Latest California Healthline Stories
Anthem: Covered California Rates To Increase Less Than 10%
Anthem Blue Cross says that premiums for individual coverage through Covered California will increase on average less than 10% next year because enrollees’ age and projected medical costs have met expectations. Meanwhile, a Kaiser Permanente official says the company is “optimistic that rates will see only modest increases next year” in the state’s insurance exchange. Los Angeles Times.
Employee Enrollment in Private Exchanges Exceeds Projections
An Accenture analysis finds that nearly three million U.S. residents have enrolled in employer-sponsored plans through private insurance exchanges. Accenture estimates that the number of people using private exchanges will reach 40 million by 2018, exceeding the number of people projected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. Modern Healthcare, New York Times.
Officials Report Data Breach Involving 34K Patients at Santa Rosa Medical Facility
On Wednesday, officials from St. Joseph Health announced that a thumb drive containing the personal health records of 33,702 patients was stolen from a Santa Rose medical office on June 2. The drives contain data on patients who received X-ray services at the facility between Feb. 2, 2009 and May 13, 2014, including patients’ area of body X-rayed, gender, medical record numbers, names, name of the X-ray technologist and the radiation level used to produce the X-ray. Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
San Francisco Fire Department Fails To Meet Emergency Response Target, Requests More Funding
A San Francisco Board of Supervisors budget and legislative analysis found that the city’s fire department does not have enough working ambulances and staff to meet the required 80% of emergency medical calls. The mayor has allocated $3 million to hiring new staff and purchasing new ambulances, but San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said the department would need $10 million in next year’s budget to meet response targets. San Francisco Chronicle.
Overtime Limits for In-Home Care Workers Left Out of California Budget Deal
A budget deal developed by state lawmakers will reject overtime limits for in-home care workers. Gov. Brown’s budget plan limited overtime hours for such workers, arguing that federal rules set to take effect in January 2015 would increase home-care costs by more than $600 million by June 2016. However, critics of Brown’s proposal say limiting overtime payments for in-home care workers would significantly affect their income and would hurt their customers. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of June 13, 2014
Daughters of Charity Health System has received bids from several parties interested in purchasing part or all of the health system. Doctors Medical Center is rescinding its notice of closure and instead will pursue a plan to continue operating the hospital’s 25-bed emergency department.
29M U.S. Residents Have Diabetes, CDC Says
A new CDC report finds that more than 29 million U.S. residents have diabetes, up from the CDC’s 2010 estimate that 26 million residents had diabetes. The report also finds that one in four individuals are not aware they have diabetes and that 86 million adults — more than one-third of U.S. adults – have prediabetes. Non-Hispanic black, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native adults are about twice as likely as non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes. HealthyCal.
Push To Repeal Employer Mandate Gains Momentum
The Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate — which has been delayed twice by the Obama administration — likely will never take effect, according to former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and other policy experts. Meanwhile, Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University and an ACA supporter, wrote in a recent column in Health Affairs that repealing the mandate “might, in fact, not be such a bad idea,” especially if replaced by a more effective and less “onerous” requirement. Washington Post‘s “On Small Business.”
Cantor’s Defeat Likely Hampers ACA Repeal, Replace Efforts
One day after losing his re-election bid in a Republican primary, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced that he will relinquish his leadership role on July 31. In his speech, Cantor did not mention health care as a legislative priority for his final seven weeks in office, suggesting his efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act have stalled. Modern Healthcare et al.
State Supreme Court Rejects Pharmacy Medi-Cal Rate Appeal
The California Supreme Court has declined to review a ruling that managed care plans do not have to consider how much pharmacies pay to obtain prescription drugs when setting Medi-Cal reimbursement rates. Pharmacies argued that low reimbursement rates are driving some pharmacies out of business and discouraging others from serving Medi-Cal beneficiaries. San Francisco Chronicle.