Latest California Healthline Stories
Exchange Gears Up for Third Open Enrollment Period
Interest in signing up for coverage through Covered California may be piqued by the increased penalty this year for lack of health insurance — as much as $2,085 per family.
Pharmacists Can Substitute Biosimilars
Biological medications are expensive, and new types of medications called biosimilars may cost significantly less. A new law allows pharmacists to substitute biosimilars, just as they now change some brand-name drugs to generics.
Poll Asks Duals for Opt-Out Reasoning
The high rate of seniors opting out of the Cal MediConnect program for Californians dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid has been hard to figure out, so the state decided to ask people why they’re doing it.
Californians Favor Taxing E-Cigarettes
A new Field Poll shows Californians expressed concern about electronic cigarettes’ contribution to nicotine addiction among young people and more than two-thirds of them want to increase regulation efforts.
Anti-Smoking Agencies Joining Forces
Three state agencies with a stake in tobacco cessation efforts are holding their first joint conference — and electronic cigarettes are high on their discussion list.
Exchange Survey Sets Table for Upcoming Open Enrollment Period
Covered California hopes to sign up at least 300,000 consumers in the enrollment period starting Nov. 1 — in part by reaching Californians who are eligible for subsidies but don’t know it.
Decision on Social Security Could Affect Health Care Costs for State’s Seniors
There may be no cost-of-living increase in Social Security this year, which could mean hikes in Medicare premiums and deductibles along with half a billion dollars less for the state’s coffers.
State Scales Back Medicaid Waiver Request From $17 Billion to $7 Billion
CMS officials reportedly have shied from the type of funding formula advanced by California’s 1115 Medicaid waiver request.
Sonoma County Releases First-of-its-Kind Survey of Farmworker Health
Many children of farmworkers are eligible for health care coverage but are not getting it. That’s one of the findings of Sonoma County’s first comprehensive health survey of its farmworkers.
Hospitals Urged To Avoid Serving Meat From Livestock Raised on Antibiotics
UC-San Francisco scientists are lobbying health care providers — specifically hospitals — to stop serving meat from animals raised with antibiotics, saying the practice is endangering human health.