Latest California Healthline Stories
Federal Lawmakers, Staff To Keep Employer Contribution Under ACA
On Friday, the Office of Personnel Management is expected to announce a regulation that will allow lawmakers and their staff members to keep their employer contribution toward health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Currently, the federal government covers about 75% of their health insurance costs. New York Times et al.
California Officials Suspend Medi-Cal Payments To 29 Clinic Operators
The California Department of Health Care Services has suspended Medi-Cal payments to 29 companies operating a total of 83 alcohol and drug treatment clinics in the state because of suspected fraudulent activity. Meanwhile, state Sen. Ted Lieu is calling for an audit into the state’s rehabilitation program to determine how long fraud has occurred and how laws or regulations could prevent improper practices. CNN, Los Angeles Times.
On Thursday, Bay Area Rapid Transit’s unions filed a 72-hour strike notice, threatening to stop work on Monday if an agreement on pay raises and health care and pension contributions cannot be reached. Union and management leaders plan to spend the next several days negotiating. San Jose Mercury News.
Calif. Pension Funds Paid Out $28B, Received $34B in 2012
A new Census Bureau report finds that California’s five, state-managed public employee pension funds collected $33.8 billion from investments and employer and employee contributions in 2012 and paid out $28.2 billion in benefits to 874,734 retirees. The report did not include numbers for the systems’ unfunded liabilities. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
Covered California Posts Details, Premium Rates for SHOP Plans
Covered California has released plan details and premium rates for the exchange’s Small Business Health Options Program. Officials say that premium rates in most of the state’s populous counties likely will be significantly lower than those charged by insurers currently for similar health plans. Sacramento Business Journal et al.
Patient Advocacy Groups Tell Federal Officials Not To Rush Health IT Regulations
On Monday, 15 patient advocacy organizations sent a letter urging federal officials not to rush a federal work group on the development of a risk-based regulatory framework for the health information technology industry. The patient groups noted that regulations “must be implemented in a balanced way that also fosters innovation and encourages adoption of these technologies.” The groups recommended that federal agencies work with congressional lawmakers to create a new risk-based statutory framework for regulating health IT and develop oversight methods for health IT, including mobile applications. Clinical Innovation & Technology.
More Physicians Seek Access to At-Home Monitoring Data
Some health care providers are seeking access to data from patients’ home-based monitoring devices in an effort to reduce costs and boost health outcomes. However, experts say that some issues — such as providers’ distrust of patients taking their own measurements or the high cost of systems that integrate with such devices — are prohibiting widespread use of such data by physicians. Boston Globe.
Study: Single-Payer System Would Save $592B Annually
Enacting a single-payer health care system in the U.S. would save the federal government about $592 billion annually, according to a study released Wednesday by an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The savings would come from reducing administrative spending and negotiating prescription drug prices, the study found. The research was based on a system proposed in a bill by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of August 2, 2013
Oakland has launched a draft environmental impact review of Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland’s $450 million expansion project. San Francisco General Hospital officials say that the facility’s electronic referral system has reduced patients’ wait times for specialist care by 50%.
Boehner Unveils Strategy To Take Down ACA Through Targeted Votes
During a private meeting with the House Republican Conference on Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner outlined a strategy to dismantle the Affordable Care Act through a series of targeted votes. He remained silent on a developing GOP plan to block funding for the ACA via a government shutdown. The Hill et al.