Latest California Healthline Stories
Steps Forward Are a Decent Start for Mental Health Spending, Experts Say
California’s spending this year on some mental health programs brings it closer to funding levels set by the decade-old Mental Health Services Act. Still, lawmakers at a recent hearing voiced concern about heightened need for services in the state.
Lawsuits. Surprise Bills. Are ‘Narrow Networks’ a Speed Bump, or a Scandal?
Complaints about the “narrow networks” in the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges have taken a sharp turn, with regulators launching investigations and patients filing lawsuits. Are these simply rollout-related challenges, or are deeper problems to blame?
Can Raising the State’s Minimum Wage Improve Public Health?
Rajiv Bhatia of the UC-Berkeley School of Public Health, Gerald Kominski of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Sen. Mark Leno, Mike Schommer of the Minnesota Department of Health and medical student Lea Selitsky spoke with California Healthline about the legislative efforts to raise the minimum wage and research into the possible public health effects from that.
First Volleys Lobbed in Expected Long Debate on Rate Regulation in Prop. 45
A joint legislative hearing tackled a controversial initiative on the November ballot — Proposition 45, the measure that would regulate health insurance rate increases.
CMS Guidance Says Autism Therapy Covered as Medicaid Benefit for Kids
Long-sought federal guidance has finally been issued on coverage of autism therapy as a Medicaid benefit — and advocacy groups say it’s good news for children on Medi-Cal in California.
Lawsuit Slams the State’s Duals Project
A just-filed lawsuit in Superior Court asks that the dual eligibles demonstration project be paused long enough to fix several “failures,” including a form that offers no clear choice to opt out.
Inadequate State, Federal Payment Rates Forcing Hospital Closure, Officials Say
An East Bay hospital that serves a patient population that’s 90% Medi-Cal, Medicare or the uninsured is facing imminent shutdown. State and federal reimbursement rates make serving that population unsustainable, hospital officials say.
Amid Shortage Concerns, Could the ACA Bolster Primary Care Ranks?
The Affordable Care Act might be making primary care more attractive to medical residents, which would address an anticipated provider shortage. But some observers say any increase in students’ primary care interest is an illusion.
Main Push in Duals Project Starts, L.A. County Launches Passive Enrollment
The biggest element of the state’s Cal MediConnect project has begun — the push to enroll 200,000 dual eligibles into managed care plans in Los Angeles County. It’s almost half the project’s target population.
Help! Help! Out-Of-Network Emergency Woes
Last year, I developed an antibiotic-resistant infection on my arm when I was traveling on the East Coast. With each day, it grew scarier and more painful, and it was spreading. Like a good girl, I called my health insurance company here in California and they pointed me to specific urgent care clinics, assuring me […]