Latest California Healthline Stories
Munger Continues Moving Forward With Tax Hike Plan
On Saturday, Los Angeles civil rights attorney Molly Munger said her tax hike proposal — which would raise income taxes to support education programs — would benefit children more than the compromise tax hike proposal developed by Gov. Brown and supporters of the “Millionaires Tax.” Despite calls from Brown’s supporters to drop her proposal, Munger said she will deliver the 504,000 signatures required to qualify her plan for the November ballot. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Senate Panel Approves Bill on Health Care Worker Flu Vaccination
A Senate committee approved a bill to require health care workers to receive an influenza vaccination or wear a mask. Meanwhile, an Assembly panel is considering a bill on personal belief exemptions to the state’s immunization requirement. Woodland Daily Democrat et al.
KFF: Insurers To Issue $1.3B in Medical-Loss Ratio Rebates This Year
As a result of the federal health reform law’s medical-loss ratio rule, at least 436 health plans covering 15.8 million U.S. residents are expected to issue about $1.3 billion in rebates this year, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” et al.
CMS Issues Proposed Rule for Hospital Inpatient Pay Rates
On Tuesday, CMS issued a proposed rule that would increase inpatient payment rates to hospitals by 2.3% in fiscal year 2013. However, CMS said that other policies in the proposed rule and estimated utilization of inpatient services would lower the increase to 0.9%. In addition, CMS issued a final rule requiring providers and suppliers to include their National Provider Identifier when submitting Medicare and Medicaid payment claims or when applying for program enrollment. FierceHealthcare et al.
Early-Term Abortion Bill Stalls in Senate Committee
On Thursday, a scaled-back version of Sen. Christine Kehoe’s bill to allow a limited number of non-physicians to perform an early-term abortion procedure stalled in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee on a 4-4 vote. The bill is set to be reconsidered on May 7. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of April 27, 2012
Kaweah Delta Health Care District recently received accreditation to establish medical residency programs. Meanwhile, the California Nurses Association is planning a one-day strike at 10 Sutter Health hospitals to protest a lack of progress in contract negotiations.
Employers Say Reform Law Will Increase Health Costs, GOP Report Finds
A report by Republicans on a House committee finds that certain companies on President Obama’s jobs council expect the federal health reform law to increase their health care costs, which could lead them to drop health coverage for employees. Wall Street Journal et al.
Kaiser Permanente Officials Tout Success of Android App
This week, Kaiser Permanente officials touted the success of its Android-based mobile phone application, which the insurer released in January. Officials said that the Android app has been downloaded 94,367 times and that the insurer is preparing to release an iPhone version of the app. San Francisco Business Times‘ “Bay Area BizTalk.”
Tobacco Firms Step Up Efforts To Defeat Cigarette Tax Hike Measure
Tobacco firms have spent $21 million on efforts aimed at persuading voters to reject a June ballot measure that would raise the tobacco sales tax by $1 per pack. Most of the funding generated by the tax hike would go toward cancer research. San Jose Mercury News et al.
Poll: Most Hospital Execs Say Overhaul Will Hurt Revenue
Fifty-five percent of hospitals and health systems expect the federal health reform law to cause revenue to decline, while just 12% anticipate an increase in revenue, according to a poll by health care benefits management firm HighRoads and management consulting firm Sullivan, Cotter and Associates. According to the poll, 28% of hospitals and health systems were unsure of how the law would affect their revenue. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”