Latest California Healthline Stories
California Regulators Issue First License to Discount Medical Plan
On Tuesday, state regulators announced that Family Care would be California’s first licensed discount medical plan. The plan is required to have legitimate contracts with health care providers and inform clients that it is not health insurance. Sacramento Business Journal et al.
San Mateo County Approves Beds for Mentally Ill Inmates
San Mateo County Supervisors on Tuesday renewed for two years a contract with the Santa Clara County jail that will provide two beds for inmates who have severe mental illness. The contract is worth $2 million. San Jose Mercury News.
Democrats Offer Alternative to Schwarzenegger’s Budget Plan
Yesterday, Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg offered an alternative budget plan that calls for dipping into California’s reserve funds to avoid eliminating programs such as Healthy Families and making deep cuts to other programs. Democrats are expected to release further details during an upcoming joint budget conference. Sacramento Bee et al.
House Leaders Outline Bill To Overhaul U.S. Health Care System
Chairs of three committees charged with drafting health care reform legislation in the House highlighted key provisions of their proposal yesterday. The plan includes a provision for a public plan, something that moderate House Democrats had wanted to use as a fallback option. New York Times et al.
Senate HELP Committee Releases Draft Health Care Reform Legislation
The proposal would require all Americans to maintain health insurance, expand Medicaid and reorganize the health insurance industry. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee plans to mark up the bill next week. AP/Boston Globe et al.
Opinion: Medicare Could Help Assess Overseas Medical Care
To evaluate whether medical tourism can be a “modest way” to reduce costs in the U.S. health care system, the U.S. must develop a method for hospitals and surgeons to report short-term medical complications, Arnold Milstein, a physician specializing in health care improvement, Mark Smith, an internist and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation, and Jerome Kassirer, a professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, argue in an opinion piece. They recommend that Medicare require all participating U.S. hospitals and surgeons to report pre-surgical risk factors and post-surgical complications for 30 days afterward and invite accredited foreign hospitals and physicians to participate in the system. New York Times.
Canary Foundation, Stanford Pledge $20M for New Center
The Canary Foundation and the Stanford University School of Medicine on Tuesday pledged $20 million to create the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection. The center intends to examine methods to translate early detection research into clinical practices. Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.
Calaveras County Board Votes To Delay Jail Medical Deal
The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-1 to delay for two weeks renewing a $369,949 annual contract with Monterey-based California Forensic Medical Group to provide medical care at the Calaveras County jail to allow a group of local medical providers the opportunity to make a proposal to provide care at the jail. Stockton Record.
Stanislaus County Budget Hits Clinics, Mental Health Care
On Tuesday, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a $955 million budget plan that includes cuts to clinics, mental health and other county services. A final budget plan will go before supervisors in September and likely will include more spending cuts. Modesto Bee.
Restaurant Association Takes Healthy S.F. To U.S. Supreme Court
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Healthy San Francisco can legally require all employers to contribute to the cost of health care coverage. The court is expected by the fall to decide whether to hear the case. San Francisco Chronicle.