Latest California Healthline Stories
Many Kids Uninsured in Southern California Legislative Districts
New data from UCLA indicate that legislative districts that include Riverside and San Bernardino counties had higher percentages of kids without health care coverage in 2007 than any other legislative districts in California. Riverside Press Enterprise, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research release.
Research Shows Health Plans Raising Premiums for Medicare Advantage
Research by Avalere Health indicates that almost 200 insurers raised Medicare Advantage premiums for 2009 by more than five times as much as they did in 2008. The average increase was 13%. Bloomberg/Philadelphia Inquirer.
Republicans Want To Redirect Mental Health Care Funds
California Republican legislators and Gov. Schwarzenegger have proposed redirecting Proposition 63 funding to help address the state’s $40 billion budget deficit. California voters approved Proposition 63 in 2004 to fund mental health services. KQED’s “The California Report.”
California Counties Set To Fight State Over Withheld Payments
California Controller John Chiang is withholding payments to counties for health care and other services, sparking some counties to weigh lawsuits, while others consider curbing county transfers of other funds to the state. Sacramento Bee, Riverside Press Enterprise.
Fresno County OKs More Cuts to Health Care Programs
On Tuesday, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved $3.5 million in budget cuts, including cuts to the county public health department projected to save $1.1 million through June. Last month, the board eliminated 37 positions in the public health department. Fresno Bee.
Kaiser OKs $43M in Q4 2008 Grants for Underserved Areas
On Tuesday, Kaiser Permanente announced that it approved 739 Community Benefit grants totaling about $43 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. Among the grants, UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine won $2 million for a program aimed at increasing the number of Hispanic family physicians, and the Southern California Specialty Care Access Initiative will administer $4.5 million to help improve access to medical specialty care. PRNewswire.
Judges Urge Lawmakers To Fix Overcrowded Prisons
On Wednesday, a panel of three federal judges urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers to fix the state’s overcrowded prisons and prevent a court-ordered release of tens of thousands of inmates. The judges made the plea after hearing closing arguments in lawsuits filed by inmates who argue that they are receiving unconstitutionally poor health care because of the overcrowding. AP/Sacramento Bee.
Obama Approves Expansion of Children’s Health Insurance
Shortly after the House approved it, President Obama signed legislation that is projected to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to an additional four million children. Obama said the measure marked the first step toward achieving universal health coverage in the U.S. California could get as much as $30 billion under the expansion. AP/San Francisco Chronicle et al.
Demand for Mental Health Hotlines Hitting New Highs
Mental health hotlines in Los Angeles and Orange counties have been handling significantly more calls recently, but the services are being hit by budgetary pressures. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
Group Aims To Register More Latino Bone Marrow Donors
In December, the Asian American Donor Program launched a Latino division of outreach and recruitment to increase the number of Latino bone marrow donors on the national registry. The effort is the first of its kind in the San Francisco area. According to AADP, of the nearly seven million registered bone marrow donors, only 5% are of Latino ancestry. San Jose Mercury News.