Latest California Healthline Stories
Coalition Stumps for Bill To Block Medi-Cal Rate Cut
On Wednesday, a broad-based coalition of groups representing health care providers, health plans and Service Employees International Union held a news conference in Sacramento to pledge its support for SB 640, which would block the implementation of a 10% rate cut to Medi-Cal providers. Later on Wednesday, the Senate Health Committee voted 8-0 to approve the measure. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
Anthem Blue Cross To Pay Providers More Than $3M Under Settlement
Anthem Blue Cross will pay more than $3 million in a settlement with the state Department of Managed Health Care on the underpayment of interest for late claims to providers. The payments must be made within 120 days. Orange County Register, Sacramento Business Journal.
Report Finds 7 of the 10 Most Polluted Cities Are in Calif.
Seven of the 10 most ozone-polluted U.S. cities are in California, according to the American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report. However, the report noted that California had fewer unhealthy ozone days since ALA began conducting its report 14 years ago. KPCC’s “KPCC News,” Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
State Sues Pacific Health for Allegedly Not Paying Workers
California Labor Commissioner Julie Su has filed a nearly $100 million lawsuit against Pacific Health Corporation and its hospitals for allegedly failing to pay employees’ wages. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital system was aware it did not have the funds to cover employees’ paychecks because it was using such funds to make payments under a $16.5 million fraud settlement with the federal government. Orange County Register.
L.A. County Opposes Further Prison Realignment Efforts
At a Los Angeles Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, L.A. County Chief Probation Officer Jerry Powers said that he and officials from other counties have told the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that they are not willing to accept any more inmates under prison realignment initiatives. The state has been working under a federal overseer to reduce its prison population to help improve inmates’ health care. KPCC’s “The Latest.”
CMS Proposes Higher Rewards for Medicare Fraud Whistleblowers
To encourage whistleblowers to come forward, CMS has proposed raising the maximum reward for reporting Medicare fraud to $9.9 million. In related news, the Senate Finance Committee has released a series of reports on combating health care fraud. Modern Healthcare et al.
Editorial: State Must Assess Unspent Safe Water Funds
A Sacramento Bee editorial argues that a series of bills that would “shift the responsibility for disbursing safe drinking water funds” between state agencies and make it easier for communities to seek federal funding for water treatment efforts do not “relieve the Legislature and [Gov. Brown] of ascertaining how this federal money has gone unspent.” Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency said that state officials failed to spend $455 million in federal funding that was allocated to improve local drinking water systems. Sacramento Bee.
Republicans Drop Bill To Extend ACA’s High-Risk Insurance Pool Program
House GOP leaders have withdrawn a bill that would have shifted money from the Affordable Care Act’s public health fund to extend the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. GOP leaders pulled the bill after determining that it lacked sufficient GOP support to pass. Reuters et al.
Nevada Changes Discharge Policy for Patients With Mental Illnesses
Nevada officials say they are changing a patient discharge policy so that individuals with mental illnesses sent to locations in California or other states must be accompanied by a chaperone. The change is effective immediately. Sacramento Bee.
L.A. Pursues Criminal Investigation of Alleged Nevada Patient Dumping
The Los Angeles City Attorney is pursuing a criminal investigation into whether a Nevada mental health hospital sent patients with mental illnesses via buses to cities in California and other states. Nevada’s governor denies systematic wrongdoing at the hospital. Sacramento Bee, AP/Sacramento Bee.