- Covered California & The Health Law 2
- California Tries To Counter Administration's Moves To Scale Back Exchanges
- With All The Uncertainty, Insurance Officials Feel Their Hands Are Tied In Approving Premium Increases
Latest From California Healthline:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Las Vegas Faced A Massacre. Did It Have Enough Trauma Centers?
Hospitals view adding trauma care as a potential profit tool, but experts say having more centers does not necessarily improve the system’s ability to respond to a mass casualty event. (Julie Appleby and Phil Galewitz, 10/4)
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
California Tries To Counter Administration's Moves To Scale Back Exchanges
But with all the uncertainty in Washington, D.C., the marketplace remains unstable.
McClatchy:
Donald Trump Could Still Hurt California Health Care Market
Covered California, the state run individual insurance market, is expected to announce a surcharge for its Silver plans in the coming days to reflect uncertainty over whether President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress will continue to fund the cost sharing reductions that insurers are required to pay for low income patients. (Cadei, 10/4)
“It’s very hard for a regulator to deny those rate increases when we can take a look at their bottom line and can tell they can’t continue if they can’t keep their head above water,” said Mike Kreidler, Washington State’s insurance commissioner and a supporter of the health law. Meanwhile, lawmakers are moving forward with bipartisan talks to try to stabilize the marketplace.
The New York Times:
With Affordable Care Act’s Future Cloudy, Costs For Many Seem Sure To Soar
Health insurers are aggressively increasing prices next year for individual policies sold under the federal health care law, with some raising premiums by more than 50 percent. By approving such steep increases for 2018 in recent weeks, regulators in many states appeared to be coaxing companies to hang in there, despite turmoil in the market and continuing uncertainty in Congress about the future of the law, the Affordable Care Act. (Abelson, 10/3)
The Hill:
GOP Gives Ground In ObamaCare Stabilization Talks
Republicans are willing to provide insurers with two years of ObamaCare subsidies under a bipartisan market stabilization bill, according to the Senate Health Committee chairman. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said continuing cost-sharing reduction subsidies for two years is a key part of the stabilization package he is trying to negotiate with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). (Weixel, 10/3)
At Vegas Hospitals It Was All Hands On Deck To Triage Hundreds Of Patients Flooding Into Facilities
“You’re standing in a pool of blood trying to care for your patient, slipping and sliding,” said trauma nurse Renae Huening. Meanwhile, officials are seeking certified trauma counselors to help serve the mental health needs of those who were affected by the shooting, and Californians step up to donate blood.
The Washington Post:
As The Wounded Kept Coming, Hospitals Dealt With Injuries Rarely Seen In The U.S.
As trauma nurse Renae Huening rushed into Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center on Sunday night, she “followed a trail of blood indoors. ”Dozens of patients already were crammed into the waiting area, hallways and rooms of the hospital’s emergency department. Some were “red-tagged,” meaning they needed attention immediately. Names were being assigned randomly because there was no time to register people or find IDs. Huening could smell the blood. (Craig, Mello and Sun, 10/3)
The Washington Post:
Who Will Take Care Of Nevada’s Wounded Psyche?
The call went out Monday from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Less than 24 hours earlier, from a suite on the 32nd floor, Stephen Paddock had squeezed off enough rounds from an AK-47-type rifle to kill at least 59 people and injure more than 500. And now, again, the hotel sought urgent help. “We are in need of certified trauma counselors,” it tweeted. And then these details: “If you can volunteer your time, please go to Circus Circus — Ballroom D where you will be given an assignment. . . . We are grateful for the support of our community.” (Nutt, 10/3)
KQED:
Las Vegas Attack Prompts Surge In California Blood Donations
Blood centers across California are seeing increased donations in the wake of the shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday night that killed 59 people and injured more than 520. (Klivans, 8/3)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Tourniquets, Training To Turn Bystanders Into First Responders During Mass Shootings
With the size and frequency of mass shootings on the rise, a move is under way to make bleeding control kits as common in public places as fire extinguishers and heart defibrillators. ...Already, the state of Georgia has funded a program that pays for bleeding control kits to be placed at public schools, and a California bill, AB909, was introduced this year in Sacramento that, if it passed, would require bleeding trauma kits to be installed next to all automatic defibrillators in the state. (Sisson, 10/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Las Vegas Massacre Reverberates In Gun-Loving Nevada
In the wake of Sunday’s mass slaughter of 59 people here at the hands of a man who perched himself in a hotel suite above a country music concert with a high-powered arsenal — and apparently one that was fully legal — many Nevadans are loath to link the bloodshed to a gun-friendly culture. (Sernoffsky and Fagan, 10/3)
Number Of Cases In Hep A Outbreak Continue To Grow
Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten said it's too early to tell if there are any signs of it slowing down.
