Latest California Healthline Stories
Editorials Support Feinstein’s Insurance Regulation Bill
With an independent analysis finding “numerous and substantial errors” in Anthem Blue Cross of California’s methodology to calculate premium increases, there is “yet another reason to revive Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Health Insurance Rate Authority Act (S 3078/HR 4757) to ensure that all people in all states have access to a rate review process that protects them from unfair increases,” a Fresno Bee editorial states. A San Jose Mercury News editorial also supports the legislation and calls for continuing “scrutiny” of proposed increases to “protect Californians’ best interests.” Fresno Bee, San Jose Mercury News.
CPOE Leads to Drop in Patient Mortality, California Study Finds
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., saw its mortality rate decline by 20% after it implemented a computerized physician order entry system. The hospital is the first in the nation to find evidence that CPOE systems can reduce medical errors and save lives. Reuters et al.
Calif. Lawmakers Travel to D.C. in Search of Health Care Funds
Today, Assembly Speaker John Pérez and Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg are in Washington, D.C., to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about securing additional federal funding to help California implement the new health reform law and address its $20 billion budget deficit. Inland News Today, AP/Ventura County Star.
Papers Back Jones, Villines for Insurance Commissioner
In the Democratic primary race for California insurance commissioner, the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle both endorse Assembly member Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) over fellow Assembly member Hector De la Torre (D-South Gate), though both papers acknowledge De la Torre is also a strong candidate. The papers also both endorse Assembly member Mike Villines (Clovis) as the Republican candidate for insurance commissioner. Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle.
States Indicate Interest in Administering High-Risk Pools
California, as well as 27 other states and the District of Columbia, informed HHS that they will administer their own high-risk insurance pools. Meanwhile, 15 states have indicated that they will let the federal government administer the program for them. California will receive the largest share — $761 million — of the $5 billion allocated for the high-risk pool program. Politico et al.
Ventura County Sees Growing Number of Uninsured Baby Boomers
The Ventura County Star and the California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting recently published a three-day series examining how the economic downturn has created a health insurance crisis for many aging baby boomers in Ventura County. Ventura County Star.
Number of Hospital Beds in State Declined by 4% Over Six-Year Period
A new report from the California HealthCare Foundation finds that the number of hospital beds in California dropped from 83,734 in 2001 to 80,616 in 2007 despite a 9% surge in population. During that six-year period, 27 hospitals, with a total of 3,500 beds, closed. Modern Healthcare.
Audit: L.A. County Overpaid Hospital Workers by $85K
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center overpaid workers by $85,000 in bonuses, overtime, sick pay and disability pay, according to an audit. The audit, conducted over two years, recommends the hospital and county officials boost oversight of compensation and employees’ time cards. Los Angeles Times, AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Medi-Cal Officials Failed To Report Rx Industry Gifts
Three officials with California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, did not disclose that they had accepted pharmaceutical industry-funded flights, hotel rooms and meals, according to investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission. The three officials, who accepted the industry gifts while they were making decisions about Medi-Cal prescription drug spending, face $5,000 fines for each trip they did not disclose over the last four years. California Watch/San Francisco Chronicle.
CalChoice Seen as Example for Health Insurance Exchanges
About 10,000 small businesses in California use a health insurance exchange called CaliforniaChoice, or CalChoice, to purchase coverage for their workers. CalChoice offers health plans from Health Net, Kaiser Permanente, Sharp Health Plan and Western Health Advantage. The exchange will begin offering Anthem Blue Cross of California plans starting in June. Experts say it is unclear whether CalChoice will play a role in California’s efforts to implement the health insurance exchanges required under the new federal health reform law. Sacramento Business Journal.