Latest California Healthline Stories
States Move Ahead With Efforts To Block Individual Mandates
As many as 12 states are considering amendments to their state constitutions intended to block federal requirements that all individuals maintain health insurance coverage. Constitutional experts say the amendments are unlikely to be successful. New York Times.
UC-Merced Snags Stimulus Grant for Health Research
HHS awarded a two-year, $1.3 million grant to UC-Merced to create the Center of Excellence for the Study of Health Disparities in Rural and Ethnic Underserved Populations. The center is intended to help boost awareness of health care disparities and encourage more people from different backgrounds to do research on health care disparities. Stockton Record.
Calif. Counties Report Delays in Obtaining Seasonal Flu Vaccines
Fresno and Yolo counties are awaiting new shipments of vaccines for seasonal influenza. Experts say the outbreak of H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, is hindering efforts to immunize people against the seasonal flu. PublicCEO.
Kaiser Permanente Wins U.S. Grant for Simulation Program
On Monday, Kaiser Permanente announced that the federal Health Resources and Service Administration will provide $1 million over three years to help fund Kaiser’s Simulation Program. The grant will let Kaiser open its new Simulation Lab in Oakland. San Francisco Business Times.
Advocates Argue for Mental Health Care for Foster Youth
Children in foster care in California often do not receive appropriate mental health care because they live in counties other than those where they entered the foster care system, according to Zahra Hayat, an Arthur Liman Fellow with the National Center for Youth Law, and Patrick Gardner, deputy director of NCYL and a member of the California Child Welfare Council. San Francisco Chronicle.
Analysis Shows Jump in ED Care in Sacramento Area
An analysis of state and national data indicates that more Sacramento County patients are seeking care in hospital emergency departments, a trend the California Hospital Association says is true statewide. Local hospital officials attribute the shift to rising unemployment and government budget cuts. Sacramento Bee.
Dental Clinic Shuts Down at San Joaquin General Hospital
San Joaquin General Hospital has closed its dental clinic after 38 years, a move that county supervisors say will save the county $350,000 annually. The county health director said that the number of uninsured residents has dropped substantially and that Medi-Cal reimbursements no longer covered the cost of treating the clinic’s primary demographic. Stockton Record.
Survey Sees Another Year of Increases for Insurance Premiums
New research from Hewitt Associates projects that people with employer-sponsored coverage will see health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket spending increase by 10% next year. The survey estimates that employers’ costs will increase by 6% next year. Chicago Tribune.
First 5 Riverside County Ups Reserve for Troubled Groups
Last week, First 5 Riverside County voted to hold $15.4 million in reserve to help groups and providers experiencing financial challenges as they strive to provide health care, education and child care services for kids ages five and younger. The group set aside $10 million last month for emergency assistance. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Advocates Begin Calif. Push for ‘Personhood’ Amendment
Today, abortion-rights opponents will gather in Sacramento to announce an effort aimed at qualifying a ballot measure to amend the state constitution to state that a fertilized egg is a human being at the moment of conception. Similar efforts are under way in other states, and critics say the proposals could undermine in vitro fertilization, some kinds of birth control and stem cell research. Los Angeles Times.