Report: State Exchange Could Do More for Asian/Pacific Islander Population
Covered California had strong enrollment numbers in some parts of the Asian community, but it still has a long way to go in terms of outreach efforts to other Asian groups and Pacific Islander communities, according to a new report.
Data, Oversight Cited as Central Needs To Improve State’s Mental Health Services
Ten years after California voters passed Proposition 63 and created the Mental Health Services Act, the Little Hoover Commission is looking at how well that act is working and what still needs to be done to make it better.
How To Pay for Health for All?
We asked legislators and consumer advocates to weigh in on a proposal to offer subsidized health care coverage to California’s undocumented immigrants and to suggest ways the state could pay for it.
Why One Pioneer ACO Quit the Program — and What It Reveals About the ACA
Ten of Medicare’s 32 Pioneer ACOs now have dropped out of the high-profile program, after San Diego’s Sharp HealthCare informed CMS that it would be leaving the two-year-old pilot.
Medi-Cal Application Backlog Will Be ‘Down Significantly’ Within Six Weeks
Toby Douglas, director of the state Department of Health Care Services, answered a range of Medi-Cal questions at an Assembly hearing yesterday, including when the current backlog of a quarter-million eligibility applications will be processed.
Governor Signs Telehealth Streamlining
A number of health care bills became law with the governor’s signature, including a telehealth measure and a ban on smoking in family day care homes.
Confidentiality of Health Information in PHRs and Mobile Health Apps in California
A California law that went into effect this year goes further than HIPAA by holding many different types of organizations — including some developers of personal health records and mobile applications — to confidentiality standards and medical data disclosure rules that traditionally have been reserved for health care entities.
UC-Davis Study Links Autism to Low Iron Intake in Some Mothers
Mothers over age 35 or those with metabolic conditions, such as obesity and hypertension, who had low iron intake during pregnancy and immediately following birth were five times more likely to have a child with autism spectrum disorder, according to a new UC-Davis study.
New Law To Shorten Medi-Cal Application Process for Community Clinic Startups
Primary care clinics that want to take Medi-Cal patients won’t have to wait as long to get started, under a bill just signed by the governor.
San Diego Gearing Up for Targeted Outreach in Second Open Enrollment
In San Diego, the second year of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act will require a more targeted outreach strategy to reach those who failed to obtain health insurance last year, according to stakeholders and experts.