Latest California Healthline Stories
Operators of Retail Health Clinics Scaling Back Operations
Although the number of retail health clinics nationwide has grown significantly over the past three years, some clinic operators are pursuing slower growth strategies than they initially planned, and others are closing clinics in some locations. Wall Street Journal.
Yolo County Health Services Face Major Staffing Cuts
Last week, officials said that the Yolo County Mental Health and Alcohol Drug Treatment Department, which provides mental health services to country residents with serious mental illnesses who do not have private insurance, would experience significant staffing cuts. Woodland Daily Democrat.
Federal Bill Seeks Health Care Standards for Detained Immigrants
A California House member is pushing legislation that would establish mandatory standards for physical and mental health care for immigrants held in detention centers. Currently, voluntary guidelines govern health care at immigrant detention centers. New York Times.
High Health Care Costs Cause Employers To Drop Benefits
An analysis released Tuesday found that U.S. manufacturers that offer health insurance spend an average of $2.38 per employee per hour on health care, more than twice as much as their overseas competitors. The rising health care costs are causing many manufacturers to stop offering health care benefits or move jobs overseas. Los Angeles Times.
Wal-Mart To Expand Discounted Rx Drug Plan
On Monday, Wal-Mart announced that it would expand its discounted prescription drug program by offering 90-day supplies of medication for $10 and add several discounted prescription drugs for women. The world’s largest retailer also said that it would reduce the price of more than 1,000 over-the-counter drugs. AP/Contra Costa Times.
House Democrats Say Hospitals Ill-Equipped for Terror Response
A report by a House panel warns that hospitals in Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities would be overwhelmed in the event of a terrorist attack on the scale of the 2004 train bombings in Spain. Republican lawmakers said the report was politically motivated. Washington Post et al.
Funding Questions Loom for Sacramento County Insurance Pool
SacAdvantage, a subsidized health insurance program for small businesses in Sacramento, has seen its employer membership more than double since 2006, but the initiative only has enough funds to maintain operations through the end of fiscal year 2008. Sacramento Business Journal.
Kaiser Completes Nationwide Roll Out of Outpatient EHR System
The $4 billion electronic health record system allows Kaiser Permanente’s 13,000 physicians nationwide to access the health system’s 8.7 million members’ outpatient medical records. Only 13 of its 36 hospitals have adopted the EHR system for inpatient use. San Francisco Business Times et al.
Health Care Providers’ Lawsuit Aims To Halt Medi-Cal Pay Cuts
The lawsuit claims that a 10% Medi-Cal provider payment reduction would violate state and federal laws requiring such payments to be sufficient enough to ensure that beneficiaries have the same access to medical services as the general public. Providers fought off a similar attempt to cut Medi-Cal payments in 2003. San Francisco Chronicle et al.
Santa Clara County Budget Cuts Slated for Mental Health Services
Cuts to the county mental health department are expected to account for about one-third of all budget cuts to Santa Clara County departments. The county budget cannot be finalized until the state budget is enacted, detailing funding for Medi-Cal and other programs. San Jose Mercury News.