Latest California Healthline Stories
CalPERS Urges Congress To Step Up Health Care Reform Efforts
Yesterday, CalPERS sent a letter warning California’s congressional delegation that inaction on health care reform would lead to an unsustainable system. CalPERS also has dispatched a team of lobbyists to Washington, D.C., to work on the issue. The fund is expected to spend $5.7 billion on health benefits this year. Sacramento Bee.
Opinion: California’s Failure Shows Need for Health Reform
Since a failed effort at health reform in California in 2007, group health insurance premiums have risen 11% and one million state residents have lost their coverage, which shows that “the existing system is not really a system at all, doesn’t work and is getting worse,” writes Ventura County Star state bureau chief Timm Herdt. He continues, “Those two developments alone ought to be enough to cause any mortal to demand that Congress not blow this latest opportunity” for health reform. Ventura County Star.
Democrats Lose Hope in Winning Republican Support on Reform
In the face of growing Republican opposition, Democratic lawmakers are less optimistic that health care reform legislation will win bipartisan support. White House officials are echoing Democrats’ concerns, and activists are calling for Democratic senators to push a plan through. New York Times et al.
Physician Group Anticipates Big Shortage in Primary Care
The number of U.S. medical school students choosing primary care as their specialty has declined by 51.8% since 1997, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. The group expects a shortage of 40,000 family physicians by 2020. USA Today.
Efforts To Reform State Health Licensing Boards Encounter Roadblocks
Although Gov. Schwarzenegger and others have called for major reforms to state health licensing agencies, regulators have yet to forge consensus on a plan or timetable for reform. Officials met this week and last to discuss various proposals. Los Angeles Times.
Sacramento County Studies Plan To Cut Psychiatric Beds
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is considering a plan that would eliminate half of the inpatient beds in the county’s main psychiatric hospital and close its crisis unit. The proposal was offered as part of a strategy to address the county budget deficit. Sacramento Bee.
California Leaders Weigh In on Health Insurance Co-Ops
California has a number of health plans that function similarly to health insurance cooperatives, an idea that is garnering more attention in the national debate over health care reform. California stakeholders are taking a closer look at the plans for a hint of what co-ops could mean for the state. San Francisco Chronicle.
Obama Tells Veterans Reform Will Not Change Their Health Benefits
Speaking in Phoenix, President Obama told members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars that proposals to overhaul the health care system would not affect the way they get medical services. Obama also addressed wait times for VA services. AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution et al.
Advocate Urges New Tone in Health Care Reform Debate
Americans need to “change the way we think and talk about health care coverage” to better understand how the U.S. health care system works and boost the chances of reaching a deal on health care reform, Marge Ginsburg, executive director of the Center for Healthcare Decisions, asserts in an opinion piece. San Francisco Chronicle.
Obama Administration Voices Support for Public Health Plan
The White House restated its support for a public insurance plan within health reform legislation yesterday after President Obama and administration officials said that a public option was not the cornerstone of reform efforts. Democratic legislators said they consider a public plan to be integral to reform. Wall Street Journal et al.