Latest California Healthline Stories
Health Care Sector Accounts for One in 10 New Jobs
Following five years of below-average employment growth, job growth in 2014 rebounded in the health care industry. Employment in the health care sector grew at a rate of 2.1%, compared with an average annual employment growth rate of 1.7% over the last five years. Further, the industry accounted for more than one out of 10 new jobs. Modern Healthcare, HealthLeaders Media.
VA Benefits Spending Varies Across Calif., U.S., Analysis Finds
An analysis finds that the amount the Department of Veterans Affairs spends on veterans’ benefits can vary drastically from state to state and sometimes within a single state. For example, VA spends an average of $6,890 per veteran in California, while spending on veterans’ health benefits in San Francisco nears $30,000 per patient. WBUR/NPR.
Supreme Court Passes on Case Challenging Several ACA Provisions
The Supreme Court has declined to hear a case challenging the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, along with several other provisions. Lower courts twice ruled against the plaintiffs in the case, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and Alliance for Natural Health USA. Reuters, The Hill.
18K Kaiser Nurses To Strike Following Mental Health Worker Walk-Out
More than 18,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses plan to go on a two-day strike next week over alleged inadequate care at the health system. The strike follows a separate weeklong walk-out by 2,600 mental health clinicians at the health center over similar allegations and contract negotiations. KCRA, Oakland Tribune.
Brown’s Budget Includes Funding for Costly Hepatitis C Treatment
Gov. Brown’s new budget proposal allocates about $300 million for high-cost drugs, including those used to treat hepatitis C. Few can afford the hepatitis C treatments, as a single drug regimen for the illness can cost about $85,000. Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News.”
A Los Angeles Times editorial calls the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ plan to consolidate three health departments — Health Services, Public Health and Mental Health — into a single agency “encouraging.” However, it notes that “the board should work to make sure stakeholders in the mental health and public health fields, and the public at large, have adequate opportunities to study and offer comment on the proposed changes.” Los Angeles Times.
Creditors Challenge San Bernardino’s CalPERS Debt Repayment Plan
Last week, two creditors filed a lawsuit against the city of San Bernardino in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside over the city’s plan to repay its $24 million-a-year debt to CalPERS. Ambac Assurance Corp., a New York bond insurer, and EEPK, a Luxembourg bank, argued that the bankrupt city should not be repaying CalPERS when it has not made payments on debts to them totaling more than $59 million. Sacramento Bee.
Jones Calls on Covered Calif. To Delay Private Plan Cancellations
About 95,000 state residents have been notified that they will be moved to Medicaid because they no longer qualify for subsidized health coverage through Covered California. However, experts say the cancellation process is flawed, and state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones says consumers should be able to maintain their private coverage while income discrepancies are resolved. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
California-Based Heritage Provider Network Teams Up With Trinity Health To Address Fragmented Care
On Monday, Southern California-based Heritage Provider Network announced a new joint venture with Trinity Health — the nation’s second-largest not-for-profit hospital system — to better coordinate patient care in several states. Under the agreement, Heritage and Trinity Health will build networks in different markets that aim to address fragmented care among patients with multiple providers. Los Angeles Times.
CMS Announces Pilot Program To Track Patient Satisfaction in CHIP Providers
CMS in December 2014 announced that it will pilot a reporting process that uses a pediatric version of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey to track Children’s Health Insurance Program participants’ satisfaction in hospitals. In the notice, CMS said that it plans to pilot the pediatric HCAHPS survey in 2015 to assess whether to add the results in the core quality measures used by state Medicaid and CHIP programs. Modern Healthcare.