Latest California Healthline Stories
Covered California Board OKs Health Plan Model Contract
On Tuesday, the state health insurance exchange board approved a model contract for health plans. However, the board put off approval of the health plan performance section until its May 23 meeting, when the board also will announce a tentative lineup of health plans participating in Covered California. After rate negotiations, final approval of the plans will be announced July 1. Sacramento Business Journal.
Cantor Plans House Vote on Legislation To Repeal the Affordable Care Act
The House next week will vote on a measure to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act, according to a tweet from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Meanwhile, President Obama is scheduled to host a promotional event tomorrow to discuss the ACA’s benefits for women. Politico et al.
State Health Exchange Can Conceal Contract Spending, AP Finds
An Associated Press investigation finds that California’s health insurance exchange has the authority to conceal certain information from the public, including contract spending. Officials say the exchange’s authority complies with California law. AP/U-T San Diego.
CalPERS: San Bernardino Has Enough Money for Payments
During a court hearing on Tuesday, an attorney for CalPERS said that San Bernardino has enough money to pay off its debts to the retirement system. The city filed for bankruptcy in August 2012, saying it was overwhelmed by pension debt and did not have enough money to keep making payments to CalPERS. The attorney said that the city had $26.8 million as of January, even though San Bernardino officials said they only had $4.2 million on hand. Reuters.
California’s Dual Eligibles Project Delayed Until 2014
On Monday, Department of Health Care Services Director Toby Douglas announced that Cal MediConnect — a demonstration project intended to better manage care for residents enrolled in both Medi-Cal and Medicare — will not begin until January 2014 at the earliest. Few details were given as to the cause of the delay. Payers & Providers.
Leapfrog: California Ranks 11th in U.S. for Hospital Patient Safety
A Leapfrog Group report card gives 86 California hospitals an “A” grade for safety, ranking the state 11th in the U.S. for number of hospitals earning the top grade. The report card also gives four California hospitals an “F” grade. Los Angeles Times et al.
Editorial: Medical Pot Ruling Skirts Related Issues
A Contra Costa Times editorial states that the California Supreme Court “got it right” when it unanimously ruled that local governments statewide have the authority to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in their jurisdictions. However, it adds that the ruling “does nothing” to address two related issues: “that the federal government has aggressively maintained that possession and use of marijuana is illegal under federal law and that regulating the issuance of medical marijuana cards has been lax at best and often fraudulent.” Contra Costa Times.
CMS Investigation Finds ‘Systemic’ Problems at Nevada Mental Hospital
Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas has “systemic” problems that compromise the safety of discharged patients, according to a CMS investigation. The hospital has been accused of busing patients with mental illnesses to California and other states. Sacramento Bee.
Report: Inefficient Communication Tools Are Costly for Hospitals
U.S. hospitals lose a total of $8.3 billion annually because of inefficient communications technology, according to a report by the Ponemon Institute. The costs are attributed to lost productivity and delayed patient discharges. Wall Street Journal‘s “CIO Journal” et al.
New Federal Data on Hospital Charges Show Wide Variation in Prices
New data released today by CMS show that hospitals across the country charge Medicare a wide range of amounts for the same procedure. An analysis of the data shows that California is among the states with some of the highest hospital charges in the nation. New York Times et al.