Latest California Healthline Stories
Lawsuit Settlement Spells End of Insurers’ HIV Drugs-by-Mail Mandate
Patients in the United Healthcare system now may opt out of receiving medications through mail-order service if they have privacy, communication or delivery concerns.
Californians Want It. Insurers Don’t. So Why Are Top Officials Fighting Over Prop. 45?
The contentious battle over Proposition 45 — a ballot measure that would give the state government the ability to control health premium rates — has pitted California’s insurance commissioner against the state’s health plans and even Covered California.
New ACA Rules, Forms Complicate and Confuse Medi-Cal Renewal Effort
Placer County Human Services Director Cheryl Davis, Anastasia Dodson of the Department of Health Care Services, Jennifer Flory of the Western Center on Law and Poverty and Gerald Kominski of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research spoke with California Healthline about the planned renewal of eight million Medi-Cal enrollees, using new federal guidelines and a new state form that have hindered the effort.
Intervenor Role Now Politically Charged
The latest volley in the war over Proposition 45, the November ballot initiative to regulate health insurance rate hikes, is over intervenors who play an obscure role in the state’s process for overseeing insurance.
Look Ma, No Option! My Teeth Are Covered.
Like many things in Obamacare, dental insurance is more complicated than it should be. In today’s column, I’ll try to bring some clarity to the issue and preview coming changes that may affect how often you see a dentist – and at what cost. There’s some good news amid the complexity, especially for kids. Q: […]
UC-Davis Study: Pre-Toddler Treatment Shortens Autism Therapy Significantly
Children as young as six months old who received autism therapy showed significant response to it, according to a small pilot program at the UC-Davis MIND Institute.
Stung by Pointed Criticism, Department Aims for a Better Stakeholder Process
The Department of Health Care Services launched a new initiative last week to revamp stakeholder relations, in part because DHCS leaders have heard an earful of criticism from advocates, community leaders and legislators.
Autism Details To Come After Rollout
State officials and stakeholders met for the first time to iron out some of the details in implementing the new Medi-Cal benefit for autism therapy. Clearly it will be a work in progress.
Pilot Program Targets Senior Nutrition
It may not be just children who need the most important meal of the day. A new pilot program is studying the health effects of breakfast meals on seniors.
New Lawsuit Filed To Block Duals Plan
After losing in Superior Court, health advocates for seniors have upped the ante, filing a lawsuit in federal district court to try to halt further implementation of the state’s duals demonstration project.