Latest California Healthline Stories
Calls for Health Care Reform Could Resurface in State of the State
Gov. Schwarzenegger will deliver his State of the State address today, and aide Daniel Zingale said he expects the governor to address issues related to prevention and health care affordability. Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
Obama, Democrats Target Medicare Advantage Plans
President-elect Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats want to scale back the Medicare Advantage program through which HMOs and other health plans provide benefits to more than 10 million beneficiaries. The Hill.
House Approves Bill To Expand Health Coverage to 4 Million More Kids
The expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program would be funded primarily by increasing the federal tobacco tax, sparking concerns from some Republicans that revenue from the tax increase would fall short of the cost of the expansion. The Senate is considering a similar bill. New York Times et al.
Budget Problems Push Fresno County To Cut Health Care Positions
Thirty-seven staff positions in the Fresno County Public Health Department will be eliminated, and five positions in the county behavioral health department will be cut to help the county deal with a drop in funding from the state. Fresno Bee.
GOP Review Slows Daschle Confirmation as HHS Chief
Former Sen. Tom Daschle’s confirmation as HHS secretary has slowed as Republican staff members on the Senate Finance Committee examine his tax records and association with an education-loan provider. Republican committee aides say that the complexity of the issues is slowing the process and that they have not identified any impropriety. Wall Street Journal.
RAND Unveils Online Tool To Evaluate Health Reform Plans
On Tuesday, the RAND Corporation launched an online tool — called COMPARE, or Comprehensive Assessment of Reform Efforts — that policymakers and others can use to understand and assess the effects and unintended consequences of various health care reform proposals. Ascribe News.
Columnist Calls for Suspension of Ballot-Box Budget Measures
Sacramento Bee columnist Daniel Weintraub argues that given the budget crisis facing the state, a three-year suspension of ballot-box budgeting measures “seems in order.” However, he acknowledges that such a “radical proposal probably has no chance of passing.” He writes, “A more realistic alternative would be a more targeted ballot measure asking the voters to shift their mandates from one narrow purpose to another.” Sacramento Bee.
Opinion Piece: Health Care Reform Must Be Top Priority
In an opinion piece, Timm Herdt, Ventura County Star state bureau chief, writes, “President-elect Barack Obama cannot afford to put health care reform on the back burner while focusing more urgently on trying to stimulate a sputtering economy.” He adds, “There is no more essential component of the nation’s social infrastructure than health care delivery. That system is gravely imperiled, on the verge of collapse.” Ventura County Star.
Lawmakers Propose Bills To Expand Liability Protections in California
The measures come in response to a state Supreme Court ruling that restricted “good Samaritan” liability protections to people who provide emergency medical care. The legislation aims to expand liability protections while discouraging irresponsible conduct. Sacramento Bee.
Perfect Financial Storm Rattles Hospitals Throughout California
Hospital industry leaders and health care advocates are warning that more California hospitals could shut down as they work through what one advocate described as a “triple whammy”: more uninsured patients, scaled back health benefits for workers and potential cuts to state health care programs. Los Angeles Times.