Latest California Healthline Stories
Number of Uninsured Drops by 11.4M Since ACA Passage, CDC Finds
A new CDC report finds that the number of uninsured U.S. residents declined from 48.6 million in 2010 to 37.2 million last year. Meanwhile, a separate Government Accountability Office report finds that federal subsidies to offset the cost of premiums likely helped drive the expansion of health coverage. AP/U-T San Diego et al.
Covered California Sends Out Thousands of Corrected Tax Forms
Covered California has sent out 120,000 corrected tax forms, but tens of thousands of consumers still are awaiting updated documents. Federal officials say consumers in California and other states that run their own health insurance exchanges will not be required to refile their taxes if they received inaccurate forms. Los Angeles Times.
VA Relaxes Eligibility Rule for Vets To Receive Private Medical Care
A Department of Veterans Affairs rule change will roughly double the number of veterans eligible to receive care from a private health care provider. The agency now will allow veterans to demonstrate they live 40 miles or farther away from a VA health facility by calculating the distance in driving miles, rather measuring the distance in a straight line. AP/Sacramento Bee.
590K Californians Have Alzheimer’s; Many Not Told About Diagnosis
A new study from the Alzheimer’s Association finds that fewer than half of all Alzheimer’s patients had been told about the diagnosis, potentially hindering patients’ treatment options. Of the 5.3 million individuals with Alzheimer’s disease nationwide, 590,000 live in California. San Francisco Chronicle, Alzheimer’s Association study.
Researchers Find Link Between Depression, Unemployment Among Young Adults
Unemployed young adults are about three times more likely to be depressed than their employed peers, according to a study published in the CDC journal Preventing Chronic Disease. While the study did not look at causality, the researchers suggested that the link between unemployment and depression could be the result of developmental factors. Los Angeles Times, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report.
California To Begin Grading IT Contractors, Official Says
At a joint legislative hearing Monday on the problems associated with a computer system designed to process online applications and renewals for health care providers, California Department of Technology Director Carlos Ramos said the state soon will begin grading information technology contractors. The BreEZe system has been plagued by poor planning, lax oversight and staffing problems, and the project is slated to cost nearly four times its original $27 million budget. Sacramento Bee‘s “The State Worker.”
Volunteer Kaiser Permanente Medical Staff, Not-for-Profit Provide No-Cost Surgeries to Uninsured
Operation Access — an indigent health care not-for-profit — teamed up with medical staff volunteers at Kaiser Permanente’s San Jose Ambulatory Surgery Center to provide no-cost surgeries for 15 uninsured undocumented residents in Santa Clara County. San Jose Mercury News.
Sacramento County Supervisors Look To Improve Mental Health Care in Region
On Tuesday, Sacramento County supervisors are expected to consider a plan to reduce the unnecessary use of emergency departments for mental health issues. Under the plan, the county would seek $5.7 million in grant funding to open three new 15-bed crisis stabilization units and to boost payments to three area psychiatric hospitals by $4.2 million. Sacramento Business Journal.
Study: Medicaid Expansion Boosts Diabetes Diagnoses
New diabetes diagnoses among Medicaid patients increased by 23% in the 26 states that expanded their Medicaid programs, compared with only 0.4% in 24 states that declined to expand their programs, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care. According to experts, the findings show that expanding insurance coverage, especially for low-income individuals, can help boost health outcomes. Modern Healthcare.
House Lawmakers Unveil Funding Details for SGR Replacement Deal
According to House lawmakers, about one-third of the $200 billion-plus cost of a measure to permanently repeal Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula would be offset by provisions affecting both beneficiaries and providers, while the remainder would be added to the federal deficit. Modern Healthcare et al.