Latest California Healthline Stories
Brown Administration Says Calif. Will Proceed With Health Reform
Yesterday, California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Diana Dooley said the state will continue working to implement health reform, even if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act. Sacramento Bee, Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
UC-Berkeley Assesses ACO Preparedness of Safety-Net Providers
UC-Berkeley surveyed Alameda and Orange county safety-net health care providers to evaluate their readiness to participate in accountable care organizations. The survey examined readiness in multiple categories, including performance reporting. Modern Healthcare, UC-Berkeley survey.
California Working To Address Drop in Child Vaccination
The percentage of fully vaccinated kindergarteners in California has decreased from 92.9% in 2004 to 90.7% in 2010. In response to a growing number of state residents exempting their children from required immunizations, public health departments are launching campaigns promoting vaccinations and lawmakers are taking steps to make it more difficult to receive exemptions. HealthyCal.
High Court Wraps Up Hearings on Federal Health Reform Law Case
During the final day of hearings in the case challenging the health reform law, Supreme Court justices questioned both sides about the severability of the individual mandate and whether the law’s Medicaid expansion is coercive. Washington Post et al.
Columnist Weighs Health Care Reform Without Mandate
According to several experts and lawmakers, if the U.S. Supreme Court decides that the individual mandate is unconstitutional ”some elements of Obamacare would presumably be able to stand, but the potency of the law would be significantly diminished,” Orange County Register columnist Brian Calle writes. Orange County Register.
House Rejects Several Alternative Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Proposals
Yesterday, the House voted 382-38 to reject a bipartisan budget plan that was introduced as an alternative to Rep. Paul Ryan’s fiscal year 2013 budget blueprint and unanimously voted down a proposal based on President Obama’s $3.6 trillion budget plan. AP/U-T San Diego et al.
Lawmaker Shelves Bill To Restrict Food Trucks in State
On Wednesday, Assembly member Bill Monning said he did not have the votes necessary to pass a bill that would have prohibited food trucks from operating within 500 feet of a campus from breakfast until dinner time on days when students are in class. Monning said he will continue to focus on addressing the sale of unhealthy food to children and that he will meet with supporters to develop an alternative measure. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
Opinion: House GOP Budget Plan ‘Would End Medicare’
In a Sacramento Bee opinion piece, U.S. Rep. John Garamendi argues that the House Republican fiscal year 2013 budget blueprint “would end Medicare” by allowing seniors to “choose between using a capped coupon to purchase private insurance or stick with traditional Medicare.” He writes, “Make no mistake, if this plan ever becomes law, it will mark Medicare’s death by a thousand coupons.” Sacramento Bee.
Lawmakers Consider Workers’ Compensation Rules at Recent Hearing
California lawmakers recently examined rules governing the workers’ compensation system. Stakeholders have criticized rules enacted in 2004 for too tightly controlling medical care and not providing adequate compensation to workers. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
California Teachers Association Gives $1.5M to Tax Hike Compromise
The California Teachers Association has donated $1.5 million to support a compromise tax hike initiative developed by Gov. Brown and backers of the “Millionaires Tax.” The donation is the largest reported thus far for the compromise plan. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”