Latest California Healthline Stories
New Bill Proposes Insurer Fee to Expand Residencies
An Assembly committee yesterday approved a plan to provide a major boost to California’s physician-training residency programs by generating roughly $100 million a year with a $5-per-covered-life fee to be imposed on health care insurers.
The new bill is one of several legislative efforts to address a provider shortage in California that’s likely to intensify when the Affordable Care Act is implemented and Medi-Cal is expanded starting in 2014.
AB 1176, co-authored by Assembly member Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Assembly member Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), would expand the number of resident physicians in California by an estimated 1,000 with the expectation that new physicians would remain in California and practice in the underserved areas where they fulfilled their residency training.
Step Forward for Oral Chemotherapy Bill
The Assembly Committee on Health approved a bill Tuesday that would require health insurers to provide oral chemotherapy therapy to their members with a maximum out-of-pocket $100 co-pay per prescription. Another version of AB 219 by Assembly member Henry Perea (D-Fresno) passed the Legislature last year, but was vetoed by the governor.
“This bill would ensure cancer patients have affordable access to the most appropriate cancer treatment covered by insurers,” Perea said. “When the governor vetoed a similar bill last year, he encouraged me to work with his administration to design a policy that will work for California. AB 219 represents a new strategy to make oral chemotherapy affordable.”
According to Perea, even a fully insured patient can spend $5,000 a month on oral chemotherapy medication, while intravenous treatments are covered by a small co-pay, no matter what the drug costs. So he wants to spread the cost over the entire insured population.
Physician Assistant Bill Clears First Hurdle
The Senate Committee on Business and Professions approved SB 352 by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), a bill designed to allow physician assistants and other providers to oversee work by medical assistants.
“MA’s are only allowed to do basic medical tasks, but if a physician’s not there on-site, then the MA can only do clerical work,” Pavley said. “Under this bill, a nurse practitioner, midwife or physician assistant can supervise them, without a physician being on the premises.”
Pavley made it a point to say the bill doesn’t change what medical assistants are allowed to do, or even what physician assistants or nurse practitioners are allowed to do.
Five Bills Pass Health Committee
The state Senate Committee on Health yesterday approved two bills designed to help alleviate California’s shortage of physicians and nurses in underserved parts of the state.
The committee also approved three other bills.
The provider bills, SB 20 and SB 271 both authored by Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), sailed through the health committee on 9-0 votes.
Spring Recess Gives Way to Spring Work
The California Legislature yesterday returned to work after a 10-day spring recess. A small mountain of bills is in front of lawmakers who have until May 31 to pass bills off the floor.
Health care legislation up for discussion includes:
Changes Set Stage for ‘Shakeout’ of Medical Suppliers, Services
Experts predict changes in contracting practices might shrink the number of businesses supplying medical products and services in California by as much as 50% over the next few years.
Fresno Family Funds Pharmacy College in Central Valley
A new, private, four-year college offering post-graduate degrees in pharmacy is taking shape in the Central Valley. California Health Sciences University officials hope the school will help address the shortage of health care professionals in the region.
Should California Expand Providers’ Scope of Practice?
Hoping to bolster the ranks of providers able to deal with millions of newly insured Californians, the California Legislature this month will consider a proposal to give mid-level health care practitioners more autonomy and authority. We asked legislators and stakeholders if that’s a good idea.
The Radical Rethinking of Primary Care Starts Now
After years of being overlooked, primary care — or efforts to transform it, at least — has emerged as a major focus for reform. Here’s a look at the ongoing problems with primary care, and some of the more striking initiatives to redesign it.
Race, Gender, Age Lead to Disparities in Care
Health care providers from around the state gathered in Sacramento this week to examine disparities in medical care. They started by examining their own treatment of patients.
The annual conference of the California Association of Physician Groups took an unusual approach Wednesday to improving care, focusing on possible misconceptions or biased treatment by physicians of some patients.
The conference looked at possible disparities in treatment of Muslims or other culturally different patients, bias based on appearance and even bias toward patients who can’t be cured.