Latest California Healthline Stories
House Considers Bill To Freeze Premiums for Medicare Part B
House Democrats have offered legislation designed to sidestep increases to Medicare Part B premiums expected to be announced next month. Three-quarters of retirees would be “held harmless” for the expected hikes, but others would see bigger increases. Politico et al.
Medicare Funding a Key Issue in Second Day of Finance Panel’s Markup
Members of the Senate Finance Committee faced off over proposed changes to Medicare that would reduce payments to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers, as well as Medicare Advantage plans. Washington Post et al.
Senator Calls on Governor To Sign Bill on Mammograms
Sen. Jenny Oropeza urged Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign SB 148, which would require mammogram providers to post citations where patients and staff can read them. Oropeza asserts that the “bill would not cost the state anything” but “would pay off in peace of mind.” Capitol Weekly.
House Leaders Plan To Combine Health Care Reform Bills Next Week
Democratic House leaders are aiming to merge the three versions of health care reform legislation that committees approved by next week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the final bill likely will not come up for an immediate vote on the House floor. CQ Today et al.
States Worry About Loss of Stimulus Funds for Medicaid
A new report from the Government Accountability Office indicates that state officials are questioning the long-term prospects of their Medicaid programs after increased federal funding for the programs included in the economic stimulus package ends in 2011. California was estimated to receive more than $10 billion in stimulus money for Medi-Cal. Wall Street Journal.
House Democratic Leader To Meet With GOP on Reform
On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he would be in touch with House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Rep. Charles Boustany and other Republicans in hopes of reaching a bipartisan deal on health care reform. Boustany delivered the Republican response to President Obama’s speech to Congress on health care reform. The Hill.
Stimulus Funds Will Advance Health Care Innovation, Obama Says
Earlier this week, President Obama highlighted a plan to use more than $100 billion in funding from the federal economic stimulus package to advance health care. Obama called for allocating at least 3% of the U.S. gross domestic product on research and development. Washington Post.
Governor Signs Legislation To Keep Kids in Healthy Families
Yesterday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill designed to help Healthy Families recoup $196 million in recent funding losses. The new funds will allow the program to cancel planned disenrollments and begin processing new applications from its waitlist. Nearly 700,000 children were poised to lose health insurance coverage prior to the bill’s passage. AP/Fresno Bee et al.
Health Care Reform Could Benefit Hispanics in U.S.
Elena Rios, president of the National Hispanic Medical Association, said that improved access to health care services would be one of the biggest benefits to Hispanics in the U.S. Dr. Rios said cultural competence training for medical professionals also would help the community. NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
Report: California To Face Major Shortage of Allied Health Workers
California will need to train almost one million medical secretaries, nursing aides and other allied health workers by 2030, according to a new study. The report calls for scaled-up health worker training programs to meet the increased demand. Riverside Press-Enterprise et al.