage young adults to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will appear in a public service announcement to urge young adults to join the exchanges. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” Washington Times.
Blue Shield Reduces Coverage for Proton Beam Cancer Treatment
Blue Shield of California has announced that it will limit coverage of proton beam cancer therapy, citing findings that it does not produce better results than traditional, cheaper radiation treatments. The change comes as Scripps Health in San Diego prepares to open the state’s second proton therapy center. Los Angeles Times.
Calif. Seeks To Implement Paramedic, EMS Worker Pilot Programs
California officials are working to develop community paramedicine programs that would expand paramedic and emergency medical services worker responsibilities to help fill gaps in care. The state Emergency Medical Services Authority and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development seek to test the programs in up to 12 locations statewide beginning as early as next summer. HealthyCal.
Steinberg Unveils Prison Plan That Asks for a Three-Year Extension
California Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg has released a plan to comply with a federal court-ordered prison population reduction one day after Gov. Brown released his own plan to meet the population cap. Steinberg’s plan would ask for a three-year extension of the order and boost drug and mental health treatment for inmates. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.
CIRM Doles Out $40.6M in Stem Cell Research Funding
On Wednesday, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine board approved $40.6 million in funding to help researchers at eight California colleges or research universities and one company turn basic discoveries about stem cells into potential therapies. The funded projects include targeted research on Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s Disease. UT-San Diego, San Francisco Business Times‘ “BiotechSF.”
Opinion: AB 271, AB 154 Would Help Protect Health of Calif. Families and Children
In a Sacramento Bee opinion piece, Tracy Weitz — associate professor and director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at UC-San Francisco — and Sierra Harris — assistant director for ACCESS Women’s Health Justice — argue that it “is important that the Legislature pass” two bills that would allow women and their families “to make the best parenting decisions for themselves.” AB 271 would remove the state’s “family cap” for CalWORKS, while AB 154 would expand access to abortion services statewide. The authors conclude, “Hopefully [passing the bills] will remind Californians, and the nation, that support for abortion is part of a larger struggle for reproductive justice and that includes not just the right to not have children, but also the right to have children and parent them with dignity.” Sacramento Bee.
San Jose City Committee Decides Not To Pursue Ban on Sugary Drinks, Whole Milk
On Wednesday, the San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee decided not to consider a proposal that would have banned sugary drinks and whole milk from city properties and events to help curb obesity rates. San Jose City Council member Ash Kalra — who developed the proposal — urged the panel to re-consider the issue at a later date. San Jose Mercury News.
Poll: U.S. Residents Hearing About ACA Exchanges From Sources They Consider Questionable
A new tracking poll by Kaiser Family Foundation finds that most U.S. residents who would qualify for health coverage in the Affordable Care Act’s state insurance exchanges are learning about the marketplaces from sources they believe are questionable. The poll found that 81% of respondents said that they had heard “something” within the previous month about the exchanges from newspapers, cable television shows, or online news or radio programs, but just 8% said they have “a lot” of trust in such sources. According to the poll, about 33% of respondents said federal and state health agencies disseminate trustworthy information about the law, but only about 17% said they had received information from such sources. Kaiser Health News.
Santa Clara County Approves 35-Year Health Benefit Debt-Reduction Proposal
On Tuesday, Santa Clara County supervisors approved a 35-year plan to pay down $1.8 billion in debt for worker and retiree health benefits. The plan calls for the county to contribute an additional $78 million annually toward retiree health benefits. Supervisors included language in the plan that would allow the board to override the payment commitment with a majority vote. Contra Costa Times.
Treasury Dept. Releases Final ACA Individual Mandate Penalty Rule
On Tuesday, the Treasury Department released a final rule governing how U.S. residents who fail to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate will be penalized after the mandate takes effect in 2014. The rule also outlined several exemptions for certain demographics and groups of people. The Hill‘s “RegWatch” et al.