Latest California Healthline Stories
Senate Passes Rate Regulation Bill
The California Senate yesterday approved a bill to expand the state’s health insurance rate review process to the large-group market.
Then vs. Now: How Dire Predictions About Obamacare (Mostly) Didn’t Come To Pass
Early data suggest that the Affordable Care Act is starting to change the health care industry — and if not for the better, then at least to make the sector stronger. Here’s a look at how several Obamacare provisions are affecting patients, physicians and hospitals.
Podiatry Gets Vote as Medi-Cal Benefit
The California Assembly yesterday unanimously approved a bill to reinstate podiatric services as a Medi-Cal benefit.
State’s Reluctant Takeover of Local Health Plan Contested in Superior Court
California health officials say they were forced to take over the financially troubled Alameda Alliance for Health out of concern for the local health plan’s members. But Alliance officials say their members will suffer from the takeover and are fighting the state in court.
Soda Warning Bill Passes Committee; Plan To Insure Undocumented Does Not
A bill to provide health coverage to the state’s undocumented population stalled in committee last week, but another high-profile health bill seeking warning labels on sweetened beverages advanced.
Committee Approves More Funding for IT System, Hopes To Ease Backlog Issue
State officials — who say an inadequate computer system is partly to blame for a backlog of 900,000 Medi-Cal applications — won approval yesterday from a budget subcommittee to increase funding for the state’s IT enrollment system.
UC-Berkeley Study Validates Legislation To Insure Undocumented in California
A new study released two days before related legislation is due to be heard in committee suggests costs of providing health insurance for all Californians — including undocumented individuals — would be relatively low and the payoff relatively high.
How Should California Officials Deal With ‘Specialty Tier’ Pricing of Drugs?
We asked stakeholders and health care experts how California should handle “specialty tier” pricing of prescription drugs, a practice that requires some consumers to pay higher out-pocket-prices for some medications.
Poised for Growth, Commercial ACOs Also Face Considerable Challenges
Accountable care organizations formed by private insurers and health systems face different requirements and challenges than those regulated by CMS. As commercial organizations increasingly jump on the ACO bandwagon, other private entities will be watching from the sidelines to see if they find success.
Questions Raised Over Medi-Cal Estimates
Legislative analysts and consumer advocates raised questions at a budget subcommittee hearing this week over the state’s estimates of the number of new Medi-Cal enrollees and how much they might cost the state.