Latest California Healthline Stories
San Diego County Has Highest Growth in Vaccine Exemption
San Diego County saw a higher increase than any other county in the state last year in the number of incoming kindergartners who received philosophical exemptions from state vaccine requirements, according to a review by the Watchdog Institute. More than 1,300 San Diego County students received exemptions in 2010, up by more than 200 from 2009. The review found that half of the kindergarteners who received exemptions are enrolled in only 10% of the schools. Saad Omer — an infectious diseases epidemiologist at Emory University — said the clusters of exemptions could increase the risk of spreading vaccine-preventable diseases at the local level. San Diego Union-Tribune.
Editorial: State Must Review Vaccine Exemption Provision
California offers exemptions for children’s vaccinations if parents declare that it “is contrary to their personal beliefs,” a Los Angeles Times editorial states. “[I]f those children get sick, they put many others at risk, including those who cannot be immunized for medical reasons, who don’t respond to vaccines or who aren’t old enough to be inoculated,” the editorial adds. The Times continues that “[p]ublic health depends on ‘herd immunity’ — the inoculation of enough people to keep a disease from the larger community.” Therefore, California “should be re-examining the personal belief exemption” because it “should not be so easy for relatively few people to jeopardize the health of many others.” Los Angeles Times.
Insurance Regulators Warn of Loophole in Reform Law
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has warned the Office of Personnel Management that language in the federal health reform law could put multistate insurance plans at an advantage over smaller plans. In 2014, OPM will contract with at least two health plans that will be sold in every state health insurance exchange. According to NAIC, the law’s language could create two sets of rules: one for the multistate plans and one for other plans. For instance, the language could be interpreted as exempting multistate plans from additional consumer protections imposed by states, NAIC said. HealthLeaders Media.
Reform Law Does Not Allocate Funding for Federal Health Exchange
The federal health reform law includes substantial funding to help states create health insurance exchanges, but it does not allocate money for the creation of a federal exchange system. Experts say HHS will need to take creative approaches to finance a federal system. Politico.
Prison Officials Expect State Will Meet Goal To Reduce Overcrowding
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has filed papers saying it expects to meet court-imposed deadlines to reduce prison overcrowding. Federal judges said overcrowding was negatively affecting inmate health care. San Jose Mercury News et al.
Group Pushes To Require Condoms in L.A. Adult Films
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is leading a campaign to put a measure on Los Angeles’ June 2012 ballot that would require adult film performers to use condoms in order to receive Los Angeles city permits. The group needs to submit a petition with at least 41,138 signatures by Dec. 23 to place the measure on the ballot. The Los Angeles City Council in May voted unanimously against mandating the use of condoms as a condition for receiving permits for adult films. Instead, the council urged state and county officials to allow them to do so. Los Angeles Times.
HHS Officials To Unveil Standard Form Detailing Health Plan Information
Today, HHS officials are expected to propose a standard form to offer consumers information about health insurance policies. HHS will finalize the form after an open comment period and will start requiring health insurers to use the form in March 2012. Wall Street Journal.
Coachella Valley Water District, Workers Strike Deal
On Aug. 9, the Coachella Valley Water District and the Service Employees International Union Local 721 ratified a new two-year contract for CVWD workers. Under the contract, employees will receive a 2% salary increase each contract year. Current employees will pay 2% toward their CalPERS retirement benefit this year and an additional 2% next year, while new hires will pay 8%. Previously, the district covered the entire 8% for employees. The eligibility requirement for retiree health benefits has increased from 10 years to 15 years of employment for new hires. The new contract requires eligible retirees to pay about 20% of their retirement medical premiums, as well as 20% of any future cost increases in the health plan. Previously, CVWD covered 100% of retirees’ medical premiums. Palm Springs Desert Sun.
Low-Income Residents Unsure of Effects From Federal Health Reform
A study from the Public Policy Institute of California finds that many uninsured, low-income Californians are uncertain about how the federal health reform law will affect them. The study also finds people are concerned that expanding Medi-Cal could burden health care providers. HealthyCal.
Opinion: Medicare Spending Panel Should Be Scrapped
In an Orange County Register opinion piece, Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, writes, “Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are coming together to oppose” the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was created under the federal health reform law. She notes that the 15-expert board “will be tasked with making binding recommendations to reduce Medicare per capita spending if costs exceed defined targets, beginning in 2014.” Turner argues that “the IPAB will have the power to stifle innovation and harm seniors’ access to medical care.” She concludes that as “lawmakers look for ways to make Medicare sustainable for the future, … [t]he first step is to scrap the IPAB, with its government-appointed experts and their top-down, centralized control over Medicare.” Orange County Register.