Latest California Healthline Stories
Arizona Reinstates Funds for Medicaid, Kids’ Health Care
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law a bill that will restore funding for the state’s Medicaid program and KidsCare, its Children’s Health Insurance Program. Last month, Arizona lawmakers approved a plan to eliminate KidsCare and reduce Medicaid coverage in an effort to address the state’s budget deficit. By reinstating those funds, the new law will allow Arizona to qualify for federal matching funds under the health reform law. Modern Healthcare.
Annual Event Offers No-Cost Eye Surgeries for Uninsured
Last week, volunteers at Kaiser Permanente’s Eye Surgery Center in Rancho Cordova performed no-cost cataract surgeries for 19 area residents. The surgery center launched the annual event 15 years ago as part of an effort to provide vision surgery for low-income and uninsured residents. Sacramento Bee.
HHS Releases Rules on Young Adults’ Health Coverage Under Reform
Yesterday, HHS issued proposed rules for a provision in the new health reform law that allows young adults to remain on their parents’ health plans up to age 26. Several insurers have pledged to comply with the provision before it takes effect on Sept. 23. New York Times et al.
Senate Subcommittee Blocks $41.6M Plan To Reduce IHSS Fraud
A Senate budget panel has refused to authorize expenditures for a project that aims to reduce fraud in the In-Home Supportive Services program by fingerprinting and photographing beneficiaries. The plan would have cost $41.6 million over seven years. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
Cuts to California Breast Cancer Screening Effort Spur Service Reductions
After California officials froze enrollment and raised age eligibility requirements for the state’s Every Woman Counts breast cancer screening program, many clinics and mobile breast cancer screening units scaled back their operations and services. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
L.A. Health System Preparing for Influx in Insured Patients
The Los Angeles County health system is organized around specialty care, not population need, and long wait times and geographic distance affect care delivery, according to Health Management Associates, a firm hired by the county to assess its health system. Public and private health facilities in the county are preparing to handle the millions of people who will gain health insurance through the federal health reform law. HMA recommended dissolving the county’s Office of Managed Care and partnering instead with L.A. Care, which manages public health insurance plans for 800,000 people. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
COBRA Subsidy Might Have Curbed Number of Uninsured, Study Says
A new U.S. Treasury study suggests that the federal COBRA subsidy included in the 2009 economic stimulus package might have slowed growth in the number of uninsured U.S. residents during the recession. Congress recently extended eligibility for the subsidy to May 31. USA Today.
Health Groups Eye Federal Funds for Preventive Care
Health care groups have written HHS seeking a portion of the $15 billion in federal funding available for preventive medicine. A recent survey found that 85% of health departments have reduced their services since July 2008, usually because of state budget shortfalls. HHS this year will distribute $500 million, although the agency has not outlined its process. About $2 billion annually will be distributed in 2015 and beyond. Kaiser Health News.
New SEIU Head Will Not Engage Rival Union in Calif.
The Service Employees International Union’s governing board on Saturday named Mary Kay Henry as successor to current President Andy Stern. One-third of SEIU workers are in California, which is one of the union’s most contentious regions. In an interview, Henry said she has “no plans whatsoever” to engage with the National Union of Healthcare Workers, SEIU’s rival in California, and does not plan to re-affiliate with the AFL-CIO, which SEIU left in 2005. Los Angeles Times.
Updated Budget Plan Likely To Include Deep Health Care Cuts
By the end of the week, Gov. Schwarzenegger is expected to release an updated budget plan that likely will include deep cuts to health and social service programs. The expected cuts are part of a response to lower-than-expected tax revenue and the state’s unfulfilled requests for additional federal funding. San Francisco Chronicle et al.