Latest California Healthline Stories
Temporary High-Risk Pool Welcome, Needed
The federally funded high-risk health insurance pool, one of the first major pieces of national health care reform to come into existence, is apparently more welcome — and needed — in California than it is in other parts of the country.
When the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board — the state agency in charge of California’s pool — announced premium rates and the companies that would be handling the program last week, state officials said they already have received 4,000 requests for applications.
In the 21 states where the federal government is handling the high risk pool, the combined total of applicants so far is 2,400.
Anthony Wright — executive director of Health Access and a veteran observer of the California Legislature — acknowledges that health care politics in Sacramento have changed a bit because of national health care reform, but he’s quick to add this is not a time for health advocates to sit back on their heels.
“It can always get worse,” Wright said, adding, “And without new revenues, it will get worse.”
Wright said Democrats are on the right track by identifying new sources of money in their budget proposal announced this week.
Health Reform Law Could Protect Health Care Programs
Although they’re keeping a close eye on budget battles in Sacramento, the level of concern among California health care advocates is tempered this year by the arrival of a large, powerful ally — the Affordable Care Act.
“For the most part, national health care reform has helped out greatly in that it has protected the state’s health programs,” said Kristen Golden Testa — health director for The Children’s Partnership, a national advocacy group based in California.
The Affordable Care Act includes “maintenance of effort” provisions that require states to retain services offered before the reform law was passed to be eligible for increased federal funding under the new law.
Déjà vu Again for Single Payer Bill
Single payer system advocates are nothing if not persistent.
Twice before, in the past two legislative sessions, the state Legislature passed a law to establish a single payer system in California.
And twice before, the governor vetoed it.
Ombudsman Program Tries to Follow Money
California’s long-term ombudsman program, a volunteer network governed by a state agency, is designed to represent and advocate for people in nursing homes and senior housing. In many cases, it’s the only forum seniors have to voice complaints and concerns about their living situations — which makes it an extremely popular program among seniors.
Right now, the state’s ombudsman program may be beloved, but it’s a beloved orphan.
Last year, the $3.8 million program was cut, and then lawmakers later restored almost half of it — $1.6 million. But now, even that temporary funding is gone, and officials have been scrounging to come up with enough money to keep the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program going.
Big Week for Health Legislation
The Legislature returns from summer recess today and members will need to hit the ground running. The deadline for passing bills is Aug. 31, so the packed agendas of the appropriations committees, both Senate and Assembly, need to be cleared out quickly.
The Senate appropriations committee has 203 laws on its agenda for today and Assembly appropriations is hearing 241 items on Wednesday.
Many of those, approximately 77 of them, are health care bills. If these bills are approved in appropriations, they go out for a floor vote. Here are a few of them:
Think the wheels of Sacramento politics move slowly? Think again.
On Monday, when the California Legislature returns from its summer recess, the Senate Committee on Appropriations plans to conduct a session that is expected to last 12 hours — and possibly longer — when it takes up and either approves or denies 203 new laws.
If you do the math, that’s just 3 minutes and 31 seconds for each bill — to introduce, argue both sides, have questions answered and vote on each piece of legislation.
Quality Index Points Out Where California Lags
California provides poor quality health care in several categories such as respiratory care and immunization rates, according to a just-released national evaluation, which compares health quality markers from state to state.
California had high scores in home health care and maternal care. Overall, the state rating was smack in the middle of the average range.
“We are mandated to do national reports on health care quality,” spokesperson Karen Migdail of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) said. “Given the local nature of health care, states wanted to know what’s particular for their area. This provides a good snapshot of health care quality in a particular state.”
Judges Order Sacramento County to Pay Up
The showdown in court is over for now, and Sacramento County will need to come up with a better way to fund and manage its responsibility to care for the indigent and mentally ill.
That’s the word from three recent court decisions. At the end of last week, Sacramento County, which had already been hit with a temporary restraining order, accepted a longer-binding preliminary injunction to halt cuts and closures at its three public clinics, until a new plan can be worked out — one that offers better care to the county’s indigent patients.
That legal move came just one day after a U.S. District Court judge ruled last week against the county in a different court case, ordering Sacramento County to stop its plan to scale back some mental health services.
Do Hospice Facilities Need Own Rules?
There are separate requirements for all kinds of health-related places — nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, congregate living health facilities — so should there be separate definitions and requirements for hospice facilities? Since end-of-life care differs from extending-of-life care, should separate facilities be built just for hospice?
Those are some of the questions taken on last week in a Senate appropriations committee special hearing on AB 950 by Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), and the legislative answers are not simple.
“The basic question is: Is there a need for a specific hospice license category?” hearing chair Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara) said.