Latest California Healthline Stories
Santa Clara County Will Not Fine in Hospital Waste Cases
County officials said the hospitals were not fined for sending untreated medical waste to a landfill because it was unintentional and the hospitals complied with county orders to submit proper disposal plans. The county discovered the illegal waste during a series of random checks at the urging of state regulators. San Jose Mercury News.
Pharmacies Push for Planned Medicaid Rule Changes
The rule, proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, aims to allow Medicaid to obtain prescription drug discounts similar to those obtained by private groups, such as pharmacy benefit managers or mail-order pharmacies. However, an HHS report found the rule would result in significant underpayments to pharmacies. CongressDaily.
Kids’ Insurance Funding Key to Universal Coverage
David Carroll, research director of the California Budget Project, writes that congressional lawmakers can help California expand health care coverage to all uninsured children through sufficient funding of Healthy Families and also by revising its funding policies. Healthy Families is California’s State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Sacramento Bee.
Report Addresses Privacy and Mental Health Data Sharing
After the Virginia Tech shootings, President Bush requested a report on how authorities can share data about mental health patients who potentially pose a danger to themselves or others, while protecting patients’ privacy. The report recommends boosting communication between teachers and mental health workers. CQ HealthBeat et al.
Filmmaker Endorses San Francisco Health Program
After a stop in Sacramento Wednesday, filmmaker Michael Moore visited San Francisco to promote his new documentary “Sicko” about abolishing private health insurance. At a meeting with Mayor Gavin Newsom, the filmmaker endorsed the city’s new program to provide access to health care services to all uninsured residents. San Francisco Examiner et al.
U.S. Companies Tackle Employer-Sponsored Health System
A coalition of employers offered a proposal under which workers would obtain health and retirement plans through “benefit administrators,” rather than directly from employers. The group plans to promote the proposal over the next two years and lobby Congress to pass legislation to adopt the plan in 2009. Tennessean, The Hill.
Ventura County Tobacco Money To Boost Safety Net
The tobacco payment is allocated annually as part of a settlement that tobacco companies reached with state governments in the 1990s. The bulk of the county’s funding will go toward safety net providers for the uninsured. Ventura County Star.
High Medical Costs Do Not Equal Better Care Quality, Study Finds
A study of Pennsylvania hospitals supports the growing notion that as U.S. health care costs rise, patients are not necessarily receiving better care. Some Pennsylvania employers say the results of the study could pressure health insurers and hospitals to demonstrate the value of care. New York Times.