Latest California Healthline Stories
Democrats To Make Changes to Medicare Program in ’09
When Democrats take control of the White House and Congress next month, they likely will make changes to Medicare. In particular, Democrats plan to target private Medicare Advantage plans and the Medicare drug benefit. Wall Street Journal.
California Republican Legislators Expected To Target First 5, Prop. 63
A budget plan that Republican legislators are expected to announce today is reported to propose letting the state tap into funding allocated for early childhood health and education programs funded by First 5 and mental health services funded under Proposition 63. Sacramento Bee et al.
San Joaquin Valley Leaders Lay Groundwork To Boost Health Care
San Joaquin Valley health officials called for developing medical enterprise zones in hopes of luring new health care providers and retaining providers in the valley through tax breaks and other incentives. A feasibility study will examine the plan more closely. Stockton Record.
California Ranks Near Top in Workers’ Comp Costs
Despite changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system that have reduced employers’ costs by as much as $15 billion annually, California still ranks second nationwide in terms of employer burden, according to the 2008 Industry Week Workers’ Compensation State Ranking. Only Alaska’s workers’ compensation program placed a higher burden on employers, according to the survey. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
UC-Riverside Submits Proposal for Global Health School
On Sunday, UC-Riverside officials submitted a proposal to create a water, health and society center as part of the planned University of California global health school. Earlier this month, UC officials received a $4 million grant to create the School of Global Health. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
California Regulators Tout Rules Against ‘Balance Billing’
Recent actions against so-called “balance billing” in California are intended to keep patients out of billing disputes between health care providers and health plans. At least nine other states have prohibited balance billing. Sacramento Bee.
UCSF Study Says Drug Firms Distort Reports on Drug Trials
In a study published in the online medical journal PLoS Medicine, UCSF medical researchers accuse major drug companies of skewing the results of prescription drug trials. The researchers argue that doctors are prescribing drugs based on inadequate information. San Francisco Chronicle.
Health Care Reform News for the Week of December 15
A health care advocacy group in Connecticut is gearing up to propose a health care expansion in the upcoming legislative session, and the Florida governor inked deals with six insurers as part of an effort to expand coverage. Meanwhile, the North Dakota governor called for expanding children’s health coverage in his state.
Daschle Brings Specific Ideas on Health Care Reform to HHS Post
Among other proposals, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has called for greater emphasis on cost-efficacy in determining what medications, medical devices and other procedures should be covered. Daschle is working to avoid snags that the Clinton health care plan encountered in the 1990s. Los Angeles Times et al.
Percentage of Uninsured in California Drops Slightly in 2007
A survey by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that 19.5% of Californians lacked health insurance at some point in 2007, compared with 20.2% in 2005. Researchers tied the drop to an increase in employer-sponsored coverage but warned that the situation has likely reversed itself in 2008 as unemployment rose. Sacramento Bee.