Latest California Healthline Stories
CMS Delays Launch of Online Tool for Medicare Drug Benefit Because of Jewish Holiday
CMS has delayed the launch of an online tool to help Medicare beneficiaries select prescription drug plans in observance of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, the Miami Herald reports.
Schwarzenegger Criticized for Insurance Bill Veto, Campaign Contribution
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is being criticized by a government watchdog group for accepting a $105,000 donation from the American Insurance Association on the same day he vetoed a bill (SB 399) that would have required insurers to pay medical costs when Medi-Cal beneficiaries are injured in an accident caused by an insured driver, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports.
Budget Reconciliation Delayed One Week To Consider Additional Cuts
House leaders on Tuesday delayed the fiscal year 2006 budget reconciliation deadline until Oct. 28 to give authorizing committees time to reach a new target of $50 billion in savings from mandatory programs, including Medicaid, CQ Today reports.
Lockyer Pursues Action Against Nursing Home Operator
A second injunction against nursing home company Sun Healthcare Group by Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) is “unprecedented” and comes at a time when patient advocates say, and state records indicate, that the Department of Health Services “has cut back enforcement efforts,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
Orange County Register Recommends ‘No’ Vote on Drug Discount Measures
Although California residents want lower-priced prescription drugs, “more government control over the drug industry … won’t achieve that” and “could make drugs even more expensive by increasing legal costs,” an Orange County Register editorial states, adding that California residents should vote “no” on Propositions 78 and 79 on the Nov. 8 special election ballot.
President Bush’s Tax Code Panel Proposes Cap on Health Insurance Deductions
The President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform on Tuesday agreed that proposed revisions to the federal income tax code should include caps on employer-sponsored health insurance and mortgage tax deductions, the Washington Post reports.
Consejo de Latinos Unidos Sues California Healthcare West Over Billing Practices
A group of former patients of the California Hospital Medical Center on Tuesday filed a class-action lawsuit against Catholic Healthcare West alleging that the hospital chain overcharged uninsured patients and engaged in unfair business practices that violate California’s consumer protection laws, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles County Health Director Withdraws Proposal To Close Wards at King/Drew Medical Center
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday canceled a hearing scheduled for next week to discuss a plan to close the obstetrics, neonatology and pediatrics units at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Pay-for-Performance Linked to Quality Improvement for Some Tests, Study Finds
Physicians who received pay-for-performance incentives when they met clinical standards for Pap smears improved their quality of care by a higher rate than those who received standard reimbursements, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Washington Times reports.
Angelides, Sen. Boxer Say They Oppose Proposition 73
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and California Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides (D) on Monday announced their opposition to Proposition 73, a measure on the Nov. 8 special election ballot that would alter the state constitution to require health care providers to inform a parent or guardian 48 hours before performing an abortion on an unmarried minor, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports.