Latest California Healthline Stories
State Controller Suggests Using $1B Revenue Surplus To Help Cover Unfunded Retiree Benefits
A new report from State Controller John Chiang shows that California’s revenue is about $1 billion higher than projected for the fiscal year. Chiang said policymakers should use the extra funding to cover crucial spending, such as unfunded retiree health care. Sacramento Business Journal.
Sutter Launches Online Health Service for Teens
Sutter Health has launched a new electronic health record service to give children ages 12 to 17 online access to their physician and health records. The service — called My Health Online for Teens — also allows teens to view test results, renew prescriptions, track vaccinations and use a mobile phone or laptop to schedule appointments. Health Data Management, Becker’s Health IT & CIO Review.
On Monday, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee approved an additional $1.1 million in public funding to help undocumented immigrants access health care and other services under President Obama’s recent executive action on immigration. In November, Obama announced a plan to allow up to five million undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years and who have no record of felony offenses or serious misdemeanors to apply for a program to avoid deportation. San Francisco Chronicle.
Walgreen To Test Out Mobile Application for Virtual Doctor Visits in California, Michigan
Walgreen is testing a mobile application in California and Michigan that will allow patients to access virtual physician consultations at home or at one of the retail drugstore’s clinics. The virtual visits will cost $49 each, and providers will be able to prescribe medications for certain illnesses. AP/San Francisco Chronicle.
Spending Bill Faces Thurs. Deadline, Could Include Health Measures
Congress has until Thursday to pass a continuing resolution omnibus spending bill. However, differences on some policies, including certain health-related provisions, have delayed the measure. The measure is expected to include $5.4 billion in emergency funding to help combat an Ebola outbreak in West Africa and funding increases for the Department of Veterans Affairs health system. New York Times et al.
Half of Listed Medicaid Doctors Unavailable, OIG Report Finds
An HHS Office of Inspector General report released today finds that half of the physicians who are listed as serving Medicaid beneficiaries were unable to offer appointments to those patients. Meanwhile, the median wait time among providers who offered appointments was two weeks, according to the report. New York Times.
Calif. Healthcare Institute, Bay Area Bioscience Association To Merge
The California Healthcare Institute and the Bay Area Bioscience Association will merge next year to create a new advocacy organization called the California Biomedical Innovation Alliance. The merger is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015. Modern Healthcare, San Francisco Business Times‘ “Bay Area BizTalk.”
Blue Shield Plans To Enter Medi-Cal Market Via Care1st Acquisition
Through a pending acquisition of Care1st, Blue Shield of California plans to enter California’s Medicaid market for the first time. Care1st insures 473,000 Medicaid beneficiaries and 46,000 Medicare beneficiaries. Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Business Times‘ “Bay Area BizTalk.”
Physicians in Calif., N.Y. Helping Undocumented Kids Seek Asylum
Attorneys in California and New York are increasingly turning to physicians for testimony to help prove that undocumented, unaccompanied children qualify for asylum in the U.S. Experts say that such testimony often can corroborate lawyers’ arguments. Kaiser Health News et al.
Data Show Gilead’s HIV Prevention Pill Effective, but Could Lead to Lower Condom Use
A survey of men in a Kaiser Permanente AIDS prevention program shows that Gilead’s Truvada has been effective in preventing HIV infection. However, the survey found a 45% increase in condom-less sex, which could put individuals at risk of contracting other sexually transmitted infections. San Francisco Business Times‘ “BiotechSF.”