Latest California Healthline Stories
Uninsured Patients Face Higher Hospital Bills, Study Finds
Uninsured patients owe many California hospitals on average 2.5 times more for services than people with private health insurance and three times more than Medicare beneficiaries, a new report shows. Hospital industry representatives dispute the validity of the findings. Los Angeles Times et al.
Richardson Touts Expansion of Federal Benefits Program
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as part of his campaign for president called for opening access to the benefits program for federal employees and lowering the eligibility age for Medicare to 55. Foster’s Daily Democrat.
Coverage for Chronic Disease Treatments Being Expanded
Pointing to recent studies, employers and insurers are scaling back or dropping copayments for treatments for some chronic conditions as part of an effort to control health care cost increases. Wall Street Journal.
Amendment To Permit Rx Drug Reimportation Nullified in Senate
The U.S. Senate is on track to approve legislation to reauthorize a program that directs fees from drug makers to FDA after approving an amendment that made approval of reimportation conditional on the administration certifying the safety of the practice. New York Times et al.
CalPERS Pushes Governance Changes at UnitedHealth
The pension fund is seeking greater involvement in the oversight of UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s second-largest managed care company, after a stock-options scandal led to the resignation of several top executives at the firm last year. CalPERS is lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit in the matter. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Democrats Look at Oversight of Medicaid Dental Benefits
Federal officials say states are responsible for ensuring that there is an adequate supply of dentists participating in state Medicaid programs, but Democratic lawmakers nonetheless are mulling options for beefing up administration of dental care benefits. NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
California Faces $47.9 Billion in Retiree Health Care Costs
The state controller advised that California could reduce the liability by setting aside money in an investment trust but warned that California taxpayers could be hit with a $3.6 billion annual bill for retirees’ health benefits if the state does not act soon. A former legislator argues that the estimate is too low and is pushing for more immediate changes. Sacramento Bee et al.
Health Insurers Face Off on Proposed Coverage Mandates
Five major insurers support Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed coverage mandate, while Blue Cross of California is promoting an alternative proposal. Columnist Dan Weintraub says either option could overhaul California’s health care system. Sacramento Bee.
Further Problems Found in Medical Waste Disposal
California regulators have launched a campaign to help landfill workers flag shipments containing medical waste and other hazards after six facilities in Santa Clara County were found to be using improper disposal techniques. San Jose Mercury News.
Feds Take Closer Look at Marketing of Medicare Plans
How insurance brokers are explaining the difference between traditional Medicare and fee-for-service Medicare Advantage plans is a subject of particular concern for CMS. Wall Street Journal.