Latest California Healthline Stories
Bill Aims To Boost Consumer Access to Hospital Cost Data
California lawmakers returned from their recent recess to consider a slew of bills, including several measures related to health care. AB 2389, by Assembly member Ted Gaines, aims to provide more information to health insurance policyholders about the costs of hospital visits. KQED’s “California Report.”
Programs Aiding Residents With Disabilities Face Cuts
At least 17 states have reduced funding for programs to assist residents with disabilities, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. California is considering reducing funding for home care aides for disabled individuals. Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, states are required to provide services for residents with disabilities, but Medicaid rules require states to pay only for nursing home care, not home-based care. USA Today.
Report Recommends Greater Oversight of Medicaid Payments
More federal oversight is necessary to ensure that Medicaid is issuing accurate payments to private insurers, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. The report found that payments to managed care programs are rarely reviewed. Reuters et al.
Advocates Call for New Independent Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office
A group of eldercare advocates and local ombudsmen are touting the benefits of replacing the appointed statewide long-term care ombudsman post with an independent entity that they say would be better positioned to speak out on behalf of seniors. California Watch Blog.
Analysts Unsure if Dems’ Budget Would Hike Taxes
On Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers unveiled a budget plan that would adjust how California residents are taxed, but analysts are not certain whether the proposal would raise or lower taxes. Democratic data show that residents would face lower tax burdens in 2011 compared with 2010 levels, but officials with the Department of Finance say that residents already were set to pay less next year because of reduced sales and income taxes and license fees. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office and the Franchise Tax Board have yet to weigh in on the issue. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
Kaiser Permanente Provides $13M in Grants Nationwide
Kaiser Permanente has given out $13 million in grants during the second quarter to fund programs on access to healthy food, combating childhood obesity and expanding access to care for underinsured individuals. Kaiser provided the funding through 700 grants. San Francisco Business Times.
CDC Awards $42M To Bolster HIV/AIDS Prevention Efforts
On Tuesday, CDC awarded $42 million in grants to 133 community-based organizations to support HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. The awards target high-risk populations, such as blacks, Hispanics, men who have sex with men and injection drug users, according to CDC. The average award is about $323,000 annually for five years. The Hill‘s “Healthwatch.”
Opinion Pieces Offer Opposing Views on Dems’ Budget Plan
The Democratic budget proposal released on Tuesday is a “balanced, fair and creative solution to closing” the state’s budget deficit, compared with the governor and GOP lawmakers’ insistence “on an exclusively ideological approach” that would cut “critical services for vulnerable children, the disabled and the elderly,” Assembly Speaker John Perez and Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg write in a Sacramento Bee opinion piece. Meanwhile, Assembly Minority Leader Martin Garrick and Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth write in the Bee that the Democratic plan would “irresponsibly raise income, gas and car taxes” and is “effectively dead on arrival.” Sacramento Bee.
S.F. Supervisors Hear Input on Alcohol Fee To Fund Health Programs
Yesterday, a San Francisco Board of Supervisors budget panel held a hearing on a proposal to impose a fee on alcoholic beverages. If approved, the fee would help cover health costs associated with alcohol misuse. San Francisco Chronicle, NPR’s “Morning Edition.“
Report: Mortality Rate Declines in L.A. County, but Disparities Persist
Los Angeles County’s mortality rate decreased significantly between 1998 and 2007, according to a report from the county Department of Public Health. The report also highlights health disparities among certain racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Los Angeles Times.