Latest California Healthline Stories
Calif. Lawmakers Travel to Washington, D.C., To Lobby for Health Funds
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and a bipartisan group of state lawmakers will meet with Congressional leaders and Obama administration officials to request funding for California health care programs and other local initiatives. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert,” “KPCC News.”
Coverage of Smart Phones at Issue for Medicare, Insurers
Medicare and private insurers cover computers that help speech-impaired people communicate, but so far the payers have declined to cover smart phones and small laptops that cost less and are easier for patients to use. A CMS spokesperson said Medicare doesn’t cover the newer devices because they can be used for nonmedical purposes. New York Times.
Poll Finds Majority of Physicians Back Public Option in Health Reform
A poll published in the New England Journal of Medicine yesterday found that a clear majority of doctors back the inclusion of a government-run health plan in legislation to overhaul the U.S. health care system. NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Los Angeles Times.
California Republicans Stifle Bills on Hospital Fees, Flu Prevention
Before the legislative session ended Friday, Republicans in the California Senate refused to vote on more than 20 bills in an effort to gain support for a few key demands. The bills included measures to impose new hospital fees and scale up local H1N1 preparation efforts. Both bills passed the Assembly with bipartisan support. Los Angeles Times.
Sebelius Announces $33M in Grants for Jobs Training
On Friday, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $33 million in federal economic stimulus grants to six programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration aimed at training health care professionals. HHS release.
CMS Proposes Covering HIV Tests Under Medicare
On Monday, CMS officials announced a proposal to cover the cost of HIV testing under Medicare for beneficiaries at higher risk for the infection, including pregnant women, or for any beneficiary who requests the test. CMS will take public comments on the proposal until Oct. 9 and will issue a final decision by Dec. 8. Sacramento Business Journal.
4 Calif. Programs Identified for Stemming Readmissions
A new report published by the California HealthCare Foundation identifies nine health care programs — including four in California — as models for avoiding hospital readmissions. The lead researcher cited data indicating that as many as half of hospital readmissions can be avoided. HealthLeaders Media.
Wednesday Is the Day for Release of Senate Panel’s Health Reform Proposal
Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus said that bipartisan negotiators would release their proposal for health care reform tomorrow and mark up the bill next week. In addition, new estimates project that the proposal would cost $880 billion over 10 years. The Hill et al.
Columnist Urges Lawmakers To Remember PacAdvantage
California’s PacAdvantage health insurance exchange “left a legacy of do’s and don’ts for federal lawmakers” as the consider enacting such an exchange on a national level, columnist Michael Hiltzik argues. The California’s exchange “fatal flaw was that it was voluntary,” allowing insurers to offer plans outside of the exchange and not requiring employers to offer insurance or use the exchange if they did. Los Angeles Times.
WellPoint Cleared To Resume Marketing of Medicare Plans
CMS officials have lifted a ban on WellPoint enrolling new beneficiaries in the company’s Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans. CMS had prohibited the insurer from enrolling new customers after it received numerous consumer complaints about cost increases and drug benefit denials. HealthLeaders Media.