Latest California Healthline Stories
Survey: Most Californians Back Local Taxation Power
About 58% of California voters would support a change in state law to let residents approve local taxes on cigarettes, liquor, sweetened beverages and oil extraction, according to a survey by the Los Angeles Times and the University of Southern California’s Dornsife College of Arts and Letters. After researchers presented the survey respondents with arguments on both sides of the tax debate, support for new local tax powers dropped slightly to 55%. Los Angeles Times.
Governor Signs Measure Extending Deadline To Obtain Pertussis Vaccine
Gov. Brown has signed a bill extending by 30 days the deadline for schools to require proof that students have received the vaccine for whooping cough. More than one million students have yet to provide proof of receiving the inoculation. Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle.
Analysis: Hospital Chain Admission Rates Higher Than State Averages
Compared with other California hospitals, Prime Healthcare Services has higher rates of hospital admissions among Medicare beneficiaries who have been treated in emergency departments, according to an analysis of state data and court testimony. California Watch.
Clinics Help Increase Access to Pediatric Dental Services
Clinics such as the new Children’s Dental Center of Sunnyvale are helping to increase access to pediatric dental care among low-income populations. In Alameda County, many dentists do not accept government-subsidized insurance programs such as Denti-Cal, the dental benefit under Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Dental clinics — which typically receive lower reimbursement rates for Denti-Cal than for private insurance — often receive funding support from larger health care organizations or philanthropic foundations. San Jose Mercury News.
San Mateo Could Raise Nurse Pay, Police Health Care Costs
On Tuesday, the San Mateo County board of supervisors is slated to consider a pair of contracts with nurse and sheriff unions. Under an agreement with the California Nurses Association, the county’s 340 union-member nurses would receive a 3% annual raise over the next three years. Under the agreement with the sheriff sergeants union, members would receive a 3% raise in fiscal year 2015 but also would have to cover 15% of their health care premium costs, up from 10% previously. San Jose Mercury News.
Medicare Spending on Hospice Rising Among Nursing Home Residents
An HHS audit finds that Medicare spending on hospice care for nursing home residents increased by 69% between 2005 and 2009, attributing the rising spending primarily to increased Medicare enrollment and longer periods of hospice care. Kaiser Health News‘ “Capsules.”
Schools Struggling To Comply With Whooping Cough Vaccine Statute
More than one million California students have not received a vaccination for whooping cough. State law requires the inoculation for students entering grades seven through 12, though Gov. Brown could approve a bill to extend the compliance deadline. San Francisco Chronicle.
Lawmakers Working To Avoid Default as Budget Talks Remain Stalled
Negotiations on federal budget and debt-limit proposals ground to a halt on Friday after House Speaker John Boehner said he was abandoning the talks. Republicans and Democrats are said to be working independently on proposals to avoid a federal default. Politico et al.
Report: Health Care M&A Activity Could Set Record
In the second quarter of 2011, a total of $73.7 billion was spent on 243 mergers and acquisitions in the health care industry, according to an Irving Levin Associates report. The report projected that total spending on M&As in the health care sector in 2011 could approach the $250 billion mark on about 950 deals, which would be a record on dollars spent on M&A in the industry. Cardiovascular Business, Hartford Business Journal.
Editorial Urges Compliance With Pertussis Vaccine Law
A bill before Gov. Brown would give “parents a bit more breathing room to get their children inoculated against whooping cough,” a Stockton Record editorial states. The measure would give schools a 30-day grace period to enforce a state law requiring students entering grades seven through 12 to obtain a booster shot for whooping cough, or pertussis. The editorial states that such an extension, “assuming it is signed by the governor, should not be seen as an excuse to ignore the law.” The editorial concludes, “Protection is available. Get the shot.” Stockton Record.