Latest California Healthline Stories
State Offers Gift Cards for Calling Smokers’ Helpline
California is offering select Medi-Cal beneficiaries $20 retail gift cards if they call the state Smokers’ Helpline and complete the sign-up process tp participate in telephone counseling sessions. Elisa Tong — associate professor at UC-Davis Medical Center — said that a pilot project for the initiative already has been completed in Sacramento and showed positive results. The state is offering the gift cards through a grant from the federal health reform law. Sacramento Bee.
Informed Patients More Likely To Be Involved in Care, Report Finds
A new report finds that low-income state residents feel more involved in their health care decisions when they are well-informed about their health condition. The report examines a survey by Langer Research Associates. HealthyCal, Modern Healthcare.
CDC Report Finds Drop in Rate of Uninsured Young U.S. Residents
A new CDC report finds that the number of uninsured young U.S. adults decreased by one-sixth in 2011. Report authors attribute the decline to a provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows children to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until age 26. New York Times.
Ryan Defends Medicare Plan Following Clinton’s Criticism
On Thursday, Republican vice presidential nominee and House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan defended his Medicare proposal at a campaign stop in Colorado, one day after former President Clinton criticized the plan in a speech at the Democratic National Convention. Ryan defended his inclusion of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicare cuts in his own budget proposal, saying that he had to draft the plan with the assumption that the ACA was still intact. However, he said that multiple votes by the House Republican majority to repeal the law illustrate their intent to reverse the cuts. CBS News’ “Political Hotsheet.”
Calif. Scientists Tap Mobile Phones for Health Research
Several California researchers are developing technology to help consumers participate in clinical trials and manage their health using smartphones. For example, UCLA computer scientist Deborah Estrin founded Open mHealth to provide an infrastructure for mobile medical applications. The project is being used in numerous pilot studies on various health conditions. California Watch.
Lawmakers OK Bill To Limit Hospitals’ Out-of-Network ED Charges
The California Assembly and Senate have approved legislation that seeks to prevent hospitals from profiting by treating out-of-network emergency department patients. The bill would affect hospitals that have out-of-network ED utilization rates of 50% or more. Becker’s Hospital Review.
CMS Requests Calif. Probe of Patient Deaths at UC-Davis
This week, UC-Davis confirmed that CMS has asked California officials to investigate the cases of three brain cancer patients at the university who died after receiving experimental treatment. UC-Davis has accused two neurosurgeons of failing to secure proper approval from the university and the federal government before placing bacteria in patients’ open head wounds to see whether infections would stimulate an immune response against the cancer. Sacramento Bee/San Francisco Chronicle.
Presidential Campaigns Keep Up Focus on Health Reform Law, Medicare
GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney still aims to repeal the Affordable Care Act but recently said he would retain the law’s “common sense” measures. President Obama is continuing to criticize Romney’s running mate Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan. AP/San Jose Mercury News et al.
Study Gauges Out-of-Pocket Medicare Costs at End of Life
Between 2000 and 2010, Medicare beneficiaries spent an average of $38,688 in out-of-pocket costs during the last five years of their lives, with at least one-quarter of beneficiaries spending in excess of $100,000, according to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The study also found that one-quarter of Medicare families spent more than their total household assets on out-of-pocket health care costs during beneficiaries’ last five years of life. UPI.
CalOptima Board Seeks $90K From Former Top Officials
Last week, the board of CalOptima — Orange County’s Medi-Cal managed care plan — voted to demand about $90,000 from former board chairs Ed Kacic and Michael Stephens for “unauthorized use of CalOptima resources.” The demand comes after an investigation into whether Kacic used his position to steer funds to a foundation that he leads. Orange County Register‘s “OC Watchdog.”