Latest California Healthline Stories
Stanislaus County Pilot To Reinstate Mental Health Care
On Tuesday, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a two-year pilot program designed to provide psychiatric services and drugs to indigent patients with mental illnesses. The move comes nearly two months after the board voted to stop providing psychotropic drugs through the Health Services Agency to those patients. Modesto Bee.
Online Pharmacies Offer Less Expensive Rx Drugs
Consumers increasingly are turning to Internet pharmacies that sometimes offer discounts of more than 80% of U.S. brand-name drug prices. However, federal officials warn that buying drugs online is dangerous because customers could be receiving fake, expired or tainted drugs. San Francisco Chronicle.
California HMO Chief’s Press Conference Raises Speculation by Advocates
A consumer advocacy group alleges that a deal is in the works between the Department of Managed Health Care and Kaiser Permanente that would limit Kaiser’s legal liability for rescinding some members’ coverage and not require Kaiser to pay rescinded members’ medical bills. Sacramento Bee.
Candidates for L.A. County Supervisor Tackle Hospital
The two major candidates vying for the position of Los Angeles County Supervisor discussed their plans to reopen Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Medical Center. Los Angeles City Council member Bernard Parks said King-Harbor should be reopened “in stages” and touted the importance of having a teaching hospital involved, while Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) said the new hospital “must be structured as a public-private partnership.” Los Angeles Times.
Orange County Becomes Hub of Eye Care Device Makers
Orange County has become a center for small companies that develop eye care devices. The Orange County Technology Network, or Octane, so far has created 27 such companies. New York Times.
Health, Human Services Cuts Hit $3.4 Billion in California Budget
Gov. Schwarzenegger has called for an additional $1.1 billion in cuts to health and human services from his initial budget proposal in January. The new budget would tighten eligibility for Medi-Cal and restrict services that would be available to recent immigrants through the program. Health care advocates widely criticized the plan. San Francisco Chronicle et al.
CalPERS Committee Advises No Rate Hike for Some Health Plans
The CalPERS Board of Administration is expected to approve a recommendation today that will keep the current premium rates for its PPO plan members in 2009. The recommendation also will reduce member premiums for one of the PPO plans by 3%. Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Business Journal.
L.A. Measure To Penalize Hospitals for ‘Patient Dumping’ Advances
The proposed ordinance would permit prosecutors to seek criminal charges and a $25,000 fine against hospitals that improperly discharge homeless patients. Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar measure last year, pushing the issue to the local level. Los Angeles Times.
Federal Report Finds Lapses in State Nursing Home Inspections
Federal officials found that state inspectors had missed at least one serious deficiency at nursing homes in 15% of the inspections they checked over a five-year period. Federal officials also found that inspectors in nine states missed serious errors in 25% of cases. New York Times.
Health Care Costs Rise for Families in Employer Plans
For an average family enrolled in an employer-sponsored health plan, the cost of medical care, including insurance premiums, will reach $15,609 this year — up $1,109, or 7.5%, from 2007 — according to an analysis from the actuaries at Milliman. While the increase is higher than general inflation by a few percentage points, the rise in health care costs is the lowest in five years, according to Milliman. Wall Street Journal‘s “Health Blog.”