Latest California Healthline Stories
Federal Prosecutors Target Medical Pot Dispensaries
On Thursday, federal prosecutors in California sent letters to the landlords and owners of more than a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries statewide warning them that they have 45 days to close their stores or they will face criminal charges and seizure of their property. The letters noted that even though medical marijuana is legal under a 1996 state law, the dispensaries are in violation of federal drug laws. At a news conference on Friday, the state’s four U.S. attorneys are expected to release more details about their crackdown on marijuana dispensaries. In June, the Department of Justice issued a policy memo to federal prosecutors stating that dispensaries and licensed growers in states with medical marijuana laws, such as California, could face prosecution for violating federal law. AP/Orange County Register, San Diego Union-Tribune.
Opinion: Brown Should Sign Autism Care Coverage Bill
In a Capitol Weekly opinion piece, Peter Bell — executive vice president for programs and services at Autism Speaks — argues that legislation to require health insurers to cover applied behavioral analysis treatment for children with autism “provides a much-needed solution for families and California taxpayers, while shielding insurers from unreasonable financial exposure.” Bell writes, “Autism has become a public health crisis and an economic drain on limited state resources, which is why policymakers across the country are listening,” adding that for “the thousands of California families struggling to pay for their children’s care, SB 946 would be a positive step that is long-overdue.” He concludes, “Rather than pit taxpayers against health insurers, Governor Brown needs to do what’s right for California’s children and sign SB 946.” Capitol Weekly.
Study Finds Decline in Accessibility of U.S. Trauma Care Centers
A new Health Affairs study finds that nearly one-quarter of U.S. residents had to travel farther in 2007 than in 2001 to access the nearest trauma center. According to the study, about 30% of trauma centers in the U.S. closed between 1990 and 2005. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Nurses Union Files Complaint Against Sutter Over Lockout
On Tuesday, the California Nurses Association-National Nurses United filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that Sutter Health violated federal labor laws by blocking nurses from returning to work after last month’s one-day strike. Sutter said the nurses were locked out because the health system already had signed multi-day contracts with external companies that brought in replacement nurses during the strike. San Francisco Chronicle et al.
S.F. Mayor Forms Task Force on Health Care Law Loophole
On Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced the formation of a task force to close a loophole in a city mandate requiring employers to provide funds for employees’ health care costs. The loophole allows employers to recoup any unused health care contributions within a year. Lee’s announcement comes one day after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave preliminarily approval to a measure to strengthen the mandate. The task force will include business and labor officials, low-wage employees, city public health representatives and eight San Francisco supervisors. San Francisco Chronicle.
Schools Working Toward Full Compliance With Vaccine Law
All students in the Castro Valley and San Leandro school districts have complied with a new state law requiring students in grades seven through 12 to receive immunizations for pertussis, or whooping cough. More than 99% of students in the Fremont and Hayward districts have provided proof of vaccination, with 41 Fremont students not in compliance and 65 Hayward students not in compliance. Education officials said they are working to get all districts in 100% compliance with the law. Oakland Tribune.
‘Chain of Events’ Led to Patient Data Breach at Stanford Hospital
New details have emerged about how the information of 20,000 patients at Stanford Hospital & Clinics ended up on a public website for nearly a year. A billing subcontractor sent a spreadsheet with patient data to a job applicant as part of a pre-employment exercise. New York Times.
OSHPD Hands Out $2.6M for Residency Programs in Family Practice Care
The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development is providing $2.6 million to support residency programs that train family practice physicians. The grants, which were awarded to 26 programs, range from about $50,000 to more than $200,000. Payers & Providers.
Health Affairs Blog: Standards Vital for Online Medical Data
In a Health Affairs blog post, Maribeth Shannon — director of the California HealthCare Foundation’s market and policy monitor program — writes that “in spite of an explosion of available online health care quality information, U.S. consumers, who are more frequently researching simple decisions online, have been reluctant to adopt the same behaviors to research their health care options.” Shannon adds that “there is need for greater standardization in quality reporting, as well as standardized means of making this information more accessible to health care consumers.” She concludes, “If we are expecting consumers to play a critical role in choosing the best path [for their health care], we must help them better navigate the twists in the road, providing them with easily understandable roadmaps.” Health Affairs‘ “Health Affairs Blog.”
Opinion: Rate Regulation Bill Would Not Fix Cost Problem
In a Bakersfield Californian opinion piece, Patrick Johnston — president of the California Association of Health Plans — writes that a bill to let California regulators block health insurance rate hikes is “a misguided attempt to control health care costs by artificially suppressing insurance premiums.” He adds that “it’s clear to see that rate regulation is bad public policy that is fraught with unavoidable, unintended consequences.” According to Johnston, the bill would “[h]inder patients’ access to medical care,” set up “a costly and duplicative new bureaucracy” and “[i]ncrease costs for consumers.” Bakersfield Californian.