Latest California Healthline Stories
California Aims To Treat Former Prison Inmates Via Medi-Cal Expansion
California is working to expand Medi-Cal three years ahead of a wider expansion called for by the federal health reform law. Former prison inmates are among those who are enrolling to receive medical and mental health care. NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
Opinion: Veto of Adult Day Health Care Bill ‘Misguided’
Ventura County Star columnist Thomas Elias writes that although Gov. Brown has “made some courageous moves at the desk where he signs and vetoes bills passed by the Legislature,” the governor has “made at least two misguided vetoes.” One of those vetoes was for a bill that “sought to replace the $169 million adult day health care program — about to be ended because of state budget cuts passed in June — with a far cheaper alternative serving only the neediest patients,” according to Elias. He notes that “there are now waiting lists for nursing home beds in some areas, which probably means a lot of patients who have been kept alive and relatively healthy and lively by ADHC will die years earlier than they otherwise would have,” adding, “Only when death rates begin to rise will we know just how destructive this veto may become.” Ventura County Star.
Blue Shield Foundation Awards $2M in Q3 Grants
Last week, Blue Shield of California Foundation announced that it is awarding $2 million in third-quarter grants, down from the $2.98 million it awarded in the same quarter last year. In total, the foundation has awarded $17.9 million in grants so far this year. San Francisco Business Times.
Opinion: Cost Issues Delaying Breast Cancer Screening Bill
Contra Costa Times columnist Tammerlin Drummond writes that cost is the “underlying issue” delaying passage of a bill that would require health care providers to inform women about the presence of high-density breast tissue, which can obscure the presence of cancerous tumors. Drummond writes that health care providers and insurers “have fought tooth and nail” against the bill, saying it would cause unnecessary panic and “could cost $20 million to private health care plans and insurers.” Drummond adds, “It is dishonest to the point of criminal to have countless women believing that mammograms will detect their breast cancer when, in fact, health providers know the opposite may be true.” Contra Costa Times.
Dentists Raise Concerns Over Effects of Reduced Medi-Cal Benefits
Dentists are expressing concern over how the state’s reduction to dental benefits for about 3 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries is affecting care. Patients are delaying care until infections require an emergency department visit or rotted teeth must be pulled, according to California dentists. Los Angeles Times.
Calif. Lawmakers OK Autism Bill, Other Health-Related Measures
As the legislative session came to a close on Friday, California lawmakers passed several health care-related bills. One of the approved measures would require private health insurers to cover an autism treatment for children. The bills now head to Gov. Brown. Los Angeles Times et al.
HHS Announces $700M Grant Effort for Community Health
Last week, HHS announced a $700 million grant program designed to help build, expand and improve community health centers nationwide. Most of the funding will be allocated to long-term projects aimed at retrofitting existing health centers. About $100 million will be reserved for new jobs at such centers. Federal officials have framed the program as a job-creating initiative to boost President Obama’s new economic and jobs stimulus proposal. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch,” Modern Healthcare.
Medicare Enrollees Benefiting From Reform Law, CMS Says
Nearly 56% of Medicare beneficiaries — or about 18.9 million individuals — received one or more no-cost preventive services this year through the end of August as a benefit of the federal health reform law, according to CMS data released last week. In addition, 1.28 million beneficiaries as of the end of July had received discounts on brand-name medications, which helped them save about $660 million on their prescription drugs. Modern Healthcare.
Physicians Among Highest-Paid Workers in UC System
In 2010, more than 4,200 University of California employees earned at least $200,000 annually, and 90% of the highly paid workers were physicians, according to new data from the UC Office of the President. UC officials noted that most of the high earners did not receive pay directly from the UC system’s general fund or tuition-based revenue. Instead, such workers drew their high salaries from medical centers, grants and other sources. Orange County Register.
State Lawmakers Discuss Possible Partnerships for Health Plan Exchanges
HHS officials and state lawmakers have started discussing possible partnerships that would allow the federal government to help states implement health insurance exchanges. Roughly a dozen states have made significant strides toward launching an exchange. Washington Post et al.