Latest California Healthline Stories
Lawmakers Aim To Restrict Guns for Mentally Ill After Shooting
California lawmakers are pushing a bill that would allow temporary restraining orders to prevent individuals suspected of having mental health issues from purchasing guns. The move comes after a 22-year-old man killed six individuals last week in Isla Vista. AP/Sacramento Bee et al.
CalPERS’ ‘Reference Pricing’ Initiative Saves $5.5M Over Two Years
CalPERS saved millions of dollars by capping the price it pays for certain health care services and urging beneficiaries of its preferred provider organization to select high-value hospitals for such procedures. Eighty-six percent of the savings were the result of hospitals lowering their prices. Health Data Management.
CMS Studying Medicaid Managed Care Plan Rates, Drafting New Rule
CMS officials say the agency has launched a study to examine whether states’ payment rates to Medicaid managed care plans are actuarially sound. Meanwhile, the agency also is drafting a new rule that aims to update outdated regulations for such plans. Modern Healthcare.
L.A. City Council OKs Creation of Citizens’ Health Panel
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the Health Protection Act, which creates a 15-member voluntary citizens’ health commission to oversee how well the county meets its public health and health care services obligations. The move comes ahead of a planned ballot initiative to create the advisory panel. Los Angeles Times‘ “L.A. Now.”
Calif. Senate Passes Bill Banning Prisoner Sterilizations
On Tuesday, the state Senate passed a bill that bans the use of sterilization as a method of birth control for inmates. The bill came in response to an investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting that found nearly 150 female inmates in the state were sterilized over a five-year period without proper approval. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert.”
UC-Berkeley, UC-San Francisco Researchers Win Federal BRAIN Grant Worth Up to $26M
A public-private team of researchers, including those from UC-Berkeley and UC-San Francisco, will receive up to $26 million in a federal grant under President Obama’s $100 million BRAIN initiative to develop an implantable device that can track brain signals in individuals with anxiety or depression. The researchers hope to determine when and where physicians can send electrical pulses to strengthen parts of the brain associated with brain disorders. San Francisco Business Times‘ “BiotechSF.”
California Has Fallen Short on Promise of Health Care for Low-Income Residents, Editorial Argues
A San Francisco Chronicle editorial argues that California “has offered the promise of health care for the poor but fallen short on keeping that promise.” The editorial notes that California expanded Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, but has yet to reverse a 10% cut to the program’s reimbursements rates. The editorial states that Gov. Brown “touted the Medi-Cal expansion in last year’s budget. He needs to keep the promise this year.” San Francisco Chronicle.
Insurers Expected To Expand Exchange Offerings in 2015
Several insurers that in 2014 opted not to offer health plans through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges in certain markets — or chose not to participate at all — are reversing course in 2015. For example, UnitedHealth Group and Cigna, which were cautious about offering policies through the exchanges this year, have signaled their intentions to offer health plans in more state exchanges next year. New York Times.
IRS Will Levy Fines Against Employers Shifting Workers to Exchanges
The Internal Revenue Service has released guidelines that say employers that provide employees with non-taxable contributions to purchase private coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges are violating the law’s employer mandate. IRS said employers could face penalties of $100 per day per worker for such practices. New York Times.
Steinberg Calls for Changes to Oversight of Prison Mental Health Panel
State Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg has suggested shifting oversight of the Council on Mentally Ill Offenders to the Board of State and Community Corrections. The council has been without an executive director for more than two years. AP/Sacramento Bee.