Latest California Healthline Stories
Senate Negotiators Appear To Resolve Debate on Public Option
Last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that 10 Democrats have closed in on an agreement that would take a government-run health plan off the table unless no private insurers sign up to offer coverage through a program that would be administered by the Office of Personnel Management. The deal also would let people as young as age 55 buy in to Medicare. Wall Street Journal et al.
Study: Many Californians Struggle With Health Care, Other Expenses
A United Way report estimates that many Californians have problems paying for health care and other living expenses. The researchers use a “self-sufficiency standard” that takes into account more data than federal poverty formulas. Ventura County Star, San Francisco Chronicle.
CalRHIO, CAeHC Urged To Develop Joint Plan To Oversee Health IT Funds
The California Regional Health Information Organization and the California e-Health Collaborative have until tomorrow to submit a joint proposal to administer billions of dollars in federal economic stimulus funds for health information technology. San Francisco Business Times.
California Cuts Back on Breast Cancer Screening for Low-Income Women
A state program offering mammograms at no cost to low-income women will suspend enrollment for six months starting in January. When the program resumes, only women older than age 50 will qualify for the screenings. Officials say budget pressure is forcing the cuts. Fresno Bee.
EPA Rules Greenhouse Gases Pose Danger to Human Health
On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that greenhouse gases are dangerous to human health and the environment, clearing the way for the agency to begin regulating carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles, power plants, factories and other sources. In 2007, the Supreme Court instructed EPA to determine whether carbon dioxide and five other potentially harmful gases compromise human health and to regulate the gases if they do. Industry groups said they likely will file lawsuits challenging new regulations, which could delay the rules for years. New York Times, Washington Post.
Senate Prepares To Vote on Abortion Amendment as Part of Reform Bill
Today, the Senate is slated to vote on an amendment that would bar people who receive federal subsidies for health insurance from buying coverage under health plans that cover abortion services. California Sen. Barbara Boxer is a leading opponent of the measure. Washington Post et al.
Inmates’ Lawyers Support Plan To Reduce Overcrowding
On Monday, lawyers representing sick inmates in California’s prisons said they support a plan by the administration of Gov. Schwarzenegger to reduce the population of the state’s 33 adult prisons to 137.5% of design capacity within two years. A three-judge panel in August ruled that overcrowding in prisons resulted in substandard health care and ordered the state to reduce the prison population by 40,000 inmates. The lawyers said they prefer the administration’s plan because it gives the state “the discretion and flexibility” to determine how to reduce the prison population. Sacramento Bee.
Coverage for Undocumented Immigrants Sparks Debate
The debate over health care reform legislation in Congress has heated up over questions of whether to permit undocumented immigrants to purchase coverage through new health insurance exchanges or receive other benefits. Columnist Dan Walters writes that the issue would have “multibillion-dollar effects” on California’s budget, while Roger Mahony, cardinal archbishop of Los Angeles, argues that “[i]t makes no sense to deny” undocumented immigrants access to health care services. Sacramento Bee, New York Times.
Organizers of Perata’s Tobacco Tax Plan Agree To Backfill First 5
Backers of a proposed tobacco tax hike announced that they will rewrite the measure to sustain funding for California’s First 5 early childhood health care and education program. Former Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata’s proposal initially did not include a First 5 backfill. Supporters of the measure are working to qualify it for the November 2010 state ballot. Oakland Tribune.
Nurse Unions Move Forward With Merger Including Calif. Union
Yesterday, the California Nurses Association teamed up with two other nurse unions to create the National Nurses United, which will have about 150,000 members nationwide. A key objective of the merger is to enact nurse staffing laws similar to California’s in other states. Reuters et al.