Latest California Healthline Stories
Potential Mergers in the Health Insurance Sector Stir Worries in Providers
The recession has translated to drops in membership for health plans, sparking rumors that major insurers are considering consolidations. Hospitals and physicians worry that the rumored mergers could lead to lower payment rates for them because of less competition. Chicago Tribune.
Budget Deficit Once Again Projected for L.A. County Health Agency
Los Angeles County’s health department leaders expect the agency to encounter a budget deficit of more than $340 million in the upcoming fiscal year, but county officials expect the department to secure new funds from the federal stimulus package and other sources. Los Angeles Times.
White House Health Care Forum Sparks Talk in Calif.
Gov. Schwarzenegger and Washington state Gov. Gregoire co-hosted the White House Forum on Health Reform in Los Angeles Tuesday, sparking discussion of what it will take to achieve health care reform in the U.S. KQED’s “The California Report” et al.
Patients Turn to Online Physician Rating Services
On Monday, KQED’s “California Report” discussed the use of online physician ratings. The segment includes comments from California Medical Association President Dev GnanaDev. KQED’s “California Report.”
Medicare Allocates More Than $3 Million To Help California Beneficiaries
A State Health Insurance Assistance Program in California will receive more than $3 million from the federal government to help provide Medicare beneficiaries with information about their health care coverage options. Nationwide, CMS will provide more than $35 million for the effort. Sacramento Business Journal, CQ HealthBeat.
Editorial: Public Health Insurance Plan ‘Worth Trying’
A New York Times editorial argues that “A new public plan — to offer consumers greater choice, keep the private plans honest and, one can hope, restrain the relentless growth in health care premiums and underlying medical costs — seems worth trying.” It concludes, “A new public plan is neither the cornerstone of health care reform nor the death knell of private insurance. It should be tried as one element of comprehensive reform. If, over time, a vast majority decides the government plan is superior, so be it.” New York Times.
Court Rules in Favor of UC-Irvine’s Willed Body Program
On Monday, a widow lost her 10-year fight to hold UC-Irvine accountable for losing track of her husband’s body, which was donated for research. The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that family members have little say in what happens to a loved one’s body if the donor signed an agreement with the receiving institution and the institution complied with it. The ruling could affect the outcome of several pending lawsuits against UCLA’s body donation program. Los Angeles Times.
Little Money Raised To Oppose Budget-Related Measures
Proponents of the six budget-related measures on the May 19 special election ballot have raised significantly more money than opponents. With $120,000 cash on hand, the campaign against Proposition 1E — which would tap into a special state account for mental health services — appears to have raised the most money of the opposition campaigns. KQED’s “Capital Notes.”
Budget Deficit Forces Fresno County To Close Crisis Center
Fresno County soon will close the area’s only crisis center for patients with mental illnesses because of a $2 million budget deficit. Critics question the safety of the county’s plan to treat high-risk psychiatric patients at hospitals once the crisis center is closed. Fresno Bee.
Schwarzenegger Pitches Need for Compromise in Health Reform
Gov. Schwarzenegger underscored the need for health care stakeholders to compromise to achieve health care reform, harkening back to his 2007 effort to overhaul the health care system in California. Schwarzenegger and Washington state Gov. Gregoire moderated the last of the White House’s regional forums on health care reform. AP/San Francisco Chronicle et al.