Latest California Healthline Stories
First Piece of California Budget Plan Passes, Cuts Prison Health Care
A Senate budget committee has signed off on a plan to cut $811 million from the prison health care budget as part of an effort to address California’s estimated $20 billion budget deficit. Lawmakers have delayed debate on other cuts until the summer. Los Angeles Times.
Editorials Criticize Anthem Blue Cross Over Rate Hikes
A Los Angeles Times editorial states that Anthem Blue Cross of California’s planned rate hikes for individual policyholders “looks suspiciously like an attempt to extract as much as possible from customers” before Congress can pass health care reform legislation. A Stockton Record editorial states that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is playing a role as “the nation’s embarrasser in chief, although you have to wonder if Anthem Blue Cross is really worried about being embarrassed since the company picked this time to jump rates.” Los Angeles Times, Stockton Record.
N.J. Pilot Program Offers Web Portal for Tracking Coverage, Claims Status
America’s Health Insurance Plans and the BlueCross BlueShield Association are teaming up for a New Jersey pilot program that will help physicians check patient coverage and track claims. Five of the state’s major insurers will offer data through the Web portal. New York Times.
Los Angeles County Settles Suit Over Payment System
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to accept a $1.5 million settlement offer from Sierra Systems after the computer system the contractor developed failed to process reimbursement claims from mental health providers. The backlog in claims resulted in suits against the state and county. Los Angeles Times.
Medi-Cal Funding for Adult Day Health Care Centers in Jeopardy
In a bid to save $135 million, the state plans to end Medi-Cal reimbursements for adult day health care centers, possibly as soon as March 1. Opponents of the cuts defend the centers’ services for low-income participants and say the state could face higher long-term costs if the centers close and beneficiaries seek care in higher-cost settings. Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee.
Racial, Ethnic Disparities Seen in H1N1 Vaccinations in 2009
Officials for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said that blacks received H1N1 vaccinations at disproportionately low rates last fall, while whites and Asian-Americans were overrepresented statistically. Los Angeles Times.
Pelosi Makes Case for Budget Reconciliation To Pass Health Reform
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued that using the budget reconciliation process to get a health care overhaul through the Senate should not be taken off the table. Meanwhile, Sen. Republican Judd Gregg outlined a potential compromise reform plan. Roll Call et al.
Obama Meets With Congressional Leaders on Legislative Priorities
At the White House yesterday, President Obama convened a meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders to discuss jobs, health care reform and other legislative priorities. The president used the session to call for more bipartisanship. USA Today et al.
Quality Lapses Widespread at Long-Term Care Hospitals
In 2007 and 2008, some long-term care hospitals were cited for violating Medicare rules at nearly twice the rate of regular hospitals. In addition, long-term care facilities — which are not designed to treat specific conditions or patients but allow patients to remain in their facilities for longer than regular hospitals — had a higher rate of bedsores and infections than regular hospitals in 2006. New York Times.
Insurer Assesses Physicians’ Treatment of Cancer Patients
UnitedHealthcare has started sending physicians individualized reports that grade their treatment of breast, lung and colorectal cancer patients. A growing number of organizations have set up quality assurance programs for cancer treatments, but the move by insurers is raising concerns. Wall Street Journal.