Latest California Healthline Stories
Opinion Piece Says Pension Reform Bill Is Economic Blow
In a San Jose Mercury News opinion piece, California School Employees Association President Allan Clark argues that a public pension reform bill “will undermine California’s middle class and strike a blow at the economy when we can least afford it.” He writes that the bill “contains only cuts and take-aways, asserts unprecedented authority in circumventing the collective bargaining process and raises the retirement age for public workers in irrational and potentially dangerous ways.” San Jose Mercury News.
Survey: Premiums for Work-Based Family Plans Up 4.5%
Annual premiums for employer-based family health insurance have increased by 4.5% in 2012, down from a 9% increase in 2011, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust’s annual employer health benefits survey. The report also found that such premiums have increased by 97% since 2002, which is three times faster than rate increases for wages and inflation. AP/Sacramento Bee, Los Angeles Times‘ “Money & Co.”
Report: Private School Children More Likely To Lack Immunizations
A new analysis finds that parents of children in private schools in California are more likely to opt out of vaccinating their kids than parents of public school children. Public health officials say the trend means a higher risk of disease outbreak. AP/San Jose Mercury News.
CMS: $6.9B in Meaningful Use Payments Distributed
As of the end of August, $6.9 billion in meaningful use incentive payments had been distributed to more than 143,000 physicians and hospitals, according to CMS estimates. Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments. Government Health IT.
Repealing ACA Could Increase Health Care Costs, Report Finds
A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that repealing the Affordable Care Act could increase federal health care spending, raise costs for Medicare beneficiaries and hinder efforts to close Medicare’s prescription drug coverage gap. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
Moody’s Says Pension Reform Bill Would Boost State Credit Outlook
A Moody’s Investors Service report says that a California pension reform bill would help the finances of the state and some local governments and agencies. The bill would require current and future public workers to pay at least 50% of their pension costs. Reuters, AP/Sacramento Bee.
S.F. Officials Seek State Probe of Treasure Island Cleanup
The San Francisco Treasure Island Development Authority plans to ask the California Department of Public Health to conduct an investigation into the cleanup of radioactive waste following complaints that U.S. Navy-affiliated contractors mishandled contaminated material at the site. Exposure to the radioactive material can increase an individual’s risk for serious diseases, such as leukemia and bone cancer. The Bay Citizen/California Watch.
Breast Cancer Bill Should Be ‘Top Priority,’ Editorial Says
According to a San Jose Mercury News editorial, Gov. Brown should make it his “top priority” to sign a bill that would require “full disclosure to women with dense breast tissue that their mammograms may be ineffective.” It concludes, “Every woman in California who has a mammogram should ask her doctor whether she has dense breast tissue. But Brown should sign [the bill] to protect the lives of those who don’t.” San Jose Mercury News.
Task Force Says Routine Screenings for Ovarian Cancer Not Beneficial
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending against routine screening for ovarian cancer, noting that such tests do not reduce death rates from the disease and often produce false-positive test results that can contribute to unnecessary care. New York Times et al.
Opinion: Ryan’s Budget Plan Could Improve Medicare
In an Orange County Register opinion piece, Cato Institute senior fellow Jeffrey Miron argues that the Medicare overhaul plan proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan — the running mate of GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney — “has some chance of improving Medicare” because “[i]n theory, consumers with vouchers would become price sensitive about their insurance policies, often choosing ones with high deductibles and thereby restoring consumer stake in the system.” Orange County Register.