Latest California Healthline Stories
Watts Health Foundation will sell its HMO to prevent bankruptcy and focus on charity work that promotes health. Los Angeles Times.
Property Tax Appeal Could Affect Health Agencies
Contra Costa County agencies, including some health-related organizations, could lose millions of dollars in funding if a property tax appeal by three oil refineries is approved. Contra Costa Times.
Medicaid Proof-of-Citizenship Law To Take Effect July 1
Individuals seeking care through Medicaid beginning on July 1 will be required under federal law to show proof of U.S. citizenship — such as a birth certificate, passport or another form of identification — under a provision included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Boston Globe.
City Sues Doctors’ Group Over Exclusivity Contracts
The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit against Brown & Toland Medical Group claiming that attempts to gain exclusive contracts with doctors in a physician group that caters to the Chinese community are illegal and anticompetitive. San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle.
Health Care Costs Concern Many High-Income Adults
Many higher-income U.S. adults have concerns that health care costs will consume a significant percentage of their assets, a survey finds. Associated Press.
CMS Likely To Reduce Medicare Physician Reimbursements by 4.6% in 2007
CMS likely will reduce Medicare reimbursements to physicians by 4.6% in 2007 because of increased program spending on physician services, according to an agency official. CQ HealthBeat.
Stem Cell Agency Awards First Grants
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine issued its first grants, which are intended to fund training programs for stem cell researchers. San Francisco Chronicle et al.
Some organizations are protesting state legislation that would ban the use of mercury in vaccines, saying such laws would cause confusion and lead to children not being immunized. Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle.
CalRHIO Releases Data Sharing Standards
The California Regional Health Information Organization released the Data Standards Roadmap, which lists the recommended standards for electronic data sharing. Health Data Management.
CMS Denies Request for Medicare Physician Reimbursement Information
CMS has denied a request from Business Roundtable to disclose information on the cost and quality of care provided by individual physicians to Medicare beneficiaries. New York Times.