Latest California Healthline Stories
Medi-Cal Managed Care Audit Coming
The state auditor is about to release a critique of Medi-Cal’s managed care program, including the adequacy and accuracy of its provider directories.
Prop.13 Changes Could Affect Health Care
Proponents say overhauling California’s landmark property tax initiative — which was passed nearly 40 years ago — could improve government’s ability to deliver health care services. Opponents say just the opposite.
Health Changes Likely in State Budget
Some health care services may be restored in the new state budget being hammered out today in the California Legislature, but some may still face a gubernatorial veto.
Medi-Cal Autism Care May Be Lacking
Nearly a year after autism therapy officially became a Medi-Cal benefit, only 2% of Medi-Cal managed care children with autism are receiving one of the main treatments for the malady, according to state data.
New Urgent Care Center Helps Fill Void After East Bay Hospital Closure
When Doctors Medical Center, a safety-net hospital serving low-income patients in San Pablo, closed this spring, community leaders cobbled together a revised health care plan centered around a new urgent care center.
Why California’s ACOs Could Become a Model for the Nation
Organizations experimenting with the much-hyped accountable care organization model are starting to report uneven results. Could California’s pilot programs turn into a national model — even as Medicare’s flagship ACO program shows signs of weakness?
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.
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.