Latest California Healthline Stories
State Loses Bid To Cut FQHC Rates, Restructure Pay System
Two budget subcommittees recently rejected an attempt by the state Department of Health Care Services to rework the way it pays federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. The proposal included a funding cut of 10%, or about $100 million, to those centers.
A Second Opinion on Medicare ‘Double Counting’
Myth or fact: There’s no such thing as an honest Medicare budget. Why the latest blow-up over health care accounting is symptomatic of a larger problem.
From Supreme Court to Appeals Court
Yesterday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court had a ripple effect in California, influencing a number of lawsuits in the state over health care cuts.
Four lawsuits have been filed over the 10% Medi-Cal provider rate cuts, and in all four cases, a federal judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking those cuts. In another court case, an injunction halted 20% trigger cuts to Californians receiving In-Home Supportive Services.
All of those cases were waiting to see what the Supreme Court would decide in Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California. Yesterday’s decision to send that case back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals was a huge victory for patient rights’ groups, according to Melinda Bird, a Disability Rights California attorney.
Assessing the First Year of CMS’ New Innovation Center
In a report released earlier this month — “One Year of Innovation: Taking Action to Improve Care and Reduce Costs” — the CMS Innovation Center summarizes what it’s been up to in its first year of existence: 16 initiatives involving more than 50,000 health care providers in all 50 states.
Health Care May Play Part in California Political Makeover
With retirements on both sides of the aisle, new congressional districts and new voting rules, California’s political makeup is headed for change in both Washington, D.C., and Sacramento. A couple of health care issues — a controversial Medicare plan in Congress and a state ballot proposal to regulate health insurance premiums — could play a part in how those changes happen.
State of the Union: Time To Trim the Regulatory Fat in Health Care?
President Obama scarcely mentioned health care in last night’s speech — and perhaps that’s more of a metaphor than the president intended. In keeping with the Obama administration’s efforts to cut through “red tape,” efforts are growing to rein in federal health care regulations.
Ateev Mehrotra of RAND Corporation Talks About the Growth Potential of Retail Clinics
Ateev Mehrotra, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, spoke with California Healthline about how the demand for retail clinics might increase in response to a growing shortage of primary care providers and a nationwide push to lower health care costs.
More Employers Turn to Wellness Incentive Programs To Trim Rising Health Care Costs
Tom Hubbard of the New England Healthcare Institute, Steven Noeldner of Mercer Health & Benefits and Joe Woods of HumanaVitality spoke with California Healthline about the growing popularity of employee wellness incentive programs.
As Health Jobs Grow, a Prescription for Smart Growth
Health care is facing a different kind of jobs debate. The sector has added more than one million jobs since the Great Recession began, but analysts warn that the jobs growth masks major concerns about labor productivity.
Why the ‘Moneyball’ Approach Isn’t a Home Run for Health Care
Billy Beane’s data-driven strategies made him the talk of baseball, the king of the current box office and a highly visible advocate for evidence-based medicine. But Beane’s teams have faded since their “Moneyball” heyday — and evidence-based medicine might not be the home run that some reformers hope it will be.