Latest California Healthline Stories
Mixed Reviews at Basic Health Program Briefing
The state Legislature is considering a bill to create a Basic Health Program in California. If adopted, SB 703 by Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) would create low-cost health care insurance for as many as one million low-income Californians.
One of the options offered states in the Affordable Care Act, the Basic Health Program shares some goals with the Health Benefit Exchange, though the cost of insurance is expected to be significantly lower under the BHP.
That prospect would seem to be a slam-dunk proposition for patient advocates, but it’s not as simple as that.
How Should California Respond if Part or All of ACA Is Struck Down?
California, which has embraced and prepared for reform more aggressively than most states, might have the most to lose if the rules change. We asked policymakers and stakeholders how California should respond if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down part or all of the Affordable Care Act.
Expansion of Safety Net Sparks Debate
The 17 health care clinics run by the Molina Medical Group, which care for many low-income patients, should qualify as safety net providers in California, according to the group’s owners. AB 2002 by Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) would redefine the state’s process for establishing Medi-Cal safety net providers to allow centers like Molina’s to be included.
“This bill would create a fair definition of a safety net provider,” according to Gilbert Simon, a physician at Sacramento Family Medical Center who testified at an Assembly Committee on Health hearing earlier this week. Sacramento Family Medical Center is a Molina Healthcare partner. Molina Healthcare is a for-profit company operating in 16 states and headquartered in Long Beach.
“Physician groups across the state are preparing and building sustainable networks to provide medical homes to patients [for the expansion of health care enrollment in 2014], and it is imperative that we acknowledge the true nature of the safety net,” Simon said, “and take steps to acknowledge its expanding role.”
Senate Committee Approves New Type of Nursing Home
A new idea elbowed its way into the familiar pile of health care legislation in the Senate Committee on Health yesterday. A nursing home model — the “Green House Project” — bucks the cold, institutional feel of many long-term care facilities.
“SB 1228 is a transformative bill that will eliminate red tape and save money. It is a revolutionary model of care,” Senate member Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose) said, presenting her bill to the committee yesterday.
“It puts the ‘home’ back into nursing home,” Alquist said.
Successful Program for Seniors Shifting to Managed Care
The Multipurpose Senior Services Program, considered an important component of the state’s safety net for some of California’s most frail seniors, is about to be folded into the larger managed care system. Some beneficiaries and advocates are concerned about what the shift will mean for services.
Health Debt Bill Passes Committee
Melanie Rowen, a woman with multiple sclerosis living in San Francisco, appeared before the Assembly Committee on Health yesterday to talk about money — or rather, lack of it.
When she first found out she had multiple sclerosis, Rowen had health care insurance but her medication was still expensive. “My insurance plan required me to pay 30% of it,” Rowen said. “I couldn’t afford it, but I put it on credit cards.” As she watched her disease progress, she saw her bank account drain away and her health care debt pile up.
Assembly member Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) hopes to prevent similar scenarios with AB 1800 which would establish a limit on annual out-of-pocket expenses for prescription medications for insured Californians.
Advocates Hope ACA Will Knit Children’s Patchwork
Hoping the Affordable Care Act will knit together a patchwork of protections, advocates for children’s health coverage await the Supreme Court’s ruling with an uncomfortable mixture of worry and optimism.
Assembly Committee Approves Newborn Screening
There is a relatively easy answer to a serious disease that hits newborns in California, according to Assembly member Marty Block (D-San Diego).
“This bill is designed to ensure that newborns are screened for critical congenital heart disease,” Block said, presenting his bill, AB 1731, to the Assembly Committee on Health.
“It is known as CCHD, it causes severe and life-threatening illness, and affects secen to nine of every 1,000 live births in the U.S. This will bring California’s newborn screening program into alignment with the most up-to-date public health standards and practices,” Block said.
Three Bills Aim To Change Nursing Home Care
The Assembly Committee on Health last week approved two bills to alter nursing home care in California and it will hear a third one this week.
AB 1752 by Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), expected to be heard in tomorrow’s health committee hearing, is called the Nursing Facility Bed Hold Protection Act of 2012. It would require the Department of Health Care Services to penalize facilities for refusal to readmit a patient on appeal.
The Assembly health committee passed two other nursing home-related bills last week, also authored by Yamada.
Mental Health Recurring Theme at Conference
Starting with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, who set the tone on the first day, mental health care and its role in the evolving health care system emerged as a recurring theme last week at the Association of Health Care Journalists’ annual conference in Atlanta.