Latest California Healthline Stories
House Approves Bill To Block IRS From Implementing, Enforcing ACA
On Friday, the House voted 232-185 to approve a bill that would block the Internal Revenue Service from implementing or enforcing any provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The bill marks the 40th attempt by the chamber’s GOP majority to repeal all or part of the ACA. Wall Street Journal et al.
Opinion Piece: Covered California Marked by Unknowns
Although the state auditor “has given a qualified stamp of approval to Covered California’s structure,” there are “two huge unknowns — whether there will be enough healthy young people enrolled to hold the financial structure together, and whether there will be enough capacity in the medical system to handle the hoped-for influx” of patients. It adds that California residents are “test subjects to determine whether the sweeping act can work nationally or is fatally flawed.” Sacramento Bee.
More Than 12,000 San Diego Area Residents Must Find New Coverage
Insurers Aetna and UnitedHealth Group are informing more than 12,000 San Diego County residents that their health plans will not be available next year when the state health insurance exchange is implemented. The insurers say they are leaving California’s individual market because they cannot remain competitive under the Affordable Care Act. U-T San Diego.
Gov. Brown Orders BART Contract Inquiry, Averts Strike
On Sunday, Gov. Brown issued an order naming a board of investigators for a seven-day inquiry into a contract dispute involving Bay Area Rapid Transit workers. The order averts a strike, which had been planned to protest pay issues and health care and pension contributions. AP/Stockton Record.
WellPoint, Other Insurers Join Univision in ACA Promotion
WellPoint — the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross in California — and other insurers in six states have signed deals with Spanish media network Univision to be part of the network’s health initiative, “Salud Es Vida.” The insurers are sponsoring a special website that will connect Latinos with the exchanges, though site visitors will be redirected back to the insurers’ own websites to purchase health coverage. Kaiser Health News.
Supreme Court Denies Brown’s Request To Delay Inmate Releases
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied Gov. Brown’s request to delay the release of thousands of state prisoners. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that California “must now release upon the public nearly 10,000 inmates convicted of serious crimes.” State officials say they are continuing to prepare a Supreme Court appeal of the initial order. Reuters et al.
CMS Officials Tout Agency’s Health Data-Sharing Efforts
In an opinion piece published on the Health Affairs Blog, CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner and Niall Brennan — director of CMS’ Office of Information Products and Data Analytics — outline the ways that the agency is sharing data to improve the delivery of health care services. According to Tavenner and Brennan, such initiatives include developing a “broader strategy for providing more data to providers for performance measurement and quality improvement” and making data more accessible to traditional and non-traditional researchers “to conduct research to improve the health care system.” Health Affairs Blog.
Health Organizations Partner To Help Providers Manage Medicaid Expansion
Three public health organizations are collaborating on three-year, $1.8 million project to help health care providers manage the expected influx of patients under the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. America’s Essential Hospitals, the National Association of Community Health Centers and the George Washington University School of Public Health Services are collaborating on the project, which is funded by Kaiser Permanente. The project will, among other things, identify five states or regions in greatest need of targeted assistance and then provide evidence-based tools, reports and technical assistance to help communities improve their health care capacity. Modern Healthcare.
California Health Care Personnel Roundup for July 2013
Michael Lujan has resigned as the head of sales and marketing for Covered California’s Small Business Health Options Program. Gov. Brown has appointed Michael Bishop to the Medical Board of California, where he has served since 2011. Dinesh Govindarao has been named chief medical officer of the State Compensation Insurance Fund.
Tavenner Defends ACA’s Effect on Economy, Business Hiring Trends
During a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Thursday, CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner defended the effects of the Affordable Care Act on the nation’s economy and assured lawmakers that the law only has had limited effect on employers’ hiring trends. However, some committee Republicans argued that Tavenner and other Obama administration officials have failed to notice increasingly frequent reports in the media about the ACA’s effects on small businesses. Reuters et al.