Latest California Healthline Stories
Opposing Opinion Pieces Take on Calif. Assisted-Death Bill
In a Sacramento Bee opinion piece, Michael Saum, a Stage 4 brain cancer patient who recently entered hospice, argues that aid in dying “should be available to terminally ill Californians like me who want it.” Saum urged the “Assembly to pass SB 128 so others don’t have to go through what I have gone through at the end of my life.” Meanwhile, an opposing Sacramento Bee opinion piece by Elliot Lapin — a senior at Stanford University and summer intern at the Bee who has been using a wheelchair for the past 11 years after suffering an autoimmune reaction to a life-saving transplant — argues, “The state of California cannot sanction a law that leads to needless deaths.” He writes, “Patients who have been given an accurate prognosis … should be helped by doctors to ease their pain … in their final days, but it is unfair and immoral to smooth their path toward a decision that cannot be reversed.” Sacramento Bee.
Brown Signs Bill To Protect Organ Transplants for Medical Marijuana Users
On Monday, Gov. Brown’s office announced that a bill designed to prevent individuals from being denied an organ transplant because they use medical marijuana has been signed into law. Under the law, hospitals and physicians will be barred from disqualifying an individual as an organ recipient based solely on the fact that they use medical marijuana. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
Some Parents’ Perceptions of Vaccines Improved Over the Last Year, Poll Finds
Thirty-three percent of parents said their perception of vaccines has improved over the last year, according to a nationwide poll conducted by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. The poll showed that 5% of parents said they think vaccines have fewer benefits than they did one year ago, while 61% said their perception of vaccines has not changed. KQED’s “State of Health.”
Advocates: Extending Medi-Cal to Undocumented Kids a First Step
Advocates for immigrants have praised the inclusion of Medicaid coverage for undocumented children in California’s fiscal year 2015-2016 state budget. However, they note that barriers to accessing care through that coverage remain. In addition, some advocates are pushing to extend Medicaid to undocumented adults in the state. Kaiser Health News.
California Insurers Received $1.2B Under ACA Reinsurance Program
A Covered California analysis of CMS data finds that insurers in the state have received nearly $1.2 billion through the Affordable Care Act’s reinsurance program. California insurers also received more than $600 million through the ACA’s risk adjustment program. Business Insurance, Covered California release.
California Could Pay More Than $5B for Hepatitis C Drugs Under State Budget, Study Finds
A study funded by the California Association of Health Plans estimates that state programs, such as Medi-Cal, will pay $512 million to $5.1 billion for high-priced hepatitis C drugs in prisons and hospitals under the fiscal year 2015-2016 state budget. CAHP President and CEO Charles Bacchi said the costs are not sustainable for health insurers and consumers, adding, “It could be a huge hit to the taxpayers.” Kaiser Health News.
Sonoma Developmental Center Secures Federal Medicaid Funding Amid Closure Plans
As the state moves forward with plans to permanently close the Sonoma Developmental Center, officials on Wednesday announced that the facility has secured federal Medicaid funding. The center provides care for individuals with severe disabilities. Officials said the Medicaid funding will be used to assist in transitioning the center’s patients to community-based programs. Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Most Residents Support SCOTUS Ruling Upholding ACA Subsidies
A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds 62% of respondents say they support the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold subsidies to help individuals purchase health coverage through the federal exchange, while 32% of respondents say they oppose the ruling. Meanwhile, the ACA still faces legal challenges from House GOP lawmakers. National Journal et al.
Study Finds 25% of Adults, 17% of Children in California Are Obese
A UCLA Center for Health Policy Research study finds that one-fourth of adults and nearly one-fifth of children in California were obese in 2012. Meanwhile, researchers find that obesity disproportionately affects low-income Californians and certain racial groups in the state. HealthyCal.
Report: Rx Drug Spending Down Among New Exchange Enrollees
A new report finds new enrollees in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges in 2015 spent less on prescription medications than new enrollees in 2014. According to the report, the number of new enrollees who used at least one prescription medication during the first quarter of 2015 declined by 18% compared with the same period in 2014. Modern Healthcare, The Hill.