Latest California Healthline Stories
More Than 6,000 Enrolled in Pre-Existing Condition Plan
More than 6,000 California residents have enrolled in the state’s Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, the second-highest enrollment in the nation. The program offers coverage to U.S. citizens who have been uninsured for six months and have been denied coverage based on a pre-existing medical condition. PCIP is slated to end in January 2014, when the federal health reform law will require insurers to accept individuals regardless of pre-existing conditions. Los Angeles Times.
Editorial Calls for Stand-Alone Vision Coverage in Exchanges
Ever since the passage of the federal health reform law in 2010, the “question of how vision care will be implemented has been one big blur,” a San Jose Mercury News editorial states. It adds that HHS soon will rule on whether state health insurance exchanges should allow for stand-alone vision insurance plans, or whether vision care only will be available from comprehensive medical insurers. The editorial argues that the Obama administration should “elevate the importance of routine vision care by allowing the 13.4 million Californians and 60 million Americans who use stand-alone vision plans to retain their current eye doctors and insurance coverage.” San Jose Mercury News.
Roberts Defends Recusal Policy Amid Questions Over Reform Law Case
In a report, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said only justices can decide whether to recuse themselves from a case. Some groups have called for Justices Elena Kagan and Clarence Thomas to withdraw from a case challenging the health reform law. Washington Post et al.
Opinion: Health Reform Law ‘Is Backfiring in Its Goals’
“President Obama’s health overhaul law already is driving up health insurance costs for businesses and consumers and will inflict even higher costs on American taxpayers in the years ahead,” Grace-Marie Turner — president and founder of the Galen Institute — writes in an Orange County Register opinion piece. “The experience in Massachusetts, which passed legislation in 2006 similar to the national law, shows that costs are continuing to soar,” and the rest “of the country faces the same threat under the new law,” Turner writes, concluding, “We needed health reform, but the Affordable Care Act tried to do too much too fast and it is backfiring in its goals.” Orange County Register.
Analysis: Residents of Coachella Valley Sicker Than Other Californians
An analysis from Riverside County’s Health Assessment Resource Center finds that residents of the Coachella Valley are in poorer health than people in other parts of the state. The analysis points to higher rates of diabetes among Coachella Valley residents. California Watch.
Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Over UCLA Health System Data Breach
Attorneys have filed a class-action lawsuit against the UCLA Health System over a security breach in September that exposed data on 16,288 patients. The suit is seeking as much as $16 million in damages. Modern Healthcare.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of December 22, 2011
UnitedHealthcare and the owners of Dominican Hospital are working to reach a deal before their contract expires on Dec. 31. Meanwhile, officials at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital recently voted to extend a contract with the California Nurses Association for another year.
Editorial Calls for Standard Benefits in State Exchanges
A Los Angeles Times editorial calls the Obama administration’s proposal to allow states to determine what “essential benefits” health plans will be required to cover in state insurance exchanges “politically deft,” but it notes that “creating a patchwork of 50 different standards for health coverage would be bad policy.” The editorial states that establishing a national standard of basic coverage requirements would be difficult, but “defining essential benefits the right way — considering effectiveness as well as coverage — is crucial to controlling costs.” The editorial argues that a national standard for defining essential benefits should be implemented by the federal government as soon as possible to guarantee fair and comprehensive coverage to all U.S. residents. Los Angeles Times.
Calif. Leads U.S. in Retaining Medical School Graduates
In 2010, California had the highest retention rate for medical school graduates, according to a recent report from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Of the medical and osteopathic students who received their undergraduate medical education in California, 67.5% remained in the state to practice, the report found. Researchers noted that for all states, the median retention rate for medical school graduates increased by two percentage points in 2010. Fierce Healthcare.
Harris Calls for Clarification of State Medical Marijuana Law
On Wednesday, California Attorney General Kamala Harris wrote a letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Pérez urging lawmakers to clarify the state’s medical marijuana law. According to Harris, the law has several provisions that are open for interpretation. For example, Harris asked lawmakers to clarify whether retail marijuana dispensaries are legal, or whether individuals must obtain the drug through patient collectives. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.