Latest California Healthline Stories
Full Board of CalPERS Approves Health Insurance Premium Increases for 2004
As expected, the full board of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System yesterday approved an increase in health insurance premiums of 16.7% to 18.4% for those enrolled in HMO and preferred provider organization plans, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Wall Street Journal Profiles Founder of Advocacy Group Consejo de Latinos Unidos
The Wall Street Journal today profiles K.B. Forbes, founder of the advocacy group Consejo de Latinos Unidos and a “successful crusader for the uninsured.”
Department of Veterans Affairs Research Centers Have Many Problems, GAO Report Finds
Studies conducted at the 115 Department of Veterans Affairs research centers nationwide continue to have “extensive problems” despite three years of efforts to address the issues, according to a General Accounting Office report presented yesterday to the House Veterans Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Hearst/Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
CalPERS Health Benefits Committee Approves 16.6% Health Insurance Premium Increase
The health benefits committee of the CalPERS yesterday approved a 16.6% increase in health insurance premiums for 2004, the Los Angeles Times reports.
PacifiCare Health Systems Begins Campaign To Attract Local Agencies From CalPERS
Cypress-based PacifiCare Health Systems yesterday began a campaign featuring HMO, preferred provider organization and some senior health care plans as part of an effort to draw local agencies away from CalPERS, the Orange County Register reports.
More Physicians Not Accepting New Medi-Cal Beneficiaries, Study Finds
Despite higher reimbursement rates in recent years, almost half of California doctors in 2001 were not willing to accept and treat new Medi-Cal beneficiaries, according to a study released Monday by the California HealthCare Foundation’s Medi-Cal Policy Institute, the Oakland Tribune reports.
The Uninsured Cost United States $65 Billion to $130 Billion Per Year, Institute of Medicine Says
The estimated 41 million U.S. residents who lack health insurance cost the United States between $65 billion and $130 billion per year in lost productivity, according to a report released yesterday by the Institute of Medicine, Bloomberg/Hartford Courant reports.
As expected, Assembly members Joe Canciamilla (D-Pittsburg) and Keith Richman (R-Northridge) yesterday introduced a fiscal year 2003-2004 budget proposal that calls for reductions to state health and human services programs such as Medi-Cal and a temporary tax increase to help cover an estimated $38.2 billion state budget deficit, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Op-Eds Examine Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Debate
Several editorials and opinion pieces published recently address the congressional debate over Medicare reform, including the addition of a prescription drug benefit.
More People Treated for Depression, But Few Receive Adequate Care, JAMA Study Finds
More Americans than ever are receiving treatment for serious depression but only about 20% are adequately treated, according to a study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, which focuses on depression, the Wall Street Journal reports.