Latest California Healthline Stories
California Study Finds Decline in Heart Attacks Since 1999
Between 1999 and 2008, rates for heart attack dropped by 24% in California, largely because of public prevention efforts, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which involved more than 46,000 Kaiser Permanente patients in Northern California, also found that rates for the most serious form of heart attack declined by 62% during the study period. San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of June 11, 2010
Officials at Oceanside’s Tri-City Medical Center say they plan to fire five employees and discipline a sixth for allegedly discussing patient information on Facebook. Meanwhile, Yosemite National Park is seeking bids for the operation of an urgent care center in Yosemite Valley.
First 5 L.A. To Invest $400M in Children’s Health Care
The First 5 L.A. Commission is expected to spend $400 million to $550 million in about a dozen Los Angeles communities to help improve children’s health. The effort in part aims to ensure that children are born with healthy birthweights and are able to maintain a healthy weight. The commission was created to invest tobacco tax revenue gained through Proposition 10. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
UCLA, L.A. County Get Grant To Study Public Health Issues
Health Impact Project has awarded the UCLA School of Public Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health a $300,000 grant to study how an expansion of public transportation and water conservation would affect the health of people in Los Angeles. Health Impact Project is a joint effort by the Pew Charitable Trusts and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Payers & Providers.
Fitzgerald Leads Villines in Tight GOP Contest for Insurance Commissioner
Department of Insurance attorney Brian Fitzgerald leads Assembly member Mike Villines by less than one percentage point in the race for the Republican nomination for insurance commissioner. Thousands of absentee and provisional ballots remain uncounted. Sacramento Bee et al.
Report: Mass. Retained High Coverage Levels in Recession
Massachusetts residents maintained high levels of health insurance coverage during the economic downturn, according to a new report from the Urban Institute. Using a survey conducted last fall, researchers found that 4.8% of Massachusetts adults ages 18 to 64 lacked insurance coverage, nearly the same rate as the previous year. The percentage of uninsured adults in Massachusetts has declined by 60% since 2006, when the state enacted a law designed to extend coverage to nearly all state residents. Boston Globe.
Consumer Complaints About California HMOs Up in 2009
Consumers filed 4,397 complaints against HMOs with the Department of Managed Health Care in 2009, up from 4,076 in 2008. The most complaints in 2009 were filed against Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, followed by Blue Shield of California. While complaints about claims and benefits rose only slightly in 2009, complaints about coordination of care increased by more than 22%. Payers & Providers.
Appeals Court: Only Nurses Can Give Insulin to Students
A three-judge panel of the Sacramento-based 3rd District Court of Appeal on Wednesday ruled that school employees who are not nurses cannot administer insulin to students, negating a 2007 California education regulation permitting non-nurse school personnel to do so. The American Nurses Association and California Nurses Association had challenged the regulation, while the American Diabetes Association and other groups supported it. Sacramento Bee.
Progress Stalled on ‘Extenders’ Bill; Costs Remain Top Concern
Concerns over cost are holding up Senate negotiations on the so-called “extenders” bill, which includes a substitute amendment to extend federal Medicaid assistance to states and a delay on scheduled cuts to physicians’ Medicare reimbursements. A newly introduced amendment would extend federal COBRA subsidies for unemployed U.S. residents. CQ Today et al.
CDC Report: 45M U.S. Residents Lack Dental Insurance Coverage
Yesterday, CDC released a report finding that U.S. residents with higher incomes are more likely to have dental coverage. Although the new federal health reform law requires individuals to obtain health insurance, it does not include a mandate for dental coverage. Reuters.