Latest California Healthline Stories
Medi-Cal Waiver Gets Senate Committee Approval After Unusual Third Tier of Testimony
You know you’re in murky legislative territory when the format of a health committee meeting has to be changed to accommodate the complicated nature of the proposed bill.
In this case, it was AB 342 by John Perez (D-Los Angeles), which the Senate Health Committee eventually approved at its hearing last week. It is the companion Medi-Cal waiver bill to SB 208, which recently passed the Assembly Health Committee.
Usually, committees hear pro and con testimony, but for AB 342, Senate committee chair Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara) made a third category. “It’s a hybrid category just for this one bill,” Alquist said. “For those who are neither opposed nor support, but have concerns.”
California’s New Health Information Exchange Hires CEO
Carladenise Edwards, former health IT coordinator for the state of Georgia and health IT adviser in Florida, is the new president and CEO of Cal eConnect and will manage California’s $38.8 million federal grant for health information exchange.
Assembly OKs Direct Hiring of Doctors
California law prohibits hospitals from hiring physicians directly. Instead, health institutions hire physician groups; it’s a law designed to keep a layer of bureaucratic insulation between doctors and hospitals.
But that prohibition may be lifted, in some cases. The Assembly voted this week in favor of SB 726 by Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield). The bill has already passed the Senate, and now heads back to the Senate for concurrence.
Concurrence approval by the Senate is not a rubber stamp, however. The bill passed the Senate a year ago last June, and it was different in many ways from the bill passed this week in the Assembly. (The California Medical Association, for example, supported SB 726 a year ago, but does not support this version of the bill.)
Reform Bill Pushes Insurance Buttons
The California Legislature is working on many bills dealing with national health care reform — from major undertakings like setting up a health benefits exchange to more esoteric ones, like guaranteeing timely response to autism grievances.
Some generate hot debate, such as the give-and-take over proposed insurance changes during an Assembly Health Committee hearing this week.
At issue was SB 890 by Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara), which has three main provisions.
How Small Businesses Can Make Most of Health Care Reform
We asked small business experts and insurers to share insights about how California small businesses can make the most of health care reform while dealing with new administrative burdens it brings.
Law Would Mandate Maternity Coverage
The Senate Health Committee approved AB 1825 by Assembly member Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) on Wednesday, which would force health insurance groups and plans to cover maternity services for women in California.
“It is similar to AB 98, which was vetoed by the governor last year,” Senate member Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Chino) said. “It is four years till the (national health care) health exchange will open. Already we’ve seen a drop in coverage since 2007 from 22% to 19% coverage … and four more years will push many more women out of coverage.”
Maternity coverage particularly needs to be covered, Negrete McLeod said, because in many cases women don’t plan to become pregnant, and then find themselves scrambling to change their coverage to accommodate their now-preexisting condition.
Insurer Response Remains Key Story To Watch
The health industry’s focus is on HHS this week, as the department sprints to launch insurance portals and pools by key implementation deadlines. However, tensions between policymakers and private payers remain the long-term narrative to watch.
How Much Risk Will $761 Million Pay For?
The state legislature passed two bills yesterday that establish a temporary high-risk insurance pool. California currently has a high-risk pool system that handles 7,100 patients across the state. The new legislation would corral $761 million in federal funds over the next four years to create a significantly larger program.
High-risk pools are designed to insure those who can’t get health insurance. But that “uninsurable” bar is pretty low, according to legislative advocate Elizabeth Lansberg of the Western Center on Law & Poverty.
“Being uninsurable is not hard to achieve,” Lansberg said. “There are many people who just have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. But if you’re over 45 and have a pre-existing condition, it can be nearly impossible to get coverage.”
Big Week Ahead — and the Budget Looms
You’re going to see a lot of bills passed this week, at least through the committee phase of legislation. This is the final week, ending July 2, for laws to be approved out of committee, so legislators are likely looking at long, agenda-packed hearings.
For instance, the Senate Committee for Appropriations meets today (Monday), with a grand total of 96 items on its agenda. Good luck with that.
Also, July 1 is the beginning of the fiscal year, and that leads into the next deadline: passing a state budget.
San Diego Biotech Gets Boost From Reform Tax Credit
San Diego, a national hub for biotechnology, has seen a flurry of activity as companies prepare to apply for a new tax credit included the health care reform package that will provide $1 billion to small biotech and life sciences companies.