Latest California Healthline Stories
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones Wins Re-Election
On Tuesday, Democratic incumbent Dave Jones was elected to another term as California’s insurance commissioner, defeating Republican state Sen. Ted Gaines. Jones has held the position since 2000. Los Angeles Times, AP/Daily Journal.
Google’s philanthropic arm has awarded a three-year, $3 million grant to the Center for Youth Wellness in San Francisco. The facility — run by pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris — specializes in studying links between traumatic experiences, such as neglect or abuse, and the health problems of low-income children. San Francisco Chronicle.
VA Disability Claims Backlog Down by 60%
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced the number of backlogged disability claims by 60% since March 2013, according to VA officials. The number of backlogged claims fell from 611,000 in March 2013 to 244,000 in October. FCW.
3M More U.S. Residents Would Have Health Coverage if Every State Had Expanded Medicaid Under the ACA
About 3 million additional U.S. residents would have health insurance if every state had expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act, according to a New York Times analysis. According to the analysis, the uninsured rate would be two percentage points lower if every state expanded Medicaid. The Hill, New York Times‘ “Upshot.”
DOJ Files Brief in Halbig Case; No SCOTUS Action Yet on King Case
The Department of Justice has filed a brief in Halbig v. Burwell in defense of the federal government’s ability to provide subsidies to U.S. residents who purchase coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s federal insurance exchanges. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday did not announce whether it would hear King v. Burwell, a case that also involves the legality of subsidies in the federal exchanges. AP/U-T San Diego et al.
Outcome of Midterm Elections Will Have Effect on Health Policy
The results of today’s midterm elections could have a significant effect on health care policy both nationally and locally. Whichever party has control of the U.S. Senate after the election will be able to shape the future of the Affordable Care Act, while the fate of Medicaid expansion hinges on state races. Modern Healthcare et al.
California Naturopathic Physicians Seek Coverage for Their Services
Naturopathic physicians in California want their services to be covered by Covered California plans and are working to expand their scope of practice. However, some stakeholders argue that such providers lack sufficient training to provide care that is equivalent to that offered by traditional physicians. HealthyCal.
Scorecard Ranks Children’s Health, Well-Being Across California
A new scorecard released by Children Now finds that California counties vary significantly on indicators of childhood health and well-being. Among other things, the scorecard finds that children who have a usual source of health care ranged from 85% to 95%, with the state averaging 91%. Bakersfield Californian et al.
CalPERS Receives $249M Settlement From Bank of America Over Bad Investments
On Monday, CalPERS announced that Bank of America has paid $249.3 million as part of a settlement over bad mortgage securities purchased by the pension fund during the housing market crash. CalPERS said it has now recovered more than $500 million from such investments. Sacramento Bee.
Covered California Back Online After Repairs
Covered California officials said the exchange website was back up and running on Friday, following some maintenance that caused the site to be taken offline Thursday night. Exchange officials said the repairs were conducted after reports that consumers and brokers were receiving error messages when they tried to complete transactions. Sacramento Business Journal.