Latest California Healthline Stories
Texas Files Suit Against PacifiCare for ‘Tens of Millions’ in Late Provider Payments
The state of Texas filed suit against PacifiCare of Texas yesterday, alleging that the insurer owes “tens of millions” in unpaid claims to providers, the Austin-American Statesman reports.
Sutter Health Reaches Contract Agreement with Santa Rosa Hospital Workers, Including Pay Increases
Under a recently reached contract agreement between Sutter Health and the Service Employees International Union Local 707, nurses at Sutter’s two Santa Rosa-based hospitals will receive salary increases of between 4% and 11% per year, depending on their specialization, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
PBS’ ‘NewsHour’ Profiles Free Health Clinic in Venice Beach
PBS’ “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” last night reported on how the uninsured access health care by profiling the Venice Family Clinic, a free health clinic outside of Los Angeles that serves 17,000 patients annually — the largest free clinic in the United States.
Bush Announces Details of 10-Year, $300 Billion Health Care Agenda in Milwaukee Address
Putting more specifics on the fiscal year 2003 budget proposal he sent to Congress last week, President Bush yesterday outlined a $300 billion, 10-year health care agenda that would overhaul Medicare, expand medical savings accounts and subsidize coverage for the recently unemployed, the New York Times reports.
Kaiser Permanente Offers Online Enrollment for Individual Health Plans
Kaiser Permanente recently began offering online enrollment for its Personal Advantage plans, which are targeted at individual purchasers of health insurance.
Business, Labor Leaders Urge Action to Address ‘Quiet Crisis’ of the Uninsured
Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, call on Americans to help solve the “quiet crisis of the uninsured” in a Washington Post opinion piece today.
Nearly Half of California Doctors Do Not Treat Medi-Cal Beneficiaries, Survey Says
Nearly half of primary care physicians and specialists in California do not treat patients enrolled in Medi-Cal, according to a report from the California HealthCare Foundation’s Medi-Cal Policy Institute.
WellPoint Posts ‘Better-Than-Expected’ Fourth-Quarter Earnings
Thousand Oaks-based WellPoint Health Networks Inc., one of California’s largest health insurers, reported yesterday that fourth-quarter earnings increased 23% and “outpaced” Wall Street estimates, the Wall Street Journal reports.
HHS OKs Utah Waiver Expanding Medicaid by Cutting Some Benefits
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Saturday approved a waiver to allow Utah to extend Medicaid coverage to 25,000 uninsured residents while reducing benefits for existing beneficiaries, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
New ‘Broad Coalition’ Seeks National Action on Uninsured
A broad coalition of business, union, consumer, medical and insurer organizations will kick off a campaign tomorrow to gain support for “new national measures” to reduce the number of uninsured, the New York Times reports.