Latest California Healthline Stories
Bush Signs Defense Bill With Veterans Health Funding
President Bush signed into law a $696 billion fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill that includes improvements in veterans’ health care. Bush had vetoed an earlier version of the legislation over concerns related to lawsuits against nations that sponsor terrorism. CongressDaily.
Health Reform Around the Nation: January 28, 2008
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick proposes budget cuts after the state’s health insurance initiative exceeds cost projections due to higher-than-expected enrollment. In New York, Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s budget proposal includes $980 million in cuts to Medicaid and other health programs.
More Insured Patients Reach Lifetime Coverage Limits
Advocates for the chronically ill say the health care reform debate has mostly ignored issues facing insured patients whose treatment costs exceed their policies’ lifetime benefits caps. Many caps have not increased in decades or kept pace with health care inflation. Washington Post.
Coalition Pushes for State Medicaid Funds in Economic Stimulus Plan
A coalition of unions, health care groups and community organizations wants Congress to temporarily increase financial assistance to state Medicaid programs as part of an economic stimulus package. Gov. Schwarzenegger also called for a boost in federal Medicaid funds. CongressDaily et al.
Stakeholders Weigh In on California Health Reform
Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez challenged opponents of the health care reform plan he negotiated with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to offer an “achievable alternative,” while leaders of the California Nurses Association and the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights continue to argue against the bill. Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee.
Assembly Approves Consent Rules for Cadaver Exhibits
The Assembly approved a bill that would require exhibitors of plasticized human cadavers to obtain an operating permit by providing documentation that the bodies had been willfully donated. Violators would be fined as much as $10,000. Los Angeles Times.
State Spending Cuts Push Downsizing at Veterans Home in Chula Vista
To meet the spending cuts that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed, the Veterans Home of California-Chula Vista plans to reduce its staff and the number of patients it treats. California is facing a projected $14 billion budget shortfall. San Diego Union-Tribune.
Hospital Groups Lobby Against Expansion of Medicare Audit Program
CMS plans to expand a pilot program that pays private-sector auditors to recover Medicare overpayments, but hospital groups say contingency fees encourage auditors to be overly aggressive. The program currently is in place in California and two other states. Wall Street Journal.
Report Finds Drop in Charity Care Cases at San Francisco Hospitals
A new report submitted to the San Francisco Health Commission found that the number of charity care cases at San Francisco hospitals dropped by about 2% from 2005 to 2006, although some hospitals experienced notable increases. San Francisco Examiner.
Senate Health Panel Set To Vote on Health Care Reform Measure
The health care reform bill negotiated by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez faces a critical vote in the Senate Health Committee today. With at least two Democratic committee members expected to oppose the bill, it would need support from at least one Republican member to move to the Senate floor. San Francisco Chronicle et al.