Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Opinion Piece Warns Against Adult Day Health Care Cuts

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to eliminate the state’s 312 Adult Day Health Centers as a way to reduce spending by $135 million ultimately will end up costing the state and have a “devastating impact on thousands of Californians,” Castulo de la Rocha, president and CEO of AltaMed Health Services, a not-for-profit network of clinics in California, writes in a Capitol Weekly opinion piece. De la Rocha notes that a recent Lewin Group analysis found that the proposal would cost the state $51 million within the first year of the program’s elimination and $72 million within 10 years. De la Rocha urges lawmakers to “look elsewhere to solve the state’s budget problems.” Capitol Weekly.

California Has Highest Drop in Teen Pregnancy Rate

The rate of teenage pregnancies in California decreased by 52% between 1992 and 2005, marking the largest decline of any state, according to findings from the Guttmacher Institute. In 1992, there were 157 pregnancies for every 1,000 girls and women ages 15 to 19 — at the time the highest rate in the U.S. — compared with 75 pregnancies among that age group in 2005. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”

Some Provisions of Reform Law Exclude Tricare Plans

A provision of the federal health reform law that requires insurers to cover members’ children until they turn 26 largely does not apply to Tricare, the medical insurance program for military members and their families. House and Senate lawmakers have proposed legislation that would expand Tricare coverage to young adults who are not eligible for coverage through an employer. Washington Post.

Parkview Hospital at Risk of Losing Medicare Funding

CMS officials sent a letter earlier this month warning leaders at Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center in Riverside that it would halt Medicare reimbursements around Aug. 13 if the hospital does not address surgical problems found earlier this year. The hospital was scheduled to submit a correction plan by May 23, but Parkview CEO Doug Drumwright said the hospital received a deadline extension. Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Columnist: Unions Could Thwart Anti-Seizure Drug Bill

Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez argues that unions’ hidden agenda could jeopardize a bill (SB 1051) that “would allow non-medical campus personnel to administer a life-saving drug to children who suffer seizures.” He writes, “To make their true agenda, which is to protect nursing jobs and avoid additional duties for teachers, the unions argue that a seizure is too serious a matter to be handled by non-medical staff.” Los Angeles Times.

Young Adults To Benefit From Health Reform, Report Finds

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund finds that millions of young adults stand to benefit from the new health reform law because of provisions that allow them to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26, expand Medicaid eligibility and offer subsidies for insurance through new exchanges. According to the Commonwealth Fund, nearly 14 million U.S. residents between ages 19 and 29 were uninsured in 2008, and a spike in unemployment within the age group likely has pushed the rates even higher. New York Times, Washington Post.

Report: Reform’s Tax Credit Could Affect Hiring Practices

Tax credits included in the federal health reform law designed to encourage small businesses to provide health coverage to employees could have an adverse effect on hiring practices, according to a report from the National Center for Policy Analysis. The report predicts that the tax credit might discourage some small businesses from hiring more workers because companies would be ineligible for the tax credit once they reach a certain number of employees. The Hill‘s “On the Money.”