Latest California Healthline Stories
Blue Shield of California To Use Gender-Based Pricing
Beginning July 1, Blue Shield of California will charge women more than men for health insurance policies after determining that women are more expensive to insure, columnist David Lazarus writes. A California Department of Insurance spokesperson said there are not any regulations preventing gender-based pricing for individual policies. Los Angeles Times.
Health Care Reform News Around the Nation for the Week of June 23
The governor of Connecticut vetoed legislation that would have opened the state insurance plan to city governments and small businesses, while Massachusetts officials announced plans to stop reimbursing health care providers for treatment of preventable medical errors.
Bill Targets Regulation of Individual Insurance Market
Consumer advocates are focusing their efforts on increasing regulation of the individual insurance market. A bill by Sen. Darrell Steinberg (SB 1522) and sponsored by the consumer advocacy coalition Health Access California aims to standardize the individual insurance market and limit out-of-pocket expenses. Sacramento Bee.
San Luis Obispo Panel Backs Trauma Center Plan
Last week, the San Luis Obispo County Emergency Care Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the county Public Health Department and Board of Supervisors move forward with plans to create a level II trauma center. The county has never had a designated trauma center, and proponents of the plan say it would help expedite emergency care. San Luis Obispo Tribune.
United Way Helps 20,000 Kids Obtain Health Coverage
Since 2004, United Way California Capital Region has helped more than 20,000 children find and enroll in health care coverage at little or no cost, the organization said. United Way’s Coverage for Kids Project covers Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. Sacramento Bee.
Protesters Call for Single-Payer Health Care System
More than 1,000 demonstrators rallied for a single-payer health care system outside a three-day America’s Health Insurance Plans meeting in San Francisco on Thursday. The protest was organized by the California Nurses Association. AP/San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Business Times.
Health Care News From the Campaign Trail for the Week of June 20
A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that on the issue of health care, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama leads Republican Sen. John McCain. Meanwhile, an analysis finds similarities between McCain’s health care proposal and a plan offered by President Bush.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of June 20, 2008
Fifty-one employees at Kaweah Delta Medical Center will lose their jobs as the facility prepares for expected cuts to Medi-Cal payments to health care providers. Meanwhile, Mercy Regional Cancer Care Center formed an alliance to enhance its radiation therapy services.