Latest California Healthline Stories
State Not Complying With Law for Annual Medi-Cal Pay Audits
The law is intended to keep reimbursement rates for California physicians competitive with payments from other insurance programs and ensure “reasonable access” to health services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries. A state official said the law is out of date. Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Examiner.
Spending Plan Aims To Save $80 Million for L.A. County Health Agency
The proposal aims to save money by streamlining administration, maximizing drug discounts and adopting other changes after an earlier plan to close clinics was rejected. The Los Angeles County health department faces a nearly $300 million budget deficit. Los Angeles Daily News.
CalPERS Plans To Withhold Votes for Eli Lilly Executives
On Thursday, CalPERS said it plans to withhold votes for three Eli Lilly directors up for re-election next month, citing the drug maker’s lagging stock price and poor corporate governance. In a written statement, Eli Lilly said CalPERS’ assessment of the three directors was unsupportive of and unresponsive to shareholders. Dow Jones.
Judge Tells San Diego County To Restructure Health Care Program
For the second time in less than a year, San Diego County must rewrite the rules for its program that offers medical coverage for low-income, chronically ill patients. The judge found that the program’s income limits and copayments lacked justification. San Diego Union-Tribune.
White House Hopefuls Give Scant Attention to Medicare
AARP is urging political leaders to propose solutions for addressing Medicare’s dwindling trust fund, which trustees said this week will be exhausted by 2019. AARP’s Drew Nannis said the issue has received little attention in the presidential campaign. KPCC’s “AirTalk.”
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of March 28, 2008
The San Francisco General Hospital Foundation received a $2.26 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to upgrade the hospital’s IT system, and Kaiser Permanente opened a new hospital in Panorama City as part of a five-year, $4 billion expansion project.
Study Touts Financial Benefit of Zero-Emission Vehicles
An American Lung Association of California study found that converting all motor vehicles in the state to zero-emission vehicles between 2010 and 2030 would produce $142 billion worth of economic benefits from health improvements and a decrease in carbon dioxide. East Bay Business Times.