Latest California Healthline Stories
Funding Running Out for California Health Care Training Program
Federal funding is running out for California’s Student/Resident Experiences and Rotations in Community Health program, which finances medical training opportunities in underserved communities. The program will be out of funding on Sept. 30. KQED’s “State of Health.”
Study: Generic Rx Saved U.S. More Than $1T Over 10 Years
Increased use of generic drugs has helped lower U.S. health care spending by more than $1 trillion over the past decade, according to a study released Thursday by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association. The study is part of an effort by the generic drug industry to push greater use of generic medications in Medicare and Medicaid. AP/U-T San Diego, The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Supreme Court Decision Could Affect Efforts To Curb Hospitals’ Costs
Experts say the Supreme Court’s decision to let states opt out of the health reform law’s Medicaid expansion could affect provisions of the law that aim to reduce hospitals’ costs for providing uncompensated care. Bloomberg/San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog.”
Health Law To Boost Care for Black Residents, Leaders Say
Over the next few years, more than two million black Californians will have better access to health care because of the Affordable Care Act, state lawmakers and community health officials say. Sen. Curren Price and Darcel Lee of the California Black Health Network note that the law will help residents obtain no-cost preventive care and ensure health insurance for individuals with pre-existing conditions. Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of August 3, 2012
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has delayed until November a decision on whether it will approve an environmental impact report for a construction plan by California Pacific Medical Center. All board members of the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation have resigned over fundraising conflicts.
Advocates Criticize State Use of ‘Special Fund’ Accounts
Advocates for California’s “special fund” accounts say the $4.3 billion that the state extracted from the accounts should have been used for the funds’ intended purposes, like improved enforcement of health care professions and pollution reduction efforts. Instead, the state used those funds for schools, social services and prison programs that should be covered by general taxes. Sacramento Bee.
Organization Releases Plan To Curb U.S. Health Spending
On Wednesday, the Center for American Progress released an 11-point plan to contain national health spending without shifting costs to patients. The plan includes strategies such as encouraging states to set targets for overall health care spending and expanding competitive bidding in Medicare. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog,” Kaiser Health News‘ “Capsules.”
Official Defends IRS’ Interpretation of Health Reform Law Provisions
During a House committee hearing yesterday, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman defended IRS’ interpretation of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges and the law’s subsidies to help consumers obtain coverage. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
Senators Criticize Handling of CMS Anti-Fraud Programs
In a letter sent to CMS on Tuesday, Senate Finance Committee members Tom Coburn and Orrin Hatch said the agency has been slow to implement programs that address health care fraud and highlighted the agency’s lack of transparency on the programs. They said that Medicare is losing an estimated $60 billion annually as a result of waste, fraud and abuse. Modern Healthcare.
Study Links Vaccine Efficacy to Hours of Sleep Each Night
Healthy adults who get less than six hours of sleep each night are 11.5 times more likely to be unprotected by vaccines than those who sleep more than seven hours a night, according to a study published in the journal Sleep. The study involved 125 individuals between ages 40 and 60 who were given a three-dose hepatitis B vaccine. California Watch.