Latest California Healthline Stories
More Guidance Needed on Creating Insurance Exchanges, States Say
State officials are calling for more federal guidance as they work to meet a Nov. 16 deadline for submitting plans to establish their health insurance exchange. Federal officials say they are giving states flexibility to decide which benefits to offer through the exchanges. USA Today.
Report Finds Discrepancies in CDC’s Hospital Care Database
CDC’s National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey contains “a clinically important rate of apparent discrepancies,” according to a report published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. The report — conducted by Steven Green of Loma Linda University Medical Center in California — found that the Annals of Emergency Medicine between 2000 and 2011 published 25 studies that relied on the NHAMCS database. Modern Healthcare.
GAO Report: Medicare Rx Drug Costs Did Not Increase After Discounts
A report finds that prescription drug costs did not increase for Medicare beneficiaries after implementation of a federal health law provision that grants discounts to beneficiaries who reach the so-called “doughnut hole” in Part D coverage. Modern Healthcare, USA Today.
Exchange Board Poised To OK Sale of Certain Vision Plans
California Health Benefit Exchange staffers have proposed allowing the sale of stand-alone vision care plans to individuals. The exchange board is expected to approve the proposal on Tuesday. Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Business Journal.
Report: Demand Climbs for Health Care Workers in Sacramento Region
A new Employment Development Department report finds that employers in the Sacramento area posted more online job advertisements in September than in August. According to the report, health care jobs were among the most popular postings. Sacramento Bee.
More U.S. Companies Likely To Provide High-Deductible Health Plans
Over the next few years, more U.S. companies are expected to offer high-deductible health plans to their employees. Proponents say HDHPs give consumers a larger stake in their care, while critics contend that such plans prompt people to delay care because of costs. Reuters.
Hospital Drugs Came From Meningitis Outbreak Source
Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz and Watsonville Community Hospital received injectable drugs from the New England Compounding Center, which developed batches of medication that have been linked to a national outbreak of meningitis. None of the drugs shipped to the hospitals have been directly linked to the outbreak. Both hospitals have pulled the drugs from their supplies and are working to notify patients that received NECC medications. Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Governments Limit Health Benefits To Cut Costs
State and local governments are reducing their expenditures by billions of dollars by limiting health benefits for employees while raising insurance premiums, according to a USA Today analysis. Federal data show that government workers on average receive more generous health benefits than privately employed workers, but the difference in benefits has decreased from $1,523 in 2007 to $891 in 2012, adjusted for inflation. USA Today.
CalPERS Expected To Issue Request for HMO Proposals This Month
This month, CalPERS is expected to release a request for HMO proposals as part of a strategy to reduce costs. The agency likely will continue Kaiser Permanente’s HMO contract, but officials say Blue Shield of California will have to rebid its contract. Sacramento Business Journal.
White House Preparing To Offer Two Multistate Health Insurance Plans
The federal government is preparing to unveil two multistate health insurance plans that will be offered to consumers in all states under the Affordable Care Act. The Office of Personnel Management is expected to negotiate the premiums and benefits for the plans. New York Times.