Latest California Healthline Stories
Los Angeles-Area Groups Mull Options To Boost Access to Dental Care
At a meeting coordinated by the Valley Care Community Consortium, a group of community leaders discussed ways to boost oral health awareness in an effort to reduce California’s high rates of dental disease and untreated cavities among children. Los Angeles Daily News.
Health Reform Around the Nation: February 25, 2008
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced a package of health care proposals that would require insurers to provide a certain level of coverage to all adults in the state under age 65.
Judge Orders Health Net To Pay $9 Million Over Improper Cancellation
The ruling by an arbitration judge was the first of its kind against one of the state’s major insurers. Health Net is re-evaluating its process for terminating policyholders’ coverage, and other insurers are considering similar actions. Los Angeles Times, AP/Ventura County Star.
Republican, Democratic Governors Oppose Bush Proposals on Medicaid
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the head of California’s Medicaid program were among those speaking out against recent proposals by President Bush to have states bear more costs for Medicaid. A CMS official says the rules are needed to shore up the program’s finances. New York Times.
Bills Target Toxic Chemicals in Consumer Products
On Friday Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) introduced two bills aimed at banning certain toxic chemicals from consumer products. One bill (SB 1713) would expand a new state law that bans toys containing phthalates to include personal care products, such as shampoos and lotions. The second bill (SB 1712) would require manufacturers to test lipsticks for lead and report their findings to the state Department of Public Health. San Francisco Chronicle.
California Hospitals Lag Behind Other Facilities in Infection Reporting
The California Nurses Association is calling for all health facilities in the state to publicly report infections and for the state to have greater oversight over infection reporting. Hospital leaders say that public reporting would penalize facilities that treat the sickest patients. Los Angeles Times.
Payer Practices Are Result of Modern Insurance Market
“Blue Cross officials weren’t doing anything wrong” by asking physicians to help them identify conditions the insurer could use to cancel patients’ medical coverage, they “were following the incentives of the modern insurance market,” according to an opinion piece by Ezra Klein, a staff writer at American Prospect. “If insurers existed in a market in which they had to compete on delivering better care, rather than competing on developing better techniques to deny care, we’d be far better off,” Klein writes. Los Angeles Times.
New Proposal Would Increase Medi-Cal Eligibility Checks
A plan by Gov. Schwarzenegger calls for about 4.5 million of the 6.5 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries to file eligibility forms with the state four times annually. Administration officials say the rule change would drop more than 120,000 people from Medi-Cal next year, saving the state about $92 million. Health care advocates blasted the proposal. San Francisco Chronicle.
S.F. Employers Assess Sick Leave Law After One Year
One year after the start of San Francisco’s mandatory sick leave law, city officials say implementation has been smooth overall, with no formal complaints of abuses. Some employers say that ensuring compliance has been expensive and time-consuming, especially for traveling or temporary workers. NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
Mendocino County Facilities To Join Telehealth Project
The Alliance of Rural Community Health, a consortium of Mendocino County’s six community health centers, has been selected to join a California HealthCare Foundation telemedicine program aimed at preventing diabetes-related blindness. Willits News.