Latest California Healthline Stories
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of January 4, 2013
On Dec. 24, 2012, thousands of nurses at nine San Francisco Bay Area hospitals held a one-day strike as part of an ongoing dispute over wages, benefits and patient care issues. Corona officials are reviewing plans for a renovation and expansion of Corona Regional Medical Center.
Bill Aims To Boost Telehealth in Government Health Plans
On Sunday, Calif. Rep. Mike Thompson introduced a bill in the House that aims to expand access to telehealth care for people who receive health insurance through Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs. Under the bill, health care providers in government health plans would need to be licensed only in the state where they are located to provide telehealth services to eligible patients anywhere in the U.S. Healthcare IT News.
Health Care Stakeholders Speak Out Against New Fiscal Cliff Agreement
The National Alliance of State Health CO-OPs, the American Hospital Association and other stakeholders are criticizing provisions in the fiscal cliff deal that affect HHS funding, Medicare overpayments and hospital funding. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” Modern Healthcare.
Businesses Weighing Options Ahead of ACA Requirements
A growing number of employers are weighing their options in preparation for Affordable Care Act requirements that might require them to assume higher costs to provide health coverage to workers. For example, some companies are considering whether to provide employees with a pre-determined amount of money and selection of health plans, according to analysts. In addition, business also might direct more workers toward state health exchanges, the penalty for which could be less than the cost of providing benefits. Wall Street Journal.
New House Rules Aim To Block IPAB’s Medicare Recommendations
Yesterday, the House voted to adopt a package of rules for the 113th Congress that includes a measure stating that the House will not have to follow through on any Medicare cost-cutting recommendations made by the Independent Payment Advisory Board. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
IRS Releases Proposed Rule for ACA’s Employer Mandate
Last month, the Internal Revenue Service released a proposed regulation that effectively implements the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate. The regulation clarifies that employers must extend coverage to workers’ children who are under age 26, but not to workers’ spouses. Employers also will not be required to subsidize health plans for dependents to the same extent they will for workers. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
Cannella: California Should Bring Back Healthy Families
In a Modesto Bee opinion piece, state Sen. Anthony Cannella writes that when the Legislature last year “approved the elimination of the Healthy Families program,” lawmakers “decried the loss of a program that, for years, has been viewed as a success, providing nearly a million California children with affordable health care.” According to Cannella, the plan to transition Healthy Families beneficiaries to Medi-Cal managed care plans has been marked by “stories of people who cannot find the doctors, specialists or treatments they require in a timely manner.” He concludes, “This session, I am committed to do all I can to reverse the elimination of Healthy Families.” Modesto Bee.
Opinion Piece Urges Brown To Reassess Medi-Cal Rate Cut
“Physicians believe the state’s action” to reduce Medi-Cal payments for health care providers by 10% “flies in the face of federal laws intended to assure that Medicaid patients have access to medical care and undermines the goals of health reform,” San Diego County Medical Society President Sherry Franklin and SDCMS Communication Chair Theodore Mazer write in a U-T San Diego opinion piece. They conclude, “We urge the governor to reassess the idea that cutting already preposterously low Medi-Cal rates will save money, or maintain, let alone improve, access to quality health care.” U-T San Diego.
California’s Health Exchange Granted Conditional Approval
HHS has granted California’s health insurance exchange conditional approval, which is contingent upon the state demonstrating that it can meet exchange requirements and comply with federal deadlines and regulations. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.
CNA, NUHW Merge, Seek Better Workplace Standards, Benefits
The National Union of Healthcare Workers and the California Nurses Association have announced an affiliation to form the NUHW-CNA. The unions say they are seeking better workplace standards and to stop hospitals from reducing worker benefits. Wall Street Journal et al.