Latest California Healthline Stories
Proposed Bill Would Raise Bar on California Workers’ Fitness Benefits
The bill would require companies with at least 10 employees to provide them with fitness benefits to be eligible to bid on state contracts of $1 million or more. Supporters say the bill would help reduce health care and workers’ compensation costs. Los Angeles Daily News.
Medicare Spending on End-of-Life Care Varies Greatly
A report released Monday by Dartmouth researchers found that spending on Medicare patients with chronic illnesses varies greatly, which raises the possibility that Medicare could save billions of dollars annually. For example, total Medicare spending in the last two years of life ranges from an average of $93,843 for patients who receive most of their care at UCLA Medical Center to $53,432 at the Mayo Clinic’s main teaching hospital in Minnesota. New York Times.
King-Harbor Takeover Plan Received With Skepticism
Community leaders and health care experts question whether Long Beach’s Pacific Hospital has the experience and resources needed to reopen Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. Los Angeles County ended inpatient services at the long-troubled hospital in 2007 after it failed a federal inspection. Los Angeles Times.
Single-Payer Health Care Bill Remains on Table in Senate
Senate Health Committee Chair Sheila Kuehl’s SB 840 “is the only game in town when it comes to health insurance reform” after her committee rejected the bill negotiated by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Núñez, columnist Steve Wiegand writes. Kuehl continues to stump for the measure, despite the governor’s opposition. Sacramento Bee.
Medical Privacy Lapses at UCLA Facilities Spark Investigations
An employee of UCLA Medical Center was fired in May 2006 after improperly accessing the health records of 61 patients, but state officials discovered other patient privacy violations at the facility on Friday. State health chief Kim Belshé has pledged action in the matter, and investigations involving state and federal agencies are under way. Los Angeles Times.
Early Data Show Limited Benefit From Medicare Pilot
A Medicare pilot project that had nurses periodically call beneficiaries with chronic diseases has not met the government’s initial goals for cost savings. Supporters say the program should be continued, but federal officials say it cannot go on after December if it is not budget neutral. New York Times.
California Health Care Personnel Update for March 2008
Health Evolution Partners, a health care private equity firm backed by CalPERS, has appointed a chief medical officer and two new principal advisers. Ventura County’s Human Services Agency and several hospitals throughout California have appointed new chiefs.
Health Care Reform News Around the Nation for the Week of April 7
A Washington, D.C., Council member proposed requiring all district residents to have health insurance, with subsidies for low-income residents. The Pennsylvania House passed a bill that would prohibit insurers from considering health history in setting rates for individuals.
Measure Targets Doctors Involved in Torture Cases
Senate Joint Resolution 19 would direct California officials to inform physicians or other health care providers who are involved in the torture of suspected terrorists that they could lose their licenses to practice in California. A physician in the California National Guard maintains that California health care providers were involved in cases of alleged torture at U.S. military facilities in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Sacramento Bee.
Draft Plan for Prison Health Care Coming This Week
In an opinion piece, Clark Kelso, the court-appointed federal receiver for California’s prison health care system, explained that billions of dollars will be needed to build new prison health care facilities and upgrade existing clinics. However, Kelso said that the state should realize millions of dollars of savings annually by making the changes. Sacramento Bee.