Latest California Healthline Stories
Coalition Aims To Aid Creation of Health Insurance Exchanges
A coalition of 17 states, called Enroll UX2014, has been working to assist in the implementation of the health reform law. The group released an online tool to help states create a platform for navigating health insurance exchanges. Washington Post.
Gap in Tobacco Tax Hike Measure Vote Narrows as More Ballots Tallied
A ballot initiative to increase the state’s tobacco tax to fund cancer research and smoking cessation programs is trailing by fewer than 53,000 votes, down from 63,000 votes on election night. Stakeholders say there could be more than one million uncounted ballots. Los Angeles Times.
Pelosi Asks Boehner To Cancel House Recess, Cites Deadlines
In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked that next week’s House recess be canceled because of approaching deadlines for passing several bills. Michael Steel, Boehner’s spokesperson, said Pelosi’s letter “should be addressed to [Senate Democrats] who are still blockading a host of bills” that the House passed with bipartisan support. Politico‘s “On Congress.”
Most U.S. Hospitals Now Have Palliative Care Programs
A majority of U.S. hospitals now offer palliative care programs. In 2009, 1,568 U.S. hospitals — or 63% — had palliative care programs, an increase from 658 in 2000, according to the Center to Advance Palliative Care. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Appeals Court Upholds Ruling on Mental Health Coverage
A federal appeals court has upheld its decision requiring Blue Shield of California to cover a policyholder’s anorexia treatment. The court ruled that the treatment falls under the state’s Mental Health Parity Act. KQED’s “The California Report” et al.
Several Factors Caused Calif. Budget Deficit To Double
Gov. Brown and Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff recently explained how several factors contributed to the state’s budget deficit nearly doubling from a projected $8 billion gap at the start of 2012 to nearly $16 billion in May. They noted that lawmakers were overly optimistic about revenue projections in the last fiscal year budget, while proposed reductions in health and human services spending were rejected by federal judges and the Obama administration. Capitol Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
City Pension Reform Votes a ‘Wake-Up Call,’ Brown Says
On Tuesday, voters in San Diego and San Jose approved ballot measures to scale back pension plans for public employees. In a statement provided to the San Jose Mercury News, Gov. Brown called the votes “a powerful wake-up call” on the need to lower public employee pension costs and touted his 12-point pension reform plan. San Jose Mercury News.
Leapfrog Gives 41% of Calif. Hospitals ‘C’ or Lower in Patient Safety
In its first national hospital patient safety report card, the Leapfrog Group said that 41% of the 264 California hospitals studied scored a grade of C or lower. The group assessed hospitals based on 26 measures, including infection rates and medication errors. Los Angeles Times.
HHS Has Missed Nearly Half of Reform Law’s Deadlines, Study Finds
A study by the American Action Forum finds that HHS has missed 20 of the 42 statutory deadlines included in the federal health reform law. HHS defended its implementation of the overhaul, saying that it has met and beaten several of the law’s deadlines. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
White House Rebuffs GOP Student Loan Offsets
On Tuesday, the Obama administration dismissed recent Republican proposals to offset the $6 billion cost of preventing federally subsidized student loan interest rates from doubling next month. One of the proposals would restrict states’ ability to increase their share of federal matching payments for Medicaid through taxes on health care providers participating in the program. Vice President Biden said the White House is open to discussing offsets but suggested that he did not take the GOP proposals seriously. Washington Post.