Latest California Healthline Stories
Officials Estimate Covered Calif. Enrollment Will Increase by 43%
Covered California estimates that enrollment in the state’s insurance exchange will grow by 500,000 during the next open enrollment period, reaching a total of 1.7 million. The exchange’s second open enrollment period begins Nov. 15 and will be about half as long as the initial open enrollment period. San Francisco Business Times‘ “Bay Area BizTalk,” San Luis Obispo Tribune.
New Covered California TV Ads Aim To Alleviate Deportation Concerns Among Latino Immigrants
Covered California officials have launched new TV advertisements aimed at alleviating concerns among immigrants that enrolling in coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges could put their relatives at risk of deportation. The new TV ads are part of a $95 million marketing and outreach campaign that will be rolled out over the next few months. Los Angeles Times.
Standard and Poor’s Upgrades Calif.’s Credit to ‘A+’
Following the approval of Proposition 2, which creates a state rainy day fund, Standard and Poor’s raised California’s credit rating from an “A” to an “A+.” In a prepared statement, outgoing Treasurer Bill Lockyer said that the upgrade “rewards the state for the immense strides it has taken toward fiscal discipline and budget stability.” However, California’s credit rating still ranks 48th among all states, only beating News Jersey and Illinois, according to a Standard and Poor’s spokesperson. Sacramento Business Journal.
Boehner Says House Will Vote To Repeal, Dismantle ACA
This week, House Speaker John Boehner said the House will hold a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act next year, as well as a series of votes to repeal smaller portions of the law, such as the medical device tax or the individual mandate. Boehner’s comments come after Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is likely to become the Senate’s majority leader, said earlier this week that the Senate also would try to dismantle parts of the ACA. Washington Times, The Hill.
Premium Increases To Be Modest in Most Areas in 2015, Report Says
An Urban Institute study shows that average premiums for the lowest-cost silver plans available on the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges will either decline or increase by 5% or less in most areas. However, the study finds that rural areas are more likely to see larger average premium increases. The Hill et al.
Federal Officials Upgrade HealthCare.gov’s Security Protections
Federal officials say that they have upgraded cybersecurity capabilities for HealthCare.gov ahead of the second open enrollment period. In addition, HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan says officials are taking additional steps to avoid the technical failures that plagued the federal exchange site during last year’s initial open enrollment period. AP/Washington Times, Wall Street Journal.
Medi-Cal Backlog Down Slightly; Officials Consider Temporary Fix
California’s Medicaid application backlog has been reduced to about 170,000, according to state officials. In an effort to expedite the process of clearing the backlog, state officials may grant temporary Medicaid coverage to applicants younger than age 19 until a final decision on their applications is made. KPCC’s “KPCC News.”
Report: California’s Preterm Birth Rate Hits New 24-Year Low
The 2014 March of Dimes report card gives California an “A” for its preterm birth rate. The state’s preterm birth rate fell to 8.8%, marking a 24-year low, according to the report. Nationally, the preterm birth rate dropped to 11.4%. HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report et al.
Opinion: S.F. Not-for-Profit Hospitals Make ‘Meaningful Contributions,’ Deserve Tax-Exempt Status
In a San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece, Art Sponseller, president and CEO of the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, argues that three not-for-profit San Francisco hospitals — Kaiser San Francisco, St. Mary’s Medical Center and California Pacific Medical Center — “deserve their tax-exempt status” because they “make meaningful contributions that improve community health and provide care for the underserved and uninsured.” He dismisses a recent report from the Greenlining Institute, calling it “an attack that’s not only wrongheaded, it’s been discussed, discredited and rejected by the Legislature for two years running.” San Francisco Chronicle.
UC-Davis Says Nurses Prepared To Handle Ebola Cases, Will Wear Head-To-Toe Protective Gear
On Thursday, UC-Davis Medical Center officials said that nurses will wear head-to-toe protective gear and are prepared to handle the Ebola virus should a case arise. The protocols are aimed at reducing transmission of the virus, which spreads through bodily fluids and can be killed with basic sanitizing. Sacramento Bee.