Latest California Healthline Stories
Opinion: Work Should Persist on State Prison Realignment
In a Sacramento Bee opinion piece, former Assembly member Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles) argues that a plan for reorganizing the state’s prisons and ending federal oversight of inmates’ health care services released by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation “doesn’t go far enough.” She writes that the state must avoid returning “to the course of expanding prisons and jails and expanding the percentage of our resources that go to filling them.” According to Goldberg, the state must “take realignment as only a first step toward downsizing, offering us the opportunity to use tax funds to invest in the well-being of our residents.” Sacramento Bee.
FDA Warns Physicians, Consumers About Sales of Counterfeit Adderall
Yesterday, FDA warned doctors and consumers that online counterfeiters are selling fake versions of Teva Pharmaceuticals’ Adderall, which treats attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The agency said the fake pills are ineffective and could be harmful. Los Angeles Times et al.
Blue Shield, ChildObesity180 Give Fitness Grants to Schools
Blue Shield of California and ChildObesity180 have awarded $500,000 in grants to schools in the state and elsewhere to help curb childhood obesity rates. The funding will be used to boost school fitness programs, and nutrition and wellness lessons. Payers & Providers.
Dental Managed Care Plan Limits Access for L.A. Children
Only 23% of Los Angeles County children enrolled in a Medi-Cal managed care plan visited a dentist last year, compared with 31% in Sacramento and about half of all Medi-Cal children beneficiaries statewide. Advocates say dental managed care plans — which pay clinics and dentists a monthly fee per child, regardless of whether the child visits a dentist — ultimately limit children’s access to pediatric dentists and other specialists. Sacramento Bee.
Editorial: Vaccine Counseling Bill Merits ‘Cautious Support’
A San Jose Mercury News editorial argues that a bill that would require parents to talk to a licensed health professional before opting out of immunizations for their children “deserves cautious support.” The editorial states, “Lawmakers are right to have reservations about any law forcing a parent to take action in regard to their child’s health. But the public safety risks of unvaccinated children cannot be ignored.” San Jose Mercury News.
CalPERS Must Offer Long-Term Care to Same-Sex Couples, Judge Rules
A federal judge has ruled that CalPERS must give state workers’ same-sex spouses or domestic partners access to a long-term care insurance plan. Experts say that more than 2,900 state workers in same-sex relationships have sought such coverage. Sacramento Bee et al.
Family-Run Health Centers To Receive About $5M From HHS
On Wednesday, HHS announced that it will provide about $5 million in grants under the federal health reform law to Family-to-Family Health Information Centers. The health centers are operated by the families of children with special needs and provide counseling to other families. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Insurers Shifting Greater Cost Share of Specialty Rx Drugs to Enrollees
Many health insurers have shifted costly specialty drugs into new categories, requiring members to pay a larger share of their cost. Lawmakers in California and other states have introduced bills that would cap out-of-pocket expenses for such specialty drugs. Los Angeles Times.
Rural Kids’ Access to Health Care in Question Under Brown’s Plan
Physicians, lawmakers and health care advocates are concerned that a proposal in Gov. Brown’s revised budget plan to shift all children in the Healthy Families program to Medi-Cal could cause treatment gaps for kids in rural communities. California Watch.
House GOP’s Summer Strategy Involves Repeal of Health Reform Law
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says House Republicans plan to keep working to dismantle the health reform law as part of their summer strategy. According to Cantor, the House could vote by June 4 on two bills to repeal provisions of the overhaul. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.