Palo Alto Officials Work To Get Health Care Cost Control Initiative On Ballot
The measure would limit local medical facilities “from charging patients more than 15 percent above the cost of care, plus quality improvement costs."
KQED:
Ballot Measure Campaign Takes Aim At Stanford Health Care
The union representing thousands of Bay Area health care workers is launching a signature-gathering campaign this week in four Bay Area cities with the goal of qualifying ballot initiatives that would force Stanford Health Care facilities to lower costs or invest more money in care. The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West has filed ballot measures for the November election in Palo Alto, Pleasanton, Redwood City and Livermore, all home to Stanford Health Care facilities. (Marzorati, 2/5)
The Mercury News:
Effort Begins On Palo Alto Patient Care Ballot Initiative
Two elected officials are trying to garner support for a Palo Alto ballot initiative that aims to control the costs of patient care. The initiative, which would be placed on the November ballot if it collects enough signatures, would limit Stanford Hospital and other Palo Alto medical facilities “from charging patients more than 15 percent above the cost of care, plus quality improvement costs,” according to a statement issued Friday by Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), which is backing the initiative. (Kelly, 2/2)
In other news from across the state —
Los Angeles Times:
Battling Treacherous Office Chairs And Aching Backs, Aging Cops And Firefighters Miss Years Of Work And Collect Twice The Pay
When Capt. Tia Morris turned 50, after about three decades in the Los Angeles Police Department, she became eligible to retire with nearly 90% of her salary.b But like many cops and firefighters in her position, the decision to keep working was a financial no-brainer, thanks to a program that allowed her to nearly double her pay by keeping her salary while also collecting her pension. (Dolan, Garcia-Roberts and Menezes, 2/3)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Program Encourages Teens To Become Health Professionals By Letting Them Work Alongside Them
Getting hands-on experience in the medical field is no easy feat, especially in high school. But [Jovanna] Orellana gets the opportunity through East Bakersfield High School’s Health Careers Academy, an intensive college-preparatory program that allows students to take health-related elective courses and travel to Kern Medical Center once a week their junior and senior years of high school to work alongside medical professionals. The program is just one of the innovative ways the Kern High School District has, for years, been working get more young people interested in health careers in a region that has been recognized by the federal government as a medically underserved region. (Pierce, 2/2)