Latest California Healthline Stories
Budget Cuts To Hamper HHS OIG’s Ability To Curb Health Care Fraud
An internal HHS Office of Inspector General document obtained by the Center for Public Integrity finds that budgeting and staffing cuts will significantly restrict the agency’s ability to monitor and address Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse in the coming years. Center for Public Integrity.
UC Makes Last Offer on Patient Care Employees’ Benefits
On Wednesday, the University of California notified the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that it is implementing its last offer on wages and benefits for more than 12,000 patient care employees. The university and the union have been in contract negotiations for more than a year, and changes to pension benefits have been a key sticking point. Sacramento Business Journal.
S.F. Mayor Tasks Group With Studying ACA Implementation
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has tasked the city’s Universal Healthcare Council with reviewing implementation of the Affordable Care Act in San Francisco. The move comes amid debate over how Healthy San Francisco — the city’s near-universal health care program — will align with the ACA. Lee said that the city remains committed to providing universal health coverage within city limits and that Healthy San Francisco will continue, “funded largely through our own general fund support in addition to the financial support of our many provider partners and will remain for those ineligible for federal benefits.” San Francisco Business Journal‘s “Bay Area BizTalk.”
Laws Expanding Birth Control Access Haven’t Led to Boost in Demand
Planned Parenthood and Kaiser Permanente officials say there has not been a significant change in the number of California women who request birth control or the types of contraception they use since the enactment of state and federal laws aimed at increasing birth control access. HealthyCal.
Proposed Ballot Initiative Would Lift Calif.’s Medical Malpractice Cap
Consumer Watchdog has filed a proposed ballot initiative that would eliminate a cap on damages under California’s medical malpractice law. Health care provider groups immediately criticized the ballot measure, saying it potentially could drive up liability and health care costs. Sacramento Bee et al.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of July 26, 2013
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center has notified 2,864 patients who received treatment between September 2012 and June 2013 that their protected health information was improperly accessed by an employee. St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital is planning a $65 million building project to meet seismic safety standards and attract cardiac patients.
Editorial: Exchange Should Offer Kids’ Dental Care Coverage as Part of Comprehensive Plans
A Sacramento Bee editorial argues that the “Affordable Care Act provides an opportunity to improve children’s access to dental care,” if the state health insurance exchange “does things right.” According to the editorial, Covered California only solicited bids for “stand-alone or bundled” children’s dental plans. However, it states that “parents who need affordable access to dental coverage for kids ought to be able to access” a comprehensive health plan that includes pediatric dental care coverage “where subsidies are available.” Sacramento Bee.
CBS News Poll: Support for ACA Repeal Reaches New High
Nearly 40% of U.S. residents support efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the highest level of support for eliminating the law since it was enacted in 2010, according to a CBS News poll. Meanwhile, 36% of respondents said the ACA should be expanded or left as is. The poll also found that 54% of respondents disapprove of the law, while 36% approve of it. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” CBS News. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” CBS News.
San Jose Home Health Services Vendor Warns Patients of Possible Data Breach
Home health care services vendor San Jose Medical Supply Company has sent letters to former and current patients saying that the security of their health care information might have been compromised when personal data were given by former associates of the firm to two rival vendors. The letter advises patients to register a fraud alert with major credit bureaus and to monitor their financial and health account statements and credit bureau reports. Health Data Management.
IOM: CMS Should Not Adopt a Geographic Pay Plan for Medicare
A new Institute of Medicine report finds that CMS should not tie Medicare payments to the quality and cost of care in geographic regions. Researchers say that implementing a geographic “value index” would reward low-value providers in high-value regions and punish high-value providers in low-value areas. New York Times et al.