Latest California Healthline Stories
Americans Less Certain on Ability To Pay for Health Care Services
U.S. residents are more pessimistic about their ability to access and pay for health care services, according to a new Thomson Reuters survey. The poll found that consumer confidence has declined since December 2009. Reuters, Thomson Reuters release.
Modoc County Residents Will Vote on Tax To Fund Hospital
At the end of this month, residents of Modoc County in northeastern California will vote whether to increase property taxes to provide about $3 million annually to Modoc Medical Center, the county’s sole medical facility. The hospital is the largest employer in the area but is struggling financially, and residents worry about possible repercussions if the facility closes. NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
Medi-Cal Payments for Clinics on Hold During State Budget Stalemate
As early as next week, many health centers and community clinics will stop receiving Medi-Cal reimbursements after a $2 billion reserve fund dried up. Affected programs will not receive payment until lawmakers approve a budget for the current fiscal year. Sacramento Bee et al.
San Diego Officials To Offer No-Cost Pertussis Vaccines
San Diego County health officials have scheduled no-cost vaccination clinics for pertussis, or whooping cough, at several locations in the county in response to the growing number of infections. So far this year, 384 whooping cough cases have been confirmed in the county. Statewide, about 3,000 individuals have contracted the infection, according to the state Department of Public Health. The vaccination clinics will target Hispanic residents, who are at higher risk of the disease. San Diego Union-Tribune.
CIRM To Provide $243M To Fund ‘Disease Teams’
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will provide up to $243 million to fund 14 “disease teams” that will try to set up clinical trials for treatments based on stem cell research. The research is expected to focus on cures for diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes, and for spinal cord injuries. San Francisco Business Times.
CMS: Beneficiaries To Pay Slightly More for Rx Drugs
CMS officials have announced that beneficiaries of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program will pay an average monthly premium of $30 in 2011, up from $29 in 2010. Officials said premiums will rise by only $1 because cost increases were offset by more frequent use of generic medications. The estimate does not represent 2011’s base premium of $32.34 but instead assumes that some Part D beneficiaries will switch to less costly plans next year. AP/Boston Globe et al.
Insurance Association Files Suit Over New Anti-Rescission Rules
The Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies is challenging new state regulations that took effect this week. The new rules aim to make it harder for insurers to rescind members’ health coverage. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Enrollment in High-Risk Insurance Pools Off to Slow Start Nationwide
About 1,200 individuals have been approved to receive health coverage through regional high-risk insurance pools mandated under the health reform law. Officials have estimated that as many as 200,000 people will enroll in the pools by 2013. Kaiser Health News/NPR et al.
State Moving Ahead on Worker Restrictions for In-Home Care Program
State officials are gearing up to enact new rules barring individuals with certain convictions from working as caregivers in the In-Home Supportive Services program. The state is appealing an earlier court decision that sided against the new IHSS rules. San Francisco Chronicle.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of August 20, 2010
Nurses at Citrus Valley Medical Center recently filed a petition seeking to decertify the California Nurses Association as their representative union. Meanwhile, an expansion project at Stanford Hospital is set to move forward next year after clearing a public comment period.