Latest California Healthline Stories
Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West President Dave Regan and SEIU California President Laphonza Butler have sent a series of letters urging California lawmakers to stop accepting political contributions from Prime Healthcare Services and its CEO Prem Reddy. In the letters, they wrote, “We are making this extraordinary request because Prime Healthcare is an outlier in healthcare; they are bad for patients, bad for taxpayers, bad for workers and bad for our community.” The letters come after Prime refused to sign a set of guidelines to help the union’s efforts to organize. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
ACA Provision Allows Some Covered Calif. Enrollees To Switch Plans
Some Covered California enrollees will be able to change their exchange plan outside of the open enrollment period because they were given misleading or incorrect information from insurers when they originally selected coverage. The switches are allowed under a provision of the Affordable Care Act. Contra Costa Times.
HHS Announces New Health Care Innovation Grants
This week, HHS announced 39 new prospective recipients of a second round of grants under the Affordable Care Act’s Health Care Innovation Awards, which are designed to lower costs and improve care delivery and outcomes. The grants range from $2 million to $23.8 million and include initiatives to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits and improve coordination of care in rural areas. The new grants bring the total amount of funding awarded to up to $360 million. The Hill.
Disability Rights Advocates File Complaint With Federal Gov’t Over Los Angeles County Voting Process
Yesterday, advocates for residents with disabilities filed a complaint with the U.S. Justice Department alleging that individuals under “limited conservatorships” are often denied their right to vote in Los Angeles County. Specifically, the filing states that the use of literacy tests by Los Angeles County Superior judges to determine whether such individuals can vote violates the federal Voting Rights Act. KPCC’s “KPCC News,” AP/Contra Costa Times.
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of July 11, 2014
Children’s Hospital of Orange County laid off 89 employees following an evaluation aimed at improving hospital efficiency. Sutter Health is expanding a nurse training program that aims to address an anticipated shortage of operating room nurses in the state.
Yolo County Law Enforcement Teams Up With Mental Health Care Professionals for Crisis Calls
Beginning this fall, mental health care professionals will accompany Yolo County law enforcement officers on crisis calls, and such visits will be followed up by a peer counselor who will work with the individuals involved in the call to create a mental health safety plan. The program is funded by $1.9 million in grants from the state Mental Health Wellness Act and other funds. Sacramento Bee.
9.5M Previously Uninsured U.S. Residents Gained Coverage During ACA’s First Open Enrollment Period
During the initial open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges, 9.5 million previously uninsured U.S. residents gained coverage, reducing the rate of uninsured adults under age 65 from 20% to 15%, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Commonwealth Fund. Researchers found that 73% of adults who bought health insurance reported being somewhat or very satisfied with their new plan, including 87% of those who signed up for Medicaid and 77% of those who were previously insured. New York Times‘ “The Upshot.”
Reports Highlight Improper Payment Issues in Medicare, Medicaid
A new Government Accountability Office report finds that Medicare and Medicaid accounted for $62.2 billion out of the total $105 billion in improper payments the federal government made in 2013. Meanwhile, a separate report from the Senate Special Committee on Aging shows that improper Medicare payments increased from 8.5% in 2012 to 10.1% in 2013. The Hill et al.
DMHC, Blue Shield Announce Data Breach Affecting 18K Calif. Doctors
This week, the California Department of Managed Health Care and Blue Shield of California announced that the Social Security numbers of about 18,000 physicians in the state were unintentionally released as part of public records requests after the insurer included the data in its mandatory monthly filings to DMHC. Medical Daily et al.
16 California Hospitals, Health Systems Among ‘Most Wired’ in U.S.
A survey by Hospitals & Health Networks finds that 16 California health care facilities are among the “Most Wired” in the U.S. The survey recognizes hospitals for successful health information technology planning and implementation. Healthcare IT News, Hospitals & Health Networks.