Latest California Healthline Stories
Calif. Lands Developmental Disabilities Services Funding
California health officials have reached an agreement with CMS to fund an increase in community-based services for residents with developmental disabilities. Terri Delgadillo — director of the state Department of Developmental Services — said that the agreement will provide $600 million in federal funding to cover costs from October 2009 through the current fiscal year and more than $160 million annually after that. Sacramento Business Journal.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of May 10, 2013
Dominican Hospital has invested $28,000 in technology to help doctors use mobile devices to share radiology images with their patients. The California Nurses Association is planning a week-long labor strike at several Sutter Health hospitals that is expected to begin on May 14.
Gov. Brown Should Look to Private Prisons, Editorial Says
An Orange County Register editorial argues that a proposal in Gov. Brown’s plan to reduce California’s prison population that would “house several thousand inmates in California’s privately run prisons” deserves support. It notes that “seven private prisons incarcerated state inmates” until about 10 years ago when the state cancelled its contracts with the private facilities “in a bow to the … state prison guards union.” It concludes that Brown should think about sending inmates to private prisons “manned by nonunionized guards” to reach a federally mandated prison population cap. Orange County Register.
California Seeks Comment on Proposed HIE Model Guide
The California Office of Health Information Integrity is seeking public comment on five health information exchange participant agreement models. CalOHII developed the Model Modular Participant Agreement — the proposed guide — to comply with the HIPAA omnibus final rule’s business associates provisions and to work towards an efficient trust framework for multiple parties. Government Health IT.
Covered California To Award $30M in Grant Funding for Outreach
California’s health exchange is expected to award $30 million to groups that will help promote the insurance marketplace to uninsured residents. Grant recipients must be able to answer questions about health plans, in addition to other exchange topics. Sacramento Bee.
Obama To Tout Health Reform Benefits for Women, Families Today
During a White House Mother’s Day-themed event today, President Obama will promote certain Affordable Care Act provisions. Obama is expected to discuss provisions that benefit women and families, such as no-cost cancer screenings. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
Kaiser Study Finds Higher MS Rate Among Black Women
Using the medical records of more than 3.5 million enrollees in Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California health plan, researchers determined that black women have a higher rate of multiple sclerosis than white women, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. The findings call into question the long-held assumption that whites are more likely to develop the disease than blacks. Payers & Providers.
Gov. Brown Signs Two Health Insurance Protection Measures
Gov. Brown has signed two bills aiming to prevent health insurers from discriminating against individuals with pre-existing conditions. The bills also will set up 19 rate-setting regions, among other actions. AP/U-T San Diego, Hernandez release.
Opinion: Move Forward With Medi-Cal Expansion Plans
In a Sacramento Bee opinion piece, Peter Manzo — president and CEO of United Ways of California — argues that accepting federal fund to expand Medi-Cal will “dramatically reduce” the number of uninsured Californians and “ensure” a better use of the state’s health care dollars. He writes, “Taking a hard-line approach to financial realities is one thing, but leaving millions of federal dollars on the table — when we have many Californians without health coverage — would be not only fiscally irresponsible but heartless.” Sacramento Bee.
Prison Ruling Appeal Will Not End Oversight, Editorial Says
A Sacramento Bee editorial argues that Brown’s pledge to appeal a court-ordered reduction to the state’s prison population to help improve inmates’ medical care might “delay the reckoning” but is “unlikely to end federal oversight.” It adds, “All this fighting is sidetracking everybody from the real task — which should be finding common ground around durable remedies to reduce [the] prison population.” Sacramento Bee.