Latest California Healthline Stories
Kaiser IT Professionals Agree To Unionize With SEIU-UHW
Last week, about 500 information technology employees of Kaiser Permanente agreed to join the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. More than half of the workers signed cards in support of the representation, which was certified by the National Labor Relations Board. Modern Healthcare.
Analysis Sees Disparities in Health Benefits Given to City Officials in Calif.
A Los Angeles Times analysis finds significant disparities in the level of health benefits offered to elected city officials in California. According to the analysis, some of the state’s smallest cities offer some of the most generous medical benefits to their officials. Los Angeles Times.
Opinion Piece Warns Against ‘Harmful’ Rate Regulation Bill
State lawmakers are “trying to pass a harmful bill that could seriously reduce the access that patients have to physicians,” George Ma — president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association — writes in a Capitol Weekly opinion piece. AB 52 would let regulators reject health insurers’ proposed rate increases. Ma discusses the California Health Benefit Exchange and the federal health reform law’s requirement that insurers spend “80 to 85 cents out of every $1 in premiums” on medical care. He argues, “We should give [the exchange and the insurance rule] time to work before agreeing to spend up to $30 million more per year … to erect vast new bureaucracies to implement AB 52.” Capitol Weekly.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of June 30, 2011
By next summer, John Muir Health aims to create an accountable care organization to link its Concord and Walnut Creek facilities with its physician network. Meanwhile, St. Bernardine Medical Center is closing its 20-bed pediatric unit to cut costs and improve efficiency.
Overlap Between Medicare, Medicaid Leads to High Costs
Providing medical care and services to the 9.7 million U.S. residents who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare results in mismanagement and unnecessary spending, according to some federal health officials. Melanie Bella, a CMS official who oversees the two programs, said Medicare and Medicaid were “never designed to work together.” Meanwhile, other officials and health care professionals say it is common for the two programs to shift patient costs to one another, raising overall spending. Wall Street Journal.
Opening of UC-Riverside Medical School Put On Hold
The opening of a medical school at UC-Riverside will be postponed because the state budget passed this week does not include funding for the school. Officials from the university and Riverside County, and area lawmakers say they will work to secure accreditation and funding for the school with the goal of opening it in fall 2013. Riverside Press-Enterprise, Palm Springs Desert Sun.
Appeals Court Upholds Health Reform Law’s Insurance Mandate
Yesterday, a federal appeals court ruled the health reform law’s requirement that individuals buy insurance is constitutional. With nearly two dozen cases against the reform law pending, the decision is the first by a mid-level court. New York Times et al.
Medi-Cal To Face Hit From End of Stimulus Funding, Budget Cuts
Billions of dollars in federal stimulus funds for Medi-Cal are scheduled to run out on Friday. Meanwhile, state officials are awaiting federal approval for about $1.4 billion in Medi-Cal cuts that would make up part of the budget package for the new fiscal year. San Francisco Chronicle.
Report: Ryan’s Medicaid Proposal Would Affect California Jobs, Revenue
A Families USA report finds that California could lose up to 187,690 jobs and $24.4 billion in business activity if Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicaid plan were enacted. Under Ryan’s proposal, states would receive annual block grants for Medicaid. New America Media, Stockton Record.
Concerns Rising Over Costs, Misuse of Hospice Services
As more Medicare beneficiaries turn to hospice care at the end of their lives, concerns are rising about the cost and potential misuse of such programs. Hospice services have become more popular in recent years, with Medicare’s costs for hospice care increasing from $2.9 billion in 2000 to more than $12 billion in 2009. Although hospice care is designed to benefit patients with barely six months to live, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has found that 19% of patients now remain in hospice care for longer periods of time. Kaiser Health News/New York Times.