Latest California Healthline Stories
Contentious Physical Therapy Legislation Approved by Committee
A bill to establish a pathway for patients to gain direct access to physical therapists passed committee after a long, heated discussion.
Medical Home Bill Closer to Passage
A bill designed to launch the state’s medical home program with financial assistance from the federal government and the California Endowment won approval from the Senate health committee.
Staggered Summer Recess Deadlines Are Unlikely To Affect Health Care Policymaking
The strange timing of the summer recess likely won’t affect health care policy decisions, lawmakers said, because no committee meetings currently are scheduled during the breaks.
Insurance Commissioner Worried About United’s Departure From Individual Market
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones issued some words of warning about United Healthcare’s decision to withdraw from the individual market in California.
Primary Care Provider Rate Bump Delayed
The temporary increase in Medi-Cal rates for primary care providers — which the federal government launched in January — won’t be distributed by California health officials until the fall.
Senate Talks Address Mental Health Parity
It’s one thing to rule that mental health is as important as physical health, but it may be another to enforce coverage of it, according to state officials and stakeholders testifying at a state Senate hearing.
Panel OKs Mental Health Parity Bill
The Assembly health committee’s approval of a mental health reform bill late in the legislative session gives the measure a head start on the next session.
Pharmacists: ‘We’re Providers, Too’
When people think of reforming the health care system, they should include pharmacists in the equation, according to pharmacy experts who gathered for a conference this week in Sacramento.
Assistants Could Do More Under Proposed Bill
If medical assistants could do more, then physician assistants could do more, and that would free primary care physicians to do more. That’s the theory behind a bill that won committee approval yesterday in the California Assembly and now heads to a floor vote.
Transparency Sought for Health Care Department
One of a few bills still making its way through the committee process at the end of the California Legislature session seeks to bring a higher level of transparency to the Department of Health Care Services.