KPBS Public Media:
San Diego Hepatitis A Outbreak Continues To Grow
Twenty new cases are being reported this week, bringing the number of people infected to 481, according to San Diego County Health and Human Services. ...Starting Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be in San Diego, discussing the spread of the virus, including how it made its way to Maricopa County in Arizona. (Hoffman, 10/3)
Capital Public Radio:
Possible Hepatitis A Case Originated At Haggin Oaks Golf Course
An employee of MacKenzie’s Sports Bar and Grille at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex may have come down with a case of Hepatitis A, according to the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services. ...Sacramento County DHHS asks anyone who ate at MacKenzie's between Sept. 12- 22 to call their health care provider and get the Hepatitis A vaccine. (Caiola, 10/3)
Meanwhile, Santa Ana takes steps to address public safety concerns with its homeless population —
KPCC:
Santa Ana To Consider Emergency Ordinance Aimed At Civic Center Homeless Camp
Santa Ana’s city council will consider an emergency ordinance Tuesday that would prohibit people in the civic center from possessing a long list of items including building materials, generators, furniture and bicycle parts. ...The rules would also prohibit people and organizations from handing out food or providing services without proper permits and approval from the city manager. (Replogle, 10/3)
Breast Cancer Survival Rates Are On The Rise
But African-American women black are still experiencing death rates nearly 40 percent higher than white women.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Breast Cancer Deaths Continue To Decline But Racial Disparities Persist
Since 1989, advances in early detection and treatment have decreased the national death rate by 39 percent though experts still predict that breast cancer will kill more than 40,000 American women in 2017. And, though they have seen significant increases in survival over the same span, black women still experienced death rates nearly 40 percent higher than white women did in 2015, the most recent year for which national data is available. ...Dr. Maria Elena Martinez, co-lead of the Reducing Cancer Disparities Program at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, said that both nature and nurture are driving the trend.
On the nature side, African-American women, Martinez explained, are more likely to develop types of breast cancer that are not responsive to hormone therapy which has made major contributions to the survivability gains made in recent years.
Burbank Woman Sentenced To 37 Months In Medicare Fraud Scheme
According to court documents, employees of the Angeleno Clinic would entice Medicare beneficiaries to come to the clinic with the promise of free food and free unnecessary medical equipment.
Los Angeles Times:
Medicare Fraud Scheme Nets 3-Year Prison Sentence For Burbank Clinic Owner
A Burbank woman was sentenced to 37 months in prison Monday for her participation in a scheme defrauding Medicare out of roughly $1.7 million. ...According to court documents, employees would entice Medicare beneficiaries to come to the clinic with the promise of free food and free unnecessary medical equipment. (Nguyen, 10/3)
Capital Public Radio:
Audit Of Sacramento's Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Raises Questions
An audit of Sacramento's Medical Marijuana dispensaries raises questions about the amount of taxes that are being paid to the City. (Moffitt, 10/3)
GOP's Plan To Pay For CHIP May Derail Efforts To Renew Funding Of Popular Program
Democrats oppose Republicans' efforts to scrap the ACA’s prevention fund, which has been criticized as a "slush fund" and don't like the GOP's proposal to remove lottery winners from state Medicaid programs. Meanwhile, states are bracing for the impact if the money is not renewed.
The Associated Press:
House GOP Proposes 5-Year Extension For Children's Health
A popular program that provides health insurance for 8.9 million low-income children would get five more years of funding under legislation Republicans plan to push through a House committee this week. The measure comes days after federal funding for the program expired. (10/3)
Politico Pro:
House GOP Proposal To Pay For CHIP Program Likely To Rankle Democrats
House Republicans’ package to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and other public health programs would use Obamacare’s prevention fund and entitlement programs to pay for it — moves that could threaten bipartisan backing for the bill. Republicans as part of their five-year CHIP funding extension want to increase means-testing in Medicare for wealthier seniors, allow states to remove lottery winners from state Medicaid programs and change Medicaid’s third-party liability policy that dictates who pays claims for enrollees before Medicaid must be responsible for costs. (Pradhan, 10/3)
The New York Times:
States Gird For Worst As Congress Wrestles With Children’s Insurance Program
Federal officials on Monday approved a $3.6 million emergency infusion for Minnesota after the state’s human services chief warned that pregnant women and some children were at imminent risk of losing health care coverage under the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Utah, meantime, has formally requested authority to “eliminate eligibility and services under CHIP” if the state does not have enough money to continue coverage. (Pear, 10/3)
Bill Banning 20-Week Abortions Sails Through House, But Faces Likely Demise In Senate
With overwhelming Democratic opposition in the upper chamber, it would be nearly impossible for the legislation to get the 60 votes.
The Associated Press:
House Approves GOP Bill Outlawing Most Late-Term Abortions
Most late-term abortions would be outlawed under legislation Republicans pushed through the House on Tuesday, a major priority of the GOP and conservative groups that won't reach an eager President Donald Trump because it faces certain Senate defeat. The House approved the measure by a near party-line 237-189 vote. Though the bill's fate is sealed, the push for abortion restrictions remains a touchstone issue for most Republicans, even as the party splinters between traditionalist conservatives and anti-establishment voters looking to roil Washington. (10/3)
The Washington Post:
With Trump’s Backing, House Approves Ban On Abortion After 20 Weeks Of Pregnancy
The bill, known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, is not expected to emerge from the Senate, where most Democrats and a handful of moderate Republicans can block its consideration. But antiabortion activists are calling President Trump’s endorsement of the bill a significant advance for their movement. The White House said in a statement released Monday that the administration “strongly supports” the legislation “and applauds the House of Representatives for continuing its efforts to secure critical pro-life protections.” (DeBonis and Johnson, 10/3)
Stat:
House Passes 20-Week Abortion Ban, As GOP Proponents Cite 'Fetal Pain'
The co-chairs of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), along with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), said in a statement the ban “endangers women, interferes with their private health care decisions, and marginalizes sexual assault victims while also being blatantly unconstitutional.” Ninety-nine percent of abortions already take place before 21 weeks, according to Planned Parenthood. (Facher, 10/3)