Latest California Healthline Stories
States Expand or Sustain CHIP, Medicaid Access Despite Budget Deficits
In 2010, nearly all states expanded or maintained eligibility in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study. The study says stimulus package funding helped many states sustain coverage. Modern Healthcare et al.
Tobacco Tax Ballot Measure On Tap for Next State Election
A measure to raise the tobacco tax by $1 per pack to fund cancer research and smoking cessation programs has qualified for the ballot for the next statewide election. The measure would raise an estimated $500 million annually. The next statewide election is scheduled for February 2012, but lawmakers could call a special election in June. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
Institute of Medicine To Advise HHS on ‘Essential Health Benefits’ Rules
The Institute of Medicine is planning a closed-door meeting and public briefing to define “essential health benefits” under the federal health reform law. The effort is designed to help HHS set insurance requirements for medical equipment and services. CQ HealthBeat.
Brown Unveils Budget Plan With Extensive Spending Reductions
Yesterday, Gov. Brown released a budget plan that includes broad cuts to Healthy Families, In-Home Supportive Services and other health programs. The governor also aims to shift administration of some state programs to counties. San Francisco Chronicle et al.
CBO Releases New Estimates on Bill To Repeal Reform Law
On Friday, the Congressional Budget Office released additional details on projections for GOP legislation that would repeal the federal health reform law, estimating the repeal bill would reduce revenue by $770 billion through 2021 and cut spending by $540 billion during that period. The latest figures maintain CBO’s previous estimate that the repeal bill would increase the federal deficit by $230 billion over 10 years. The Hill‘s “Floor Action Blog.”
Single-Payer Advocates Push Legislature To Address Issue
On Monday, advocates rallied at the state Capitol in support of a single-payer health care model, which would effectively eliminate the health insurance industry and consolidate health plans into one system administered by the government. The Legislature passed universal health care measures in 2006 and 2008, but then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bills. Gov. Brown backed a single-payer system when he ran for president in 1992. KALW’s “Crosscurrents.”
Medi-Cal Faces $1.7B in Funding Cuts Under Brown’s Budget Plan
Gov. Brown’s newly released budget proposal includes $1.7 billion in cuts to Medi-Cal. The plan would increase mandatory copayments for program beneficiaries and impose annual limits on physician visits and monthly limits on prescriptions. Contra Costa Times et al.
More Young People Residing in Nursing Home Facilities
About 203,000 nursing home residents — or roughly one in seven residents — are under age 65, according to an analysis of CMS statistics. The data indicate that the number of residents under age 65 has risen by 22% over the previous eight years. The rise could be partially attributed to the shuttering of mental health facilities and medical advances that have prolonged the lives of younger patients with traumatic injuries, stroke or diseases such as multiple sclerosis. AP/San Diego Union-Tribune.
Bayer HealthCare, UCSF Sign Pact for Research Projects
The pharmaceutical arm of Bayer HealthCare has signed a master agreement to collaborate with UC-San Francisco on various research projects. On Monday, Bayer opened its U.S. Innovation Center in San Francisco. San Francisco Business Times.
Kaiser Permanente To Enact Court-Ordered Pay Raises
In December, an administrative law judge ruled that Kaiser Permanente violated federal labor law when it withheld pay raises and other benefits from employees who voted last year to leave the Service Employees International Union for the National Union of Healthcare Workers. About 2,300 Kaiser workers in Southern California will start receiving pay raises this month. Sacramento Business Journal.