Latest California Healthline Stories
At Zuckerberg San Francisco General, Many Patients Are Left Footing Big, Surprise Bills
Most big hospital ERs negotiate prices for care with major health insurance providers and are considered “in-network.” Zuckerberg San Francisco General has not done that bargaining with private plans, making them “out-of-network.” A Vox investigation takes a look at the hospital’s billing practices.
California-based Juul has launched a new $10 million ad campaign focusing on the pitch that e-cigarettes are helping curb the country’s smoking habits. But experts are saying the new image relies on revisionist history.
Rates of drug and alcohol abuse among LGB youth were also double that of their straight peers, and more than 60 percent reported feeling consistently sad for two weeks or more. “California is lucky to have the strongest statewide LGBT civil rights protections in the country but we know that that doesn’t necessarily translate to full, lived equality and that too many members of the LGBTQ community in California have unfortunately been left behind,” said Samuel Garrett-Pate, spokesman for Equality California.
Administration officials are debating whether they could divert some of the $13.9 billion allocated for disaster aid without President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency. Media outlets offer looks on how the shutdown is impacting the country, from food safety inspections to domestic violence survivors to the clean up of superfund sites.
Trump’s Rules Allowing More Employers To Opt Out Of Covering Contraception Get Day In Court
The rules, which California is challenging in court, relax requirements under the health law that birth control services be covered at no additional cost. The new guidelines would allow more categories of employers, including publicly traded companies, to back out of the requirement by claiming religious objections.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared his $209 billion state budget proposal, of which health care accounts for nearly 30 percent, “a reflection of our values.” The governor projects a massive $21.5 billion surplus as growth slows for Medi-Cal. Now he must negotiate with the legislature on a final budget by June 15 — so some of these proposals are certain to change or be eliminated.
The vote forced House Republicans to go on record against the health law and its popular provisions — such as protections for preexisting conditions — which were big winners in the midterm elections.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, however, said that high-risk food surveillance inspections will resume soon. The shutdown’s impact is being felt across many sectors, including drug approvals, pollution inspections, and approval of mergers such as the CVS-Aetna deal.
The Department of Managed Health Care found 44 instances where Molina violated state statutes and regulations, including 13 incidents where an enrollee’s grievance was not adequately considered, investigated and rectified.
“If we don’t do this as an industry, I think there will be other alternatives that will be more onerous for us,” Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky said at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in California. Drug pricing was just one of the many topics that were being hotly discussed at the annual event that draws the movers-and-shakers in the industry.