Latest California Healthline Stories
CalPERS Approves 6% Premium Hike
CalPERS, the nation’s second-largest purchaser of health insurance after the federal government, yesterday approved contracts for 2002 with eight HMOs that call for a 6% increase in premiums and a “significan[t]” rise in copayments for prescription drugs and doctor visits, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Bay Area HMOs Increase Profit Margins, CMA Study Finds
Average profit margins at the six largest Bay Area HMOs nearly tripled last year, increasing from an “anemic” 1.31% in 1999 to a “more robust” 3.53% last year, a report by the California Medical Association has found.
Deregulation is Hurting Workers’ Compensation Insurers, Times Says
California’s “plunge into deregulation,” which sparked the state’s energy crisis, also has “disrupted” the workers’ compensation insurance industry, “where a wave of insolvencies has led officials to warn of a looming crisis,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Bush’s Budget Proposal Raises Concerns Among East Bay Health Officials
President Bush’s proposed budget could “drain millions of dollars” from social service programs in the East Bay, including programs for the uninsured, the Contra Costa Times reports.
BodyMedia Markets Products that Record, Transmit Patient Information
BodyMedia Inc. is “trying to stake its claim in ‘bioinformatics'” by marketing to insurers and employers products that can record and transmit information about patients’ vital signs and health indicators, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Group Stands Behind Patients’ Rights Ad
Dan Danner, chair of the Health Benefits Coalition, is standing behind an ad campaign that stated that many businesses would drop health coverage for their employees if Congress approves a patients’ bill of rights with a provision allowing employees to sue their employers for denial of care, despite an April 12 article from the Washington Post.
Is Bush Tax Credit Sufficient for the Uninsured?
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities yesterday “hammered” President Bush’s proposal to offer lower-income people tax credits to help them purchase health coverage, CongressDaily reports.
Fresno County Employees Say ‘Greed’ Led to PacifiCare Contract Cancellation
“[C]orporate greed, rather than patient need” prompted PacifiCare of California to cancel its contract with Saint Agnes Medical Center and its physician group, Matrix, Fresno County employees said during a meeting yesterday morning with PacifiCare representatives.
Unions Try New Tactics in Disputes with Hospitals
As the “traditional strike declines in importance,” labor unions representing hospital workers are using new “pressure techniques” in labor disputes, such as “rolling blackout” strikes, advertisements, picketing, newsletters and “critical” Web sites, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Coalition’s Ads Advocate More Coverage the Uninsured
“America can do better” for the uninsured, according to an advertising campaign spearheaded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and co-sponsored by several other advocacy groups.