Latest California Healthline Stories
Panel OKs Vaccine Bill; Floor Vote Next
After a long, sometimes heated debate, the Assembly health committee yesterday approved a bill to remove the personal-belief exemption from childhood vaccination requirements in California.
Program Targets Super-Users of Health Care To Lower Costs, Increase Quality
Elizabeth Davis of San Francisco General Hospital’s San Francisco Health Network Primary Care, Hannah Katch from the California Department of Health Care Services, Marty Lynch of LifeLong Medical Care in Berkeley and Bertha Swan, daughter of San Francisco General Hospital patient Aroytemise Swan, spoke with California Healthline about the proposed Health Homes plan to improve quality and reduce costs of super-utilizers in the Medi-Cal program.
State Fashions New Dental Director Role
The governor’s appointment of a state director of dental care could signal a fresh approach to oral health in California and may help solve problems in Denti-Cal, California’s Medicaid dental program.
Three Major Systems Join San Diego Health Connect, Giving HIE Big Boost
Nearly two million San Diegans will soon be signed up to participate in San Diego Health Connect, a health information exchange giving area providers access to patient medical records housed at competing health systems.
2.5 Million Californians in Deep Poverty, Many of Them Children, Analysts Say
An independent assessment shows women and children make up the largest share of Californians now living below half of the federal poverty level.
Right-to-Die Bill Passes Senate Floor
After contentious debate in the state Senate, a controversial right-to-die bill won a close floor vote and now moves to the Assembly.
Surprising Results From Pilot Program Aimed at Medi-Cal ‘Super-Utilizers’
More than half of Medi-Cal health care spending is on 5% of the beneficiaries — but that small cadre of “super-utilizers” might not be who you think they are, according to a pilot project in rural Humboldt County.
Senate Moves Provider Directory Bill
A proposal to require insurers to publish more accurate provider information unanimously cleared the Senate floor yesterday in the California Legislature.
The ACA and Telehealth: Mutually Beneficial?
The Affordable Care Act’s implementation is helping to accelerate telehealth adoption, and observers say the technology could be crucial to achieve the health reform law’s goals.
Big Day for Health Care Bill Passage
Along with the big-ticket proposal to provide coverage for undocumented immigrants, a number of health care bills cleared floor votes in the California Legislature yesterday. A few others did not survive.