Latest California Healthline Stories
SHOP Expanding To Allow Employers To Choose Two Benefit Levels
Small employers in California soon will be able to select two benefit levels of coverage through the state’s Small Business Health Options Program, as opposed to the current allowance of one benefit tier. The change will bring SHOP in line with the market for commercial small group coverage. Sacramento Business Journal.
Brown Signs Budget; Advocates Criticize Medi-Cal Provisions
Health care advocates are criticizing provisions of a budget plan signed by Gov. Brown last week that call for expanding the state’s Medicaid program to 1.9 million additional residents while keeping a 10% cut to providers in place. Advocates say the move could hinder beneficiaries’ access to care. AP/Modern Healthcare et al.
A new study by Stanford University researchers finds that California could save about $1.4 billion annually by shifting hundreds of thousands of state and local government workers to less expensive coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Nationwide, the U.S. could save nearly $12 billion annually by shifting retirees under age 65 and low-income government workers to ACA coverage, according to the study. San Jose Mercury News.
FBI Investigating Whether L.A. Clinic Overprescribed, Overbilled Medicare for Rare Cardiac Treatment
The FBI is investigating Global Cardio Care Centers in Los Angeles after it collected more than $2 million from Medicare in 2012 for a rarely used cardiac treatment, called “enhanced external counterpulsation.” According to a previous Wall Street Journal article, the clinic collected significantly more for the treatment than any provider in the U.S. Ronald Weaver, owner of the clinic, declined to respond to questions about the FBI probe but said his clinic’s prescription and billing practices are “in full accordance with all applicable laws, regulations and guidelines.” Wall Street Journal.
CHCF Unveils Tool To Track Effect of ACA in California
The California HealthCare Foundation has launched an interactive data tool, called ACA 411, that allows policymakers, providers and other stakeholders to evaluate Affordable Care Act progress in California. The tool includes data on uninsured rates; private and public coverage levels; insurance status and Covered California enrollment; quality of care, barriers to care and use of care; and consumer spending and premium sharing for employees. Health Data Management.
Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, has sent a letter to hospitals across eight states — including the California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, St. Bernadine Medical Center in San Bernardino and Chula Vista Medical Center — urging them to end their affiliation with Florida-based HealthFair Health Screening, a medical testing company. The group said that HealthFair heavily promotes and offers “medically non-beneficial testing.” Los Angeles Times.
Sutter Medical Center last week became the latest of several hospitals in Northern California to close its dental surgery program because of fiscal concerns. Community health leaders in Sacramento County say the trend is leading to a “dental health crisis” in the area. Sacramento Bee‘s “Healthy Choices.”
Cities in Medicaid Expansion States To See Big Drop in Uninsured
A joint report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute finds that seven major cities — including Los Angeles — in states that have expanded Medicaid would see their uninsured rates fall by an average of about 57%, while the uninsured rates in seven cities in states that are not expanding Medicaid would fall by about 30%. Washington Post‘s “GovBeat” et al.
Most Exchange Enrollees Previously Were Uninsured, Survey Finds
A new Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds that 60% of people ages 18 to 64 who purchased coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges previously were uninsured, with 45% of those individuals being uninsured for at least five years. New York Times et al.
State Audit Uncovers Illegal Inmate Sterilizations in Recent Years
A report by State Auditor Elaine Howle finds that more than 25% of tubal ligations performed on female inmates in fiscal years 2005-2006 and 2012-2013 were provided without required consent. The report recommends that the names of physicians involved be sent to stage agencies for disciplinary action. Center for Investigative Reporting et al.