Latest California Healthline Stories
HHS Issues Final Rule on Individual Mandate Penalty Exemptions
Yesterday, HHS issued a final rule outlining U.S. residents’ options for exemptions from the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. Exemptions will be granted to low-income individuals who cannot afford coverage, among others. Modern Healthcare, CQ HealthBeat.
CNA-NNU Joins Unions From Other Countries To Form New Group
California Nurses Association-National Nurses United has joined nurse and health care worker unions from other countries to form Global Nurses United. The new group seeks to curb health services cuts and bolster nurse-to-patient ratios, among other things. San Francisco Business Times.
Ford To Launch Chronic Illness Monitoring Program in July
In an attempt to reduce health care costs, Ford Motor and the United Auto Workers Retiree Medical Benefits Trust have launched a two-year pilot program that assigns nurses to monitor workers and retirees with chronic illnesses. The program will launch on July 1 and be offered to a portion of Ford’s 18,000 union workers near its Michigan headquarters, as well as eligible retirees who do not yet qualify for Medicare. If successful, Ford likely would broaden the program to include other regions where large groups of employees and retirees live.
Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA, Could Affect Health Benefits
Yesterday, the Supreme Court — in a 5-4 decision — struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. The ruling means that more than 100,000 legally married same-sex couples could now be eligible for tax breaks, employer-sponsored health coverage and other benefits. NBC News et al.
Calif. Health Plans Divided Over Renewing Policies Through 2014
Insurers participating in Covered California and consumer advocates are lobbying state lawmakers to bar health plans from renewing individual polices through 2014. Some health plans argue that the Affordable Care Act allows for such action. Los Angeles Times.
Group Redistributes Unused Rx Drugs to Various Clinics
A website run by California-based SIRUM — or Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine — aims to redistribute unused medications from nursing homes among low-cost and no-cost clinics that need the medication. Over the last four years, the group has redistributed 440,000 units of medicine worth $1.4 million. SIRUM currently operates only in California, but the group hopes to expand to other states with laws that allow prescription drugs to be passed on to other individuals. SIRUM has received grants from the California HealthCare Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Covered California Doles Out $3.4M for Exchange Assistance
Covered California has awarded $3.4 million to the Health Consumer Alliance to provide community-based consumer assistance to beneficiaries enrolled in the state’s new health insurance exchange. HCA — a coalition of legal aid organizations — also will offer assistance on access issues, such as eligibility and enrollment, involving Covered California health insurance plans.
Report Ranks Calif. 20th of 30 States for Levels of Bacteria on Beaches
A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council ranks California 20th of 30 coastal states for daily levels of E. coli and other bacteria on beaches in 2012. It finds that 52% of California beaches exceeded daily maximum levels of bacteria at some point that year. San Jose Mercury News et al.
Use of Costly Prostate Cancer Treatments Climbs, Report Says
The use of costly treatments for prostate cancer among men who are unlikely to die from it increased from 2004 to 2009, despite uncertainty about the benefits of such treatments, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of American Medicine. The researchers concluded that the increase in the use of costly treatment options likely resulted from “aggressive direct-to-consumer marketing,” financial incentives to use such treatments and the general perception that more expensive treatment options — such as IMRT or robotic prostatectomy — had replaced less-costly treatments, such as EBRT and open radical prostatectomy.
Obama Administration Courting the Young To Join ACA’s Exchanges
The Obama administration is tapping celebrities and professional sports leagues to market state insurance exchanges to healthy, young individuals. Such individuals are needed to offset higher-cost participants and help keep premiums down. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”