Latest California Healthline Stories
State Grades Hospitals on Stroke Outcomes, Readmission Rates
Consumers and insurers can now compare the quality of care for stroke patients in California online, using data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
Website Will Compare Health Insurance
Collaboration between the state and Consumer Reports will allow health insurance shoppers to see differences in quality and price.
New Oversight for Outpatient Surgery
We asked stakeholders and consumer advocates to weigh in on a new state law calling for increased regulations and oversight of California’s growing outpatient surgery industry.
State’s Children Bear Brunt of Poverty
Advocates and analysts weigh in on new census data that show about two million California children — nearly one in every four children — lived in poverty last year.
Bill Passed To Undo ‘Step Therapy’ Rule
Under some health insurance rules, patients need to fail several therapies before their providers are allowed to prescribe what they want. The California Legislature approved a bill that could change that.
Orange County Seniors Opting Out of State’s Duals Demonstration Project
Seniors are opting out in droves from California’s duals demonstration project for Medi-Cal and Medicare recipients in Orange County — and no one knows why.
One Year After Benefit Began, Are Kids in Medi-Cal Getting Autism Treatment?
Sarah Brooks at the California Department of Health Care Services, Kelly Hardy of Children Now, Kristin Jacobson of Autism Deserves Equal Coverage and Sarah Trautman-Eslinger of STE Consultants spoke with California Healthline about the implementation of autism treatment under Medi-Cal, one year after it became a benefit.
The Next Big Battle Over Obamacare: Another Tax
As employers begin to consider future benefits packages, their attention is turned to the Affordable Care Act’s 40% tax on high-cost health plans. Advocates say the tax will help reduce health care costs by discouraging wasteful spending, while critics say the tax will unfairly raise out-of-pocket expenses for workers.
Bill for CMS Waiver Extension Quietly Heads to Governor for Signature
The Legislature won’t be in session when California’s current CMS waiver to keep the duals demonstration project going expires so lawmakers set up an extension process in case state and federal negotiators hit a snag.
Don’t Accept Drug Prices Lying Down
If you haven’t experienced it yourself, you’ve no doubt heard about the outrageous — and rapidly growing — prices of certain prescription medications. The average price of about one year of cancer-drug therapy has skyrocketed from $10,000 (or less) before 2000 to more than $100,000 by 2012, according to a recent Mayo Clinic study. The […]