Latest California Healthline Stories
Editorial: AB 52 Would Lead to Overregulation, High Costs
An Orange County Register opinion piece states that the Senate Health Committee’s recent passage of a bill to boost state oversight of health insurance rates “brought California one step closer to making health care insurance, and consequently health care itself, more costly, less accessible and even more under the clumsy control of government bureaucracies.” The editorial continues that legislators “should remove government’s impediments to encourage the private sector to lower prices and expand coverage and availability,” adding, ‘We urge the full Senate to defeat AB 52.” Orange County Register.
Boehner Ends Bipartisan Budget Talks; GOP To Develop New Plan
On Saturday, House Speaker John Boehner called off efforts to work with Democrats on a $4 trillion deficit-reduction plan. Boehner said Republicans now will work on a smaller budget package that could include cuts to health programs. New York Times et al.
Entitlement Spending, Taxes Remain Key Issues in Federal Budget Talks
Entitlement spending and tax issues continue to be a wedge between Democrats and the GOP in negotiations on addressing the federal budget and deficit. After a meeting with congressional leaders, President Obama remains confident a deal can be reached. Washington Post et al.
Insurers Must Mull Benefits, Costs of Drugs, Editorial Says
A New York Times editorial states that “[m]any patients with advanced cancer must feel great relief” after CMS officials announced that Medicare will maintain coverage for the cancer treatments Avastin and Provenge, despite concerns about the drugs’ efficacy and high costs. However, the editorial continues that an “unaddressed issue … is whether public and private insurance should continue to pay the staggeringly high cost — reaching $88,000 and $93,000 in some cases — for drugs that offer modest help to the typical patient.” New York Times.
Editorial: Hefty Salary for CIRM Chief Raises Concerns
Jonathan Thomas, the new head of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, “not only makes more money than the governor, he makes twice as much as the chief of the National Institutes of Health,” a Los Angeles Times editorial states. It adds that “what especially rankles about Thomas’ big paycheck is that his hiring comes at a time when most state agencies are making radical cutbacks and when the institute itself is considering a ballot measure to ask voters for billions in new funding.” The editorial concludes that supporters of such a ballot initiative “will have a phenomenally tough sales job on their hands.” Los Angeles Times.
Calif. Attorney General Joins Brief Backing Health Reform
California Attorney General Kamala Harris has joined nine other state attorneys general in a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the constitutionality of the federal health reform law. In the brief — filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia — the attorneys general argue that the choice to purchase health insurance has a significant effect on interstate commerce because it can create risk pools, decrease medical costs nationwide and lower the cost of uncompensated care. Lake County News, Office of the Attorney General release.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of July 8, 2011
California Pacific Medical Center has offered to pay $1.1 billion in community benefits to secure San Francisco’s approval for its building projects. Meanwhile, a union is urging an investigation of whether officials are considering the sale of Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital.
California Ranks Among Less Obese States With 25% Adult Obesity Rate
A report finds that nearly a quarter of California adults are obese, making the state the 12th least obese in the U.S. Over the last 15 years, California’s adult obesity rate increased by 78% and its diabetes rate nearly doubled, according to the report. Los Angeles Times et al.
Single-Engine Aircraft Hits Hospital’s Office Building
On Thursday evening, a single-engine plane crashed into Watsonville Community Hospital’s administration building shortly after taking off from nearby Watsonville Municipal Airport. According to hospital spokesperson Cindy Weigelt, the building primarily contains physician offices and is across the street from the hospital. No patients at the hospital were affected by the incident, which killed two individuals aboard the plane. AP/San Diego Union-Tribune.
Study: Doctor-Led Hospitals Have Highest Quality Ratings
A new Social Science and Medicine study concludes that top-rated hospitals are more likely to be run by medical doctors than by business managers. The research is based on a review of the professional background of 300 leaders of top-ranked U.S. hospitals, as determined by U.S. News & World Report rankings. Overall quality scores were about 25% higher at hospitals run by physicians, compared with the other facilities. New York Times‘ “Well.”