Latest California Healthline Stories
Legal Group: Florida’s Health Reform Suit Could Hit Calif.
Timothy Sandefur of the Pacific Legal Foundation says that if one aspect of the health reform law is struck down through a Florida lawsuit, the rest of the law could be overturned because it has no severability clause. If that happens, millions of California residents would be ineligible for Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, and other coverage options in 2014. Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
Savings Required for Retiree Health Coverage Costs Declined in 2010
The amount of savings needed to cover retiree health care costs declined this year in part because of the health reform law, according to a new study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The report states that changes to Medicare drug costs contributed to the decline. Reuters.
HMO Plans Becoming More Expensive, Less Available
HMO plans are becoming more costly and less available, according to a recent analysis by the consulting firm Aon Hewitt. The analysis found that the average cost increase for HMO plans in 2011 was 9.8%, the highest in five years. Aon Hewitt also found that HMO plans will cost an average of $10,254 per person in 2011, while PPO plans will cost an average of $9,408 per person. Meanwhile, just 47% of employers offered HMO plans this year, compared with 58% in 2007, according to the analysis. New York Times‘ “Prescriptions.”
L.A. County To Use Medicaid Waiver To Stem Budget Loss
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County health officials said the five-year, $10 billion Medicaid waiver recently secured by California could help reduce the county’s projected $246 million fiscal year budget deficit by roughly $125 million. Officials said the waiver will help the county expand its health services network to prepare for implementation of the health reform law. Los Angeles Daily Breeze.
Judge Rejects Virginia School’s Lawsuit on Health Reform’s Legality
On Tuesday, a judge dismissed a lawsuit from Virginia’s Liberty University and five state residents challenging the constitutionality of the health reform law. The judge ruled that the law falls under Congress’ authority to regulate interstate commerce. Washington Post et al.
Study: Use of CT Scans Up Significantly in Hospital EDs
The use of CT scans in emergency departments increased nearly six-fold between 1995 and 2007, according to a study published in the journal Radiology. Researchers found that 13.9% of ED visits in 2007 involved a CT scan, up from 2.8% in 1995. If the trend continues, researchers predict that 20% of ED visits will involve a CT scan by 2011. HealthDay.
Brief: 5.7M Californians Lacked Access to Job-Based Coverage in ’07
A policy brief finds that about 20% of Californians who live with at least one employed person did not have access to job-based health insurance in 2007. About one-third of such residents obtained coverage elsewhere. HealthyCal, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research release.
Officials Gear Up for Law on Whooping Cough Vaccination
Officials around the state are working to notify parents and physicians of a law signed in September that requires students in grades seven through 12 at public and private schools to receive the booster shot for pertussis, or whooping cough. Officials say some challenges will be educating people that the immunization rule is a state law and not a district policy and how to document the immunization on student records. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Supreme Court Weighs Case on State’s Prison Health Conditions
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in California’s appeal of an earlier court order that required the state to reduce its inmate population to address overcrowding and improve medical and mental health care conditions. Washington Post et al.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Campaign To Expand Role of Nurses
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has started a new initiative designed to expand the role of nurses in health care. The campaign will work with AARP and five states on pilot programs to implement recommendations at local, state and national levels. Modern Healthcare et al.