Latest California Healthline Stories
Californians Face Cost Hike Under Medicare Drug Benefit
A senior advocate estimates that half of low-income Medicare beneficiaries will have to change Medicare drug plans to avoid premium increases. Beneficiaries who do not switch plans will face premium increases double the national average, according to one projection. San Jose Mercury News.
Rise in Employee Health Costs Outpaces Inflation
An annual survey of the cost of employer-sponsored health insurance found that employers spent an average of $7,983 per employee to offer coverage, a 6.1% increase. Although insurers are offering some lower-costs options, fewer employers are providing health coverage for their workers, according to the survey’s authors. Reuters et al.
California Children at Risk of Losing Health Care Coverage
More than half of the 85,000 children enrolled in Children’s Health Initiatives might lose health insurance if funding does not increase for the county-based programs. Meanwhile, a deadlock between Congress and President Bush over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program raises the possibility of even more children in California losing health coverage. Sacramento Bee et al.
San Francisco Health Access Program Focuses on Cultural Competency
Healthy San Francisco, the city’s new universal health care access program for uninsured adults, is instructing health care providers to take into account patients’ race, gender, age, sexual orientation, native language and other demographics. San Francisco Chronicle.
Cross-Border Health Plans Aim To Improve Access to Health Care
An estimated 150,000 to 200,000 Mexican workers in Southern California are enrolled in health insurance plans that allow them to seek cross-border medical care. Some health care services, such as surgeries, cost much less in Mexico. San Diego Union-Tribune.
Health Reform Around the Nation: November 19, 2007
A rules committee in the Illinois Legislature rejects an order from Gov. Rod Blagojevich to allow parents and caretakers to purchase insurance through a state program. Meanwhile, Louisiana seeks federal funding for prenatal care for noncitizen pregnant women, but CMS says the women are not eligible.
Medicare Handbook Includes More Facts on Private Plans
The latest version of the annual “Medicare & You” handbook gives more information about the differences in coverage under traditional Medicare, private Medicare Advantage plans and other private plans. The Bush administration had been criticized in the past for including too few details on the costs of private plans. The Hill.
State Fines Health Net $1M; Other Action Possible in Case
The California Department of Managed Health Care fined Health Net for withholding information from state regulators in their investigation of the company’s policies for canceling individual health insurance coverage. The state’s investigation is ongoing. San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times.
Stanislaus County Sees Upswing in Infant Mortality
A study found that Stanislaus County’s infant mortality rate is 6.8 per 1,000 births, compared to the state’s rate of 5.4 deaths. Meanwhile, another study found that Northern San Joaquin Valley has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state. Modesto Bee.