Latest California Healthline Stories
California Could Boost Regulation of Disability Insurers, Experts Say
Some legal experts say California’s Department of Insurance could do more to regulate disability insurance providers by investigating claims denials and levying fines. Meanwhile, advocates are pushing for changes to federal laws on workplace benefits. Los Angeles Daily Journal.
Kaiser Awards Nurse Training Funds in Southern California
On Thursday, Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente announced that it will provide $265,000 for scholarships for nursing students at 46 colleges in Southern California. The funding is part of Kaiser’s Deloras Jones RN Scholarship program. San Francisco Business Times.
Retiree Health Care Could Go Before Voters in Redding
The Redding City Council is considering placing a measure on the June 2010 ballot that would overhaul the way the city provides health care and other benefits to retired workers. Final wording of a ballot measure could go before the city council in early 2010. Redding Record Searchlight.
Procedural Vote on Senate Health Care Overhaul Set for Saturday
Senate Democrats plan to hold a procedural vote on health care reform legislation tomorrow night in hopes of bringing the bill up for debate on the Senate floor. No Republican senator plans to vote to begin debate on the measure, heightening the importance of locking in all Democratic senators’ votes. The Hill et al.
UC Regents OK Plan To Help Reopen L.A. County Hospital
On Thursday, the UC Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve a plan to help reopen the Martin Luther King Jr. medical facility in south Los Angeles by as early as 2013. The hospital ceased inpatient services in 2007 after failing a series of federal inspections. Los Angeles Times et al.
California Sees Drop in HMO Members, Jump in Medicaid Managed Care
New data from the Department of Managed Health Care show that enrollment in California’s HMOs has declined by more than one million between 2007 and 2009. At the same time, the state’s Medicaid managed care plans are experiencing an uptick in membership. Payers & Providers.
California To Strengthen Rules for Health Worker Diversion Programs
The new regulations would require health professionals with suspected drug use problems to suspend work activities and submit to more drug tests. The rules also call for public Web sites to post information about health workers with inactive licenses. Los Angeles Times.
UC-Davis Sues County for Failure To Pay for Indigent Medical Care
The lawsuit accuses Sacramento County of refusing to pay nearly $125 million for indigent care services at UC-Davis Medical Center. The county stopped covering indigent care at UC-Davis when it exhausted a recent third party contract. Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Business Journal.
H1N1 Deaths, Hospitalizations Slow, Continue To Be Concern
On Thursday, California health officials announced that the number of deaths and hospitalizations resulting from the H1N1 influenza declined in the previous week, but said that the illness continues to be a major concern in the state. In California, 689 people were hospitalized because of H1N1 in the previous week, down from a peak of 773 the last week of October. In addition, the number of H1N1-related fatalities declined from 31 two weeks ago to 21 last week. Los Angeles Times.
Second Judge Orders Federal Benefits for Same-Sex Spouse
On Thursday, the chief judge of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the federal Office of Personnel Management to permit a court employee to add her wife to her government-sponsored health insurance plan. The ruling by Judge Alex Kozinski is farther reaching than a similar order that another U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judge issued Wednesday. Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle.