Latest California Healthline Stories
Physician Files Lawsuit Against 1-800-GET-THIN President for I.D. Theft
An anesthesiologist is claiming that the president of the 1-800-GET-THIN marketing firm stole the physician’s identity to establish a corporation that billed insurers for anesthesia administered during Lap-Band procedures. The executive has denied any wrongdoing. Los Angeles Times.
UCLA School of Public Health Receives $50M Donation
On Thursday, the UCLA School of Public Health announced that it received a $50 million donation from Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director and UCLA professor Jonathan Fielding and his wife Karin Fielding. The gift is the largest donation ever given to UCLA. The School of Public Health will be renamed the UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health. AP/San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times‘ “L.A. Now.”
10 Counties Expand Access to Health Care for Low-Income Residents
A group of 10 counties has expanded access to health coverage for hundreds of thousands of low-income residents through California’s Bridge to Reform program, which seeks to prepare the state for the implementation of federal health reform law provisions. Los Angeles Times.
Bond Agency Says Calif. Counting on Unreliable Tobacco Funds
The state has borrowed billions against anticipated revenue it may never receive from a decade-old tobacco settlement. The settlement funds are linked to tobacco sales, which have dropped quicker than officials predicted as a result of tobacco tax hikes and antismoking laws. California Watch.
Report Says Brown’s Pension Plan Could Aid Cities, Schools
Although Gov. Brown’s pension reform plan is unlikely to significantly reduce state spending, it could generate savings for city governments, public agencies and schools, according to a CalPERS analysis released last week. Brown’s plan would transfer newly hired workers to “hybrid” plans that combine guaranteed payouts with a 401(k)-style component. Orange County Register‘s “OC Watchdog.”
More Hospitals Asking Patients To Pay Before Receiving Routine Care
More hospital emergency departments are asking patients with non-urgent ailments to pay an upfront fee before they can receive medical care. Some hospital executives say the fees help reduce ED overcrowding and improve overall efficiency. Kaiser Health News/Washington Post.
Many Hospitalizations Avoidable With Primary, Preventive Care
New data released by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development show that 335,000 adult hospitalizations could have been prevented in 2009 if residents had better access to primary health care and prevention programs. California Watch.
Amendment for Biennial State Budget Receives $2 Million
On Thursday, a committee seeking to place a constitutional amendment requiring the state to adopt a two-year, performance-based budget cycle on the November ballot received $2 million in donations. The group reported a $1.2 million donation from an organization led by billionaire investor Nicolas Berggruen and an $883,567 donation from the not-for-profit government reform group California Forward. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
San Diego Health Care Jobs Will Increase, Forecast Says
San Diego County’s employment rate will see moderate but accelerating growth through 2013, in part because of more hirings in the health care sector, according to the latest projections from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. Growth in area health care jobs will be fueled largely by the implementation of the federal health reform law, the report predicts. U-T San Diego.
Column Touts Effort To Boost Health Plan Rate Regulation
By continuing to increase premiums, health insurers “are demonstrating that they care more about their bottom lines than their policyholders,” Wendell Potter — iWatch News columnist and former Cigna executive — writes in an iWatch News column. Therefore, Potter writes, it is “all the more imperative” for California voters to support a proposed ballot measure that would allow the state insurance commissioner to reject excessive health insurance rate hikes. iWatch News.