Latest California Healthline Stories
Governor’s Vetoes: Medi-Cal Message?
A number of health-related bills were turned down by the governor this week, leading some health care experts to wonder if the vetoes may be sending a Medi-Cal austerity message to legislators and advocates.
Providers Point to ‘Crisis’ in Dental Care for Some Medi-Cal Patients
Some special-needs patients — including children with autism or developmental disabilities — need to undergo sedation to get dental care. But the number of hospital settings for those procedures in California is declining, and a showdown of sorts has developed around Medi-Cal coverage for such services in the Sacramento area.
Anthem’s New Partnership With Seven Hospitals Builds on an Old Idea in California
Vivity — a new Southern California product from Anthem Blue Cross — debuted to considerable fanfare last month. California already has a rich history of managed care and integrated networks, so is there anything unique about this particular arrangement? “Road to Reform” consulted the experts to find out.
Governor Rejects Adult Day Health Bill; Future of Senior Program Now Up in Air
The senior health care community was stunned by Gov. Brown’s veto Monday of a legislative effort to extend the life of the adult day health care program. The move might signal an attempt to eliminate it — again.
Employers’ Reform ‘Scorecard’ Shows Continuing Shift in Value-Oriented Pay
California has a higher percentage of value-oriented care — such as capitated payment systems — than most of the country, but the national numbers are inching closer, according to a national report on payment reform released today.
Health 2.0: The Customer Is King
Speakers and attendees at last week’s Health 2.0 conference said that giving patients a voice in health care decisions is a priority. The Health 2.0 space has changed from its beginnings as virtual libraries or data storage software to a focus on dynamic personalization and interconnectivity.
Governor Agrees To Take $6M California Endowment Grant, Signs Many Health Bills
Gov. Brown signed more than a dozen health-related bills late last week, including a measure to accept a $6 million grant to help facilitate Medi-Cal enrollment renewals.
Report: State Exchange Could Do More for Asian/Pacific Islander Population
Covered California had strong enrollment numbers in some parts of the Asian community, but it still has a long way to go in terms of outreach efforts to other Asian groups and Pacific Islander communities, according to a new report.
How To Pay for Health for All?
We asked legislators and consumer advocates to weigh in on a proposal to offer subsidized health care coverage to California’s undocumented immigrants and to suggest ways the state could pay for it.
Data, Oversight Cited as Central Needs To Improve State’s Mental Health Services
Ten years after California voters passed Proposition 63 and created the Mental Health Services Act, the Little Hoover Commission is looking at how well that act is working and what still needs to be done to make it better.