Latest California Healthline Stories
NUHW: Union Members To Hold Series of Strikes at Kaiser Permanente
The National Union of Healthcare Workers plans to hold a series of walkouts at Kaiser Permanente later this month. NUHW said the California Nurses Association will join the strikes, but CNA has not publicly confirmed its participation. San Francisco Business Times, NUHW release.
Appeals Court Dismisses Cases Challenging Health Reform Law
Yesterday, a federal appeals court in Virginia dismissed two lawsuits challenging the federal health reform law. Virginia’s attorney general filed one of the cases, and Liberty University and several individuals filed the other suit. New York Times et al.
Report: Calif. Docs Received $16.5M From Rx Industry
In 2010, California researchers and physicians received more than $16.5 million in payments from the pharmaceutical industry, according to an analysis by the not-for-profit investigative reporting organization ProPublica. Some of the payments went to academic institutions such as Stanford University, UCLA and UC-San Francisco for research purposes. In addition, hundreds of California physicians received drug industry payments for consultations and promotional presentations. Nationwide, eight drug companies doled out $220 million to physicians and researchers last year. Payers & Providers, ProPublica.
Federal Officials Charge 91 More Individuals With Medicare Fraud
Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that 91 individuals — including doctors and other health care workers — in eight cities have been charged with Medicare fraud totaling about $295 million. AP/Sacramento Bee et al.
Study: Medical Inflation Offset Gains in Income for Many U.S. Families
A new RAND study finds that higher health care costs nearly offset the average U.S. family’s income gains between 1999 and 2009. A separate RAND study finds that hospital prices were about 12% lower in metropolitan areas that have the fewest health plans. MedPage Today et al.
Legislation in Calif. Senate Targets Cost of Compounded Rx Drugs
As the end of the legislative session nears, lawmakers are trying to reach a compromise on a bill that aims to better control the costs of compounded prescription drugs. Insurers and labor groups support the measure, while physicians and pharmacists oppose it. Capitol Weekly.
San Francisco Eye Bank Aims To Fill Cornea Donation Needs
Last month, a new eye bank opened in Brisbane and has started distributing donated corneas to hospitals for transplant purposes. About 2,000 cornea transplants are performed in the San Francisco Bay Area annually, but there are only about 500 cornea donations each year partly because the region lacked a dedicated eye bank. Officials at the lab, which is operated by the Seattle-based not-for-profit SightLife, said the facility could process up to 3,000 corneas annually for patients with vision impairments. San Francisco Chronicle.
Steinberg Pushes Bill To Require Health Plans To Cover Autism Therapy
Sen. Darrell Steinberg has launched a last-minute push for a bill that would require private health plans to cover behavioral therapy for autism. The insurance industry opposes the legislation, saying it would drive up policyholders’ rates by at least $200 million. Sacramento Bee.
State Regulators Levy $650K in Fines Against 12 Calif. Hospitals
The California Department of Public Health has fined 12 hospitals for patient safety lapses that resulted or could have resulted in serious patient injury or death. Hospitals have 10 days to appeal the fines. Sacramento Business Journal et al.
Postal Service Could Default on Retiree Health Benefits
During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the U.S. Postal Service is on “the brink of a default.” Donahoe warned that if the problem is not resolved by Sept. 30, USPS will be unable to pay a $5.5 billion retiree health benefit payment due this month. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry, who also testified at the hearing, said the White House will include a financial rescue plan for USPS in its upcoming deficit-reduction package. Berry added that the Obama administration is seeking to delay the retiree benefits payment deadline by 90 days. Christian Science Monitor et al.