Latest California Healthline Stories
Hospital Funding Issues Weigh on County Budgets
Fresno County officials are mulling how to retain hospital funding that the federal government has deemed improper, while officials in Stanislaus and Ventura counties are evaluating the implications of hospital operations and other health care services for county budgets. Fresno Bee et al.
Obama Outlines Plan To Cover Uninsured, Reduce Premium Costs
Sen. Barack Obama’s proposal would make only health insurance for children mandatory but also would call for all but the smallest employers to provide health insurance or pay a percentage of their payrolls into a federal fund to provide coverage. New York Times et al.
Report Critical Of Coverage Limit in Massachusetts Plan
The coverage limits are modeled on health plans for Massachusetts students. Such plans include annual coverage limits for each illness, as well as spending caps on outpatient care and surgeons’ fees. The report calls for the elimination of all caps. Boston Globe.
Report: Increase in State Funds Could Stave Off Nurse Shortage
California’s non-partisan legislative analyst touts more loan forgiveness for nursing instructors, budget increases for nursing schools and reworking admissions criteria as strategies to boost the state’s supply of nurses. The analyst’s report found that only 11,000 of 28,410 applicants were accepted to nursing programs, despite the state’s dearth of nurses. Sacramento Bee.
California Regulator Orders Audit of State Workers’ Comp System
In announcing an investigation into access to medical care for injured workers, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner voiced concerns that employers were improperly using a physician review process to deny or delay necessary medical care for workers. San Diego Union-Tribune et al.
Los Angeles County Mulls Options To Pay Retiree Health Costs
Los Angeles County will pay almost $350 million for retiree health benefits this year, and by 2016 the liability will increase to about $1 billion. The county does not fund retiree health care benefits in advance, but it might change that policy. Los Angeles Times.
U.S. Physicians’ Group Joins New Online Forum
The American Medical Association hopes the two-year deal will enhance communication among its members who will be able to use the Sermo service to share advice, questions and opinions. However, critics of the site worry that unfounded comments could be detrimental to drug and device studies. AP/Long Island Newsday.
Debate Over Reducing Medicare Advantage Payments Rolls On
Some members of Congress want to cut payments to insurers that administer private fee-for-service Medicare plans to fund an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, but opponents say the plans offer better preventive health benefits. AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Wyden Includes Varied Interests in Health Plan
A leading Republican opponent of the Clinton health care reform plan has signed on as a co-sponsor of Sen. Ron Wyden’s universal coverage bill, a move that is indicative of the broad feedback Wyden has collected for the proposal. Oregonian.
Legislative Progress Slow for 110th Congress
The Democrat-led Congress in its first five months has pushed forward several health care bills, including legislation to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, but the bill lacks the needed support to override an expected veto by President Bush. New York Times et al.