Latest California Healthline Stories
Mental Health Cuts on the Table in Sacramento County
A plan to save Sacramento County $17.5 million would have the county Department of Behavioral Health Services end its ties with four not-for-profit community clinics that provide outpatient care to 6,500 people with severe mental illnesses. The department instead has proposed expanding its Adult Psychiatric Aftercare Clinic and opening four new mental health outpatient wellness centers. Sacramento Bee.
Lawmakers Considering Bill To Boost Oversight of Premium Increases
A Senate panel is reviewing a bill by Sen. Dianne Feinstein that would allow the HHS secretary to oversee premium increases in states where insurance commissioners do not have that authority and modify or block rate hikes before they take effect. CQ Today, New York Times.
Panel Approves Bill To Establish Health Insurance Exchanges
Yesterday, the Assembly Health Committee approved a bill that would create a marketplace for individuals and small businesses to purchase private health insurance. The measure is part of an effort to comply with provisions in the new health reform law that that require such exchanges to be established by 2014. San Francisco Chronicle et al.
Columnist Discusses Bill That Would Boost Clinic Oversight
California lawmakers are working “to close the holes in state regulation of independent surgical clinics,” Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik writes. Under current state law, outpatient facilities that perform major surgical procedures — such as lap-band weight loss surgeries — must receive accreditation from one of four nongovernmental organizations recognized by the California Medical Board. Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Chino) has introduced a bill that aims to increase oversight of surgical clinics by prohibiting the four accreditation groups from certifying any facility that had its accreditation suspended or revoked by another organization. Los Angeles Times.
Small Businesses Could Get Health Insurance Tax Credits
As part of the new health insurance law, 500,000 California small businesses could be eligible for new federal tax credits for providing employees health insurance. According to notices mailed this week by the Internal Revenue Service, small businesses that employ fewer than 25 full-time workers; provide average wages of $50,000 or less; and pay at least 50% of employees’ premiums are eligible for the credit, which covers up to 35% of premiums in 2010. Sacramento Bee.
Obama Taps Berwick To Lead CMS, Help Implement Reform
President Obama officially nominated Donald Berwick, president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to lead CMS, where Berwick would oversee health reform provisions affecting Medicaid and Medicare. If he is confirmed, Berwick, who is also a pediatrician and a professor at Harvard University, would be the first permanent CMS administrator since October 2006. New York Times.
Humboldt Supervisors Might Extend Medicaid to Juveniles
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today will decide whether to support a state bill (SB 1091) that would provide Medicaid benefits to juveniles in county correctional facilities for up to 30 days. Staff reports indicate that the county could benefit from the additional Medicaid funding from the federal government and that juveniles in custody often have significant health care needs. Eureka Times-Standard.
Health Groups, CMA at Odds Over Blue Ribbon Quality Reporting Plan
Starting June 1, physicians that score high on eight quality measures will receive a blue ribbon on their Blue Shield of California online profile. The California Medical Association criticized the project for potentially misleading patients. San Francisco Business Times et al.
Study: California’s Nurse-Patient Ratios Boost Patient Outcomes
California’s 2004 mandate on minimum nurse-patient ratios at acute care hospitals has contributed to a declining mortality rate among surgical patients, according to a new study that compared nurse staffing levels in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The study suggests that increasing nurse staffing levels potentially could save many lives each year. HealthLeaders Media.
Field Poll: 56% of Calif. Voters Back Soda Tax to Curb Childhood Obesity
A new Field Poll finds that a slight majority of California voters support a tax on sugary drinks to fund childhood obesity prevention programs. Today, state lawmakers are scheduled to hold a hearing to examine the link between soda and obesity. Fresno Bee, Roseville Press-Tribune